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Anyone Ever Order Prescriptions Glasses Online?

HappyDude20

HappyDude20

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jul 13, 2008
3,688
1,479
Los Angeles, Ca
Hey all,

I've never ordered prescription glasses online but would be willing to pay a little extra for the coated lenses, as opposed to the cheap $29 lenses to go into these frames.

I have two frames and assume i have to send them in, they put the prescriptions in and then send them back to me. As mentioned, I've never ordered online but would imagine it isn't a terrible ordeal.

Any help in the right direction is appreciated.
 
HappyDude20 said:
Hey all,

I've never ordered prescription glasses online but would be willing to pay a little extra for the coated lenses, as opposed to the cheap $29 lenses to go into these frames.

I have two frames and assume i have to send them in, they put the prescriptions in and then send them back to me. As mentioned, I've never ordered online but would imagine it isn't a terrible ordeal.

Any help in the right direction is appreciated.
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I buy all my glasses from Zenni Optical now. The frame selection is okay, unless you want brand name frame; they're all no name frames. They have the entire range of lenses material to choose and coating. I usually go for polycarbonate, but one went with the top grade ultra thin. It's the same quality as what you get from the local optometry shop. I'm guessing it's exactly the same, since they'll take 2-3 weeks (Judging from the time frame, I'm guessing they're made in China too).

$200 for 2 pairs of the same glasses and 12 blank frames makes more sense to me than $200 for one pair of glasses, most likely of the exact same quality. I order multiple copies of the same glasses because I've got a toddler who love to grab and twist 'em. Lost 5 pairs in 2 years at the hands of little kids.:eek: Pop out the old lense and place them in the new frame. Done and done.

The most difficult part of ordering online is knowing what your PD (Pupillary Distance). I doubt the optometrist is gonna give you that number, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Selling glasses is how they make their money after all.
 
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If you find a pair that you like sure. But I would try things on in person first.
 
Never. I got my glasses a few years ago and I'm still using the same ones. Would love to upgrade to google glass soon. But the problem I have with google glass is I don't think you can easily take out prescription lens. I don't wear my glasses most of the time even though I problaly should. I use them when I must see something a little far away. Like at school a lot and when I watch TV and sometimes the computer if I don't want to touch my eyes to it. Google should really make it so you can take the glasses part off easy.
 
Scepticalscribe said:
No, I haven't. On matters related to my eyes, I'm old school; I prefer to visit my ophthalmologist on an annual basis and order lenses accordingly.
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You ophthalmologist isn't going to be the person making your glasses. Before I had my Lasik, I would get my eyes examined either by an ophthalmologist or optometrist every year. Then they would have my glasses made elsewhere and sent to them. I don't even know if they were made in the USA.
 
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Southern Dad said:
You ophthalmologist isn't going to be the person making your glasses. Before I had my Lasik, I would get my eyes examined either by an ophthalmologist or optometrist every year. Then they would have my glasses made elsewhere and sent to them. I don't even know if they were made in the USA.
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True; but this is not a process I care to do myself, and I prefer to leave it in the hands of specialists.

The last lenses I had made - which I am wearing now, - were ordered from Zeiss in Germany, last summer, following my annual visit to my specialist, when it was decided that a change, but not a major one, in the prescription was necessary, while my previous ones had been made in Stockholm a few years earlier, as I had been visiting the city for several weeks and decided to have an eye examination while I was there.

I selected certain frames which I liked, (by Oliver Peoples) and require quite precise vari-focals.
 
For the first time ever I find myself with 5 pair of glasses. Yea, I know that's a lot. My glasses were out of date and badly scratched. So I went to LensCrafters and spent almost $500 on a pair. Cheapest frames they had in stock. No line bifocals. I didn't even get antiglare. But during the fitting, I saw my PD and wrote it down, cause with that I could try something online.

My husband's niece told me about Zenni, and that she and her husband got all their glasses there and they were cheap and great. I said, yea, but once you add in things like bifocals the price goes way up again. She told me her husband wrote bifocals. So I ordered a pair. (They come from China, so you don't even have to upload your Rx.) They were great! So then I ordered two more. And I just received my fourth pair because I decided I needed a pair with Transitions lenses.

I know this sounds like a commercial, but all four of the paid from Zenni cost the same as the one from LensCrafters, which doesn't have antiglare.
 
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AlliFlowers said:
For the first time ever I find myself with 5 pair of glasses. Yea, I know that's a lot. My glasses were out of date and badly scratched. So I went to LensCrafters and spent almost $500 on a pair. Cheapest frames they had in stock. No line bifocals. I didn't even get antiglare. But during the fitting, I saw my PD and wrote it down, cause with that I could try something online.

My husband's niece told me about Zenni, and that she and her husband got all their glasses there and they were cheap and great. I said, yea, but once you add in things like bifocals the price goes way up again. She told me her husband wrote bifocals. So I ordered a pair. (They come from China, so you don't even have to upload your Rx.) They were great! So then I ordered two more. And I just received my fourth pair because I decided I needed a pair with Transitions lenses.

I know this sounds like a commercial, but all four of the paid from Zenni cost the same as the one from LensCrafters, which doesn't have antiglare.
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I once asked Lens Crafters for my PD and they said they don’t give it out. Probably because they don’t want you going online to order lenses. So I asked my eye doctor and she told me.
 
AlliFlowers said:
For some reason that seems to be a closely guarded secret.
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Most people don’t know what a pupillary distance is. I never knew until I started researching online orders and found videos about it. They can hide it out if ignorance knowing people won’t ask. But if you do ask they are supposed to tell you. My doctor said, oh you want to order online? Here is your PD.
 
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AlliFlowers said:
For the first time ever I find myself with 5 pair of glasses. Yea, I know that's a lot. My glasses were out of date and badly scratched. So I went to LensCrafters and spent almost $500 on a pair. Cheapest frames they had in stock. No line bifocals. I didn't even get antiglare. But during the fitting, I saw my PD and wrote it down, cause with that I could try something online.

My husband's niece told me about Zenni, and that she and her husband got all their glasses there and they were cheap and great. I said, yea, but once you add in things like bifocals the price goes way up again. She told me her husband wrote bifocals. So I ordered a pair. (They come from China, so you don't even have to upload your Rx.) They were great! So then I ordered two more. And I just received my fourth pair because I decided I needed a pair with Transitions lenses.

I know this sounds like a commercial, but all four of the paid from Zenni cost the same as the one from LensCrafters, which doesn't have antiglare.
Click to expand...
AlliFlowers said:
For the first time ever I find myself with 5 pair of glasses. Yea, I know that's a lot. My glasses were out of date and badly scratched. So I went to LensCrafters and spent almost $500 on a pair. Cheapest frames they had in stock. No line bifocals. I didn't even get antiglare. But during the fitting, I saw my PD and wrote it down, cause with that I could try something online.

My husband's niece told me about Zenni, and that she and her husband got all their glasses there and they were cheap and great. I said, yea, but once you add in things like bifocals the price goes way up again. She told me her husband wrote bifocals. So I ordered a pair. (They come from China, so you don't even have to upload your Rx.) They were great! So then I ordered two more. And I just received my fourth pair because I decided I needed a pair with Transitions lenses.

I know this sounds like a commercial, but all four of the paid from Zenni cost the same as the one from LensCrafters, which doesn't have antiglare.
Click to expand...

This is perfect since I recently left my glasses on top of my car while I was putting my son in his seat. I always felt that the annual eye exam was a rip off. My prescription has barely changed in over 22 years since I started wearing glasses and contacts. I do have a current exam, but I don't want to buy a new pair of glasses for the cost. I am going to give Zenni a try.
 
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TheAppleFairy said:
This is perfect since I recently left my glasses on top of my car while I was putting my son in his seat. I always felt that the annual eye exam was a rip off. My prescription has barely changed in over 22 years since I started wearing glasses and contacts. I do have a current exam, but I don't want to buy a new pair of glasses for the cost. I am going to give Zenni a try.
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The yearly exam is more than just a new prescription. It’s checking for glaucoma or other eye problems.
 
I’m super happy with mine from Warby Parker. I even had to special order the ultra high index for really high prescriptions, and they came out really well.
 
I don’t remember. Double or triple the normal WP price because of the lenses. Still very good compared to 8n person stores for something comparable.
 
I just receive my eyeglass from GlassesUSA .com and the fit and prescription is perfect..$247
 
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Back in the good ole days, my insurance covered basic but quality frames and I could buy a pair of prescription glasses for $60. Now either my insurance coverage has changed or the vendor I go to has, and the cheapest quality frames they have with a warranty of a couple of years are $210, of which my insurance offsets $140. So besides extras, like non glare, a pair of glasses would be $140.

I assume this is still a good price, but want to ask if there are better deals online? What riles me about frames is that I can buy high quality readers, with light flexible frames 9n Amazon for a total of $17. This glasses business seems like a racket. :confused:😛
 
Huntn said:
Back in the good ole days, my insurance covered basic but quality frames and I could buy a pair of prescription glasses for $60. Now either my insurance coverage has changed or the vendor I go to has, and the cheapest quality frames they have with a warranty of a couple of years are $210, of which my insurance offsets $140. So besides extras, like non glare, a pair of glasses would be $140.

I assume this is still a good price, but want to ask if there are better deals online? What riles me about frames is that I can buy high quality readers, with light flexible frames 9n Amazon for a total of $17. This glasses business seems like a racket. :confused:😛
Click to expand...
So the racket comes from who owns the major brands. Esslor the big lens brand now owns Luxottica. The big frame brand.
 
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