“How do I benefit if I order glasses online?”

The answer is pretty simple. PRICE! By far the biggest benefit to ordering glasses online is the reduction in price. If you were to go buy a standard pair of eyeglasses at your local optician, you would probably pay upwards of $200 at the bare minimum. It is pretty rare that you see prescription eyeglasses for sale at local stores for anything less than a couple hundred dollars.

However, by purchasing glasses online, optical retailers are able to give you a better price. You might ask, “Why are they able to do that?”. Well, in a nutshell it is because they are able to cut costs in various ways that local stores cannot. For instance, most online optical retailers don’t have a storefront. They sell only on the internet. Therefore, they don’t have to pay for fancy display cases, parking, rent, etc.

Of course this doesn’t always mean that when you order glasses online you will be getting them for $500 less than a local retail store. However, there are some really great savings that you can enjoy. It all depends on where you go, what type of glasses you want, and what brand you want. Many online optical retailers’ best selling glasses are not brand name. They aren’t fancy designer frames… but they may be very good quality. Therefore, you can buy them for much less and still enjoy the same quality.

These days, there are a tremendous amount of websites that allow you to order glasses online. If you do not like the 3 I have reviewed above (although I don’t know why you wouldn’t), just make sure that you do your research and read reviews about anywhere you choose to shop. Although 2 different companies’ websites may look similar, they’re service and product can be extremely different. Be sure to follow the 3 tips that I have provided above, in order to ensure your satisfaction when you order glasses online.

#1 Pick: FramesDirect.com (click to visit)

This website has the biggest collection of prescription and non-prescription eyeglasses on the internet. The thing I like most about FramesDirect is that whether you are looking for eyeglasses at discount prices, or $200 designer sunglasses, they have them. You won’t find a selection as big as theirs anywhere on the internet. They are also constantly running coupons and offers.

More importantly though, the quality of the glasses is great. I have bought several pairs from FramesDirect ranging from semi-rimless progressives for myself, to non-prescription sunglasses for my daughter. All of which I was very happy with. If you are going to order glasses online, I would suggest looking here first. Here are some things that make FramesDirect.com stand out:

• Selection of 100,000 eyeglasses, sunglasses and contact lenses
• Designer brands at big discounts
  
• “Face shape” guide to help choose glasses that best fit you
• They offer single vision, progressives, bifocals, rimless/semi-rimless, transitions, and more
• All purchases are guaranteed
  

#2 Pick: 39DollarGlasses.com (click to visit) 39DollarGlasses.com was one of the companies who helped pioneer the “order glasses online” idea. Since setting up shop in the early 00′s, their products have improved and their collection has expanded. Their website offers quality eye wear at huge discounts. Here are some of things that set 39DollarGlasses.com apart from other online optical retailers:

• They offer any pair of single vision glasses with metal/plastic frame and plastic/polycarbonate lenses for $39.00
• They also offer progressives, bifocals, prescription sunglasses, rimless, semi-rimless, bendable titanium, bendable titanium rimless and much more, all at discounted prices.
• While most other retailers outsource the work to other countries and take weeks to ship, 39DollarGlasses.com makes the glasses and ships directly to the customer, usually within just a few business days.

#3 Pick: EyeBuyDirect.com (click to visit)

To start off about EyeBuyDirect.com, I will say that if you want to order glasses online at a low price, this website is probably your best bet. They advertise glasses starting as low as $7.95, which is about as cheap as they come. $8.00 is pretty much the bear minimum I’ve seen online optical retailers charge when it comes to discount eyeglasses.

However, my reasons for recommending them are not because they are one of the cheapest places to order glasses online, but rather because of the rest of their selection. Although cheap glasses are good, they don’t always meet our expectations. The rest of EyeBuyDirect.com’s options are very nice. In particular, they offer some of the nicest plastic frames I have ever seen, many of which look like they could be designer glasses. They also have an enormous selection of specialty frames such as bendable titanium, flexlite, sports glasses and clip-on’s. Here are some things that make EyeBuyDirect.com stand out:

• Amazing selection of frames ranging in price from $7.95-$49.95
• Almost always running coupons and special offers
• They sell almost any type of lenses/frames that you can think of

When You Order Glasses Online, Keep These 3 Things In Mind…

Many of us are too skeptical to order glasses online. When it comes to something as frequently used and important as eyeglasses, you want to make sure you know what you are ordering, and what exactly to expect in the mail.

1. What lens material are you ordering? - Most of the online optical retailers advertise “discount” or “cheap” eyeglasses. Usually the reason for this is because the glasses aren’t of the best quality. These companies often cut costs of production by using plastic lenses.

Now, I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with plastic lenses, some people actually prefer them. Just because plastic lenses are the cheapest to make doesn’t mean that they are no good. However, you might want to compare the pro’s and con’s of different lens materials before making a purchase. The two materials that are most commonly used to make prescription eyeglasses by optical retailers are Polycarbonate and Plastic.  Below are some comparison details that you can review.

Polycarbonate Vs. Plastic:

Plastic:

• Usually a bit heavier and thicker than Polycarbonate
• Less expensive than Polycarbonate (in most cases)
• Lenses can break or chip much easier than Polycarbonate if stressed in any way
• Arguably better if you are buying prescription sunglasses (may hold color better)

Polycarbonate:

• Lighter, and usually thinner than any other lens material
• Extremely durable (Polycarbonate can almost be bent in half without breaking)
• Scratch resistant
• More expensive than Plastic (in most cases)

*IMPORTANT TIP* - When you order glasses online, look for retailers who offer both polycarbonate or plastic lenses at the same low price. Although most optical companies charge more for polycarbonate, there are a select few who offer the same deal for both. Most notably 39DollarGlasses.com. They offer any pair of single vision eyeglasses, with either polycarbonate or plastic lenses, in a metal or plastic frame for $39.00 – (read my review of 39DollarGlasses.com above).

2. Try to find a picture of the frames on someones face, so you can see them to scale. - Sometimes people will order glasses online only to find out that when the package arrives in the mail, the glasses are smaller/bigger/thicker/thinner than they had appeared on the website. A great way to avoid this problem is by buying from a website that shows pictures of someone wearing the glasses. Most online optical retailers do this, as it is an easy way for customers to virtually “try on” the glasses.

All three of the websites that are listed above have some sort of feature like this. Just browse the sites (which are usually loaded with all sorts of pictures anyway), and use the website feature to fit a particular pair of frames to a face similar to yours. For example, if you are a woman with a roundish face, you can look at pictures of another woman with a roundish face wearing the frames that you are interested in. This will give you a much better idea of how those glasses will fit you.

Regardless of where you decide to order glasses online, you should seek out pictures of the frames being worn by people in order to assure that you realize the proper dimensions of them.

3. Write customer notes! - One of the best things you can do to assure that you will be happy with your new eyeglasses is write customer notes! Barely anyone takes advantage of this opportunity, but it can make all of the difference. For example, if you like your glasses to have the nose pads very close together so that the lenses are a bit further from your face, write that in the notes! You will be surprised at how much of a difference you can make in your own customer satisfaction by utilizing this option. Simply write whatever small customization preference you have, and many companies will have no problem taking care of it for you.

Additional information you should know

The internet is packed with optical retailers these days. Everything from contact lenses to designer sunglasses can be found with the click of a mouse. However, try not to be won over by looks alone.

When you order glasses online, the key is to see exactly what you are getting. Some web-based optical stores offer prescription eyeglasses for as low as $8.00. This is obviously a fantastic price, but if we look closer, we may find that the glasses for $8.00 are made up of cheap plastic lenses and a poor quality “made in China” frame. Don’t just compare prices. Compare quality as well.

Believe it or not, the “big name” franchise companies in the eye care/vision market are not the best places to order glasses online. Instead, I have found that the web-based optical retailers (meaning companies that only sell eyeglasses online) are much better to buy from. Selling eyeglasses online is sort of an art form. It is crucial to market your product a certain way, so that when your customer receives the product, it is everything they expected. I feel that web-based optical retailers achieve this far better than retailers that didn’t initially start their businesses on the internet.

The websites that I have listed above are, in my opinion, the best places to order glasses online. These days, there are so many websites to choose from, but the key is to just do your research and see what appeals to you most. Once you find an online optical retailer who’s product you are happy with, stick with them. When you order glasses online you are able to find such great deals and discounts.

Buying eyeglasses on the internet is great! You can save tons of money on glasses that may normally cost you hundreds of dollars! Regardless of if you choose to order glasses online through these links or not, make sure you do your research and read reviews about whichever online optical retailers appeal to you.

If you are looking to order glasses online for children, there are a few things you need to make sure of. There are laws that prohibit certain lens materials from being used on eyeglasses for children, as well as other factors that can make a big difference in your child’s happiness with his or her eyeglasses. A child’s vision is more sensitive than an adult’s. It is also not fully developed. Above all, you want to make sure that the pair of eyeglasses that you buy for your child is safe.

The first thing you want to pay attention to when you order glasses online for children is the lens material. There is only one lens material that you should ever buy for your child, and that is Polycarbonate. Polycarbonate lenses are built extremely tough. They cannot chip or break easily at all. This is ideal for a child’s eyeglasses because, as we know, kids can be careless.

You absolutely do not want to risk buying your child anything other than Polycarbonate lenses. It is actually against the law for children to wear anything but Polycarbonate, for safety reasons. However, if you are buying an adult frame for your child because kid frames are too small for them, the optical retailer may not know the eyeglasses are for a child and can mistakenly neglect to make the glasses with polycarbonate lenses. It is extremely important to write it in the customer notes that those eyeglasses are for a child.

Another factor you want to focus on when you order glasses online for children is the lens type. There are several different lens types. Some of them include single vision, progressives and bifocals. For a child’s eyeglasses, you only want to buy single vision lenses. Single vision lenses are just one prescription throughout the whole lens (such as reading glasses).

Progressive lenses are basically three different prescriptions. The prescription on the top of the lenses is weakest, and then it gets stronger towards the bottom of the lens. Many adults are very happy with progressive lenses and prefer nothing else. Indeed progressive and bifocal lenses are good, but they are to extreme for a child’s vision. Progressive and bifocal lenses are meant to be used in larger frames. A child’s eyes would not respond well to anything other than single vision.

At this point you may be thinking that you never realized it was so complex to order glasses online for children, but it isn’t. However, there is one more thing. The frames! Make sure that the frames you buy for your child are safe. Plastic frames are recommended, but if your child does not like any plastic frames that you find, make sure the metal frames are suitable. Remember, kids will be kids, and safety is most important. Metal frames that are made for kids are usually pretty safe. If you decide to shop for glasses in a store instead of on the internet, bring your child and have him or her try the frames on. Move the frames around on their face a bit and see if there is any chance of the nose pads poking your child in the eye if they move a certain way. Make sure the frames are a good fit. Finally, make sure your child likes the eyeglasses. Now you are good to go!

If you are going to order glasses online for your child, and you don’t have the luxury of trying the frames on, then read some customer feedback about the frames. See how other kids have responded to their purchases, and decide whether or not you think you will be happy with those particular frames. Most places that sell eyeglasses for children usually have some sort of website widget that allows you to “virtually” try the glasses on, and get a good idea of how they will look on your child.

Regardless of where you order glasses online for your child, be mindful of what you are buying. Pay attention to detail, and make sure to shop around until you find a pair of glasses that fit all of the above criteria.

Checklist of things to look for when you order glasses online for children

• Polycarbonate lenses ONLY!
  
• Plastic frames are best, but if metal frames are your only option, make sure they aren’t hazardous to your child.
• Single vision lenses are best (since eyes are not fully developed)

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