[Question] Ordering Eyeglasses online

Tiger Tsang

Tiger Tsang

I remember you folks discussing ordering glasses from . . . China?

Either it was too far back for the search function or my Forum searching skills are weak.

Could you repost those suggestions, please.

Thanks
 
drifter

drifter

Zenni Optical is the one I've heard the most about, and is one several forumites have purchased from. There's also EyeBuyDirect, among a multitude of others. Last time I looked, Zenni was the cheapest, but in my opinion other companies have better looking frames.
 
drawn_inward

drawn_inward

Yes, I have had great luck with Zenni Optical.

You need the prescription values, but not a current/valid prescription and the distance between your pupils (which isn't on most prescrips). You can measure it at home. Zenni will send out a measuring guide with each order.

The glasses come in a hard plastic case with a lens cloth. I think it takes about 2-3 weeks to get them.
 
Hylian

Hylian

I have been ordering my glasses from Zenni Optical for years now and they work really well. As drawn_Inward said you will need your prescription and your pupil distance but that isn't to hard to acquire. As for the frames I usually get a ton fo compliments on my frames but be warned that their return policy sucks so be sure of what you are ordering before finalizing.
 
jwhouk

jwhouk

Great Eyeglasses.com. I wasn't impressed, an the glasses seemed a bit off. I believe I had to return one pair because of a mistake with the prescription. I wouldn't go back, since I now have bifocals (pause for mandatory old jokes & mandatory "FU, I'M NOT AS OLD AS DAVE" response) and it adds a level of complexity to the equation.
 
drawn_inward

drawn_inward

At Zenni, it's cheap as long as you don't upgrade everything - i.e. fancy frames, tinting/polarized frames, bi/trifocals, lightweight plastic lenses, etc. It should still be way, way cheaper than going to Lens Crafters, even with insurance.
 
strawman

strawman

I get all my glasses from zenni now. Last order was three pair, one with the nice titanium memory frameless glasses and the anti reflective stuff for indoor computer stuff, one prescription sunglasses (wraparound, polarized), and one prescription safety glasses for my workshop.

Came to about $100. The last time I bought a single pair with anti reflective coatings, anti scratch, and lightweight frames was over $300, and that was nearly a decade ago.

Zenni are so cheap now that there's no point in getting the anti-scratch coating, just replace them every few years for another $25-$40.

Also, they've gotten a lot faster. The first time I ordered years ago I think it was over a month before I got them. This time it was under two weeks and they beat my local optometrist. My insurance covers basic glasses with no special features and a few frames (and transition lenses for an additional $10 - how crazy is that?) so I spent $10 on those, then went home and ordered from Zenni. The Zenni order arrived at home several days before the optometrist called to give me mine.

You do give up a lot of the service, though - having the optometrist fiddle with the frames and adjust them to my face was nice rather than having to adjust them myself. In fact it wasn't until I had to adjust my own glasses that I realized my eyes and ears were not precisely level with each other - one ear is just a bit lower than the other.

And on top of all that, since I effectively have four different pairs of glasses, I'm finding out a lot more quickly what I like and dislike about each frame. Previously I might try on a lot of frames at the store, but then I'd simply settle for what I chose without really understanding how it impacted me in my daily life.

Cheap glasses are the bomb, and I haven't had a single problem with Zenni.
 
fade

fade

Staff member
I have several pairs of Zenni, but I usually wear contacts. I don't know if I'd like the Zennis full time. They have a strong chromatic aberration at the edges (prism-like color separation). This is true of all pairs that I have. Don't know if anyone else has had that problem.
 
Tinwhistler

Tinwhistler

Been ordering from Zenni for years. Haven't noticed any chromatic problems.

Since ordering from them, prescription sunglasses have become a staple for me, rather than a luxury. Since my cataract surgery, my eye prescription is really wonky. One eye is + and one eye is - on the diopter scale (meaning I have a nearsighted and farsighed eye). This is abnormal, and Zenni caught the anomaly and emailed me about it to confirm before fulfilling my order. So they have some quality control in the process.

Most eye doctors I've gone to will give you the PD if you ask. But some won't, because they know you're ordering glasses from someone else. The last place I went to wouldn't, and so I told them that'd be the last time I got an eye checkup from them.

This practice of withholding PD may hopefully be changing soon.
http://www.2020mag.com/l-and-t/46893/
 
SpecialKO

SpecialKO

Since my work insurance covers a new pair every 2 years, I buy from a good local glasses place for a nice solid pair with high-quality durable but also good-looking frane and free onsite service for any glasses I purchase, but I buy backup pairs and scrip sunglasses from Zenni for when I go running/gym/other activity where expensive glasses are inappropriate.
 
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