It?s normal to pay hundreds of dollars for a standard pair of glasses at the optician?s office. It?s also outrageous. Affordable online optical stores are filling the gap in the market for shoppers with simple prescriptions who want more frame styles at a fraction of the cost. Here are seven of the online glasses stores that stand out from the crowd.
1. Coastal
If you?re in Canada, you might know this company as Clearly Contacts. The US-based branch of this company, Coastal, sells glasses with Standard Air prescription lenses starting at $35. They offer newer eco-friendly brands, like Main + Central, as well as older mainstream brands, like Ray-Bans.
How will the frames fit?
Coastal offers a MyFit feature. On the temple of any prescription pair of glasses are three basic measurements. You enter those basic measurements into the MyFit feature, and the feature displays only glasses with similar measurements. The feature is less useful for young people who are still growing or other people whose glasses might not fit properly.
What kinds of deals do they offer?
As of the posting of this article, they have a coupon going for 30% off frames when customers use code BRIGHTNOW. The coupon code excludes designer brands and lens add-ons.
2. EyeBuyDirect
A subsidiary of the prescription lens company Essilor, EyeBuyDirect designs and manufactures all of the glasses available through their online store. They have adorable frames for kids starting at about $5 and stylish adult frames starting at $6. Though they have pages upon pages of glasses. Their selection appears more limited than other optical companies on this list.
How will the frames fit?
EyeBuyDirect has a virtual try-on tool. First, the customer uploads a picture of their face to the site. Then, the site uses facial recognition technology and pupillary distance (the distance between the center of a person?s pupils when the person is staring straight ahead) to generate a picture of the customer wearing the glasses. It?s not as accurate as trying on a pair of glasses in a store, but it offers a good first impression of how the glasses will look on your face.
What kinds of deals do they offer?
As of posting this article, the website has a coupon for 10% off your order (restrictions apply). They also have a coupons page with a list of the discounts they currently offer. If you?re saving less than $10 and you?re new to EyeBuyDirect, use my referral code at checkout (IF1BGNEE6J) or follow my referral link and save $10.
3. BonLook
Montreal-based eyewear company, BonLook, has frames straight out of a fairytale queendom. They boast handmade frames, Essilor lenses, and thorough quality assurance. A complete pair of glasses with lenses start at $99, and all glasses include anti-scratch and anti-reflective coating.
How will they fit?
If you live near one of their physical stores in Canada, you?re a lucky Louise. You can visit a physical store where you can get your eyes examined, have your PD measured, get style tips, and physically try on frames. They?ll ship your frames to you when they?re ready.
For those outside of Canada who just want cute BonLook glasses, use their virtual try-on feature. It?s comparable to EyeBuyDirect?s virtual try-on feature.
What kinds of deals do they offer?
Word of mouth is that if you place a pair of glasses in your cart and leave them there for a week, BonLook will email you a 25% off coupon. No promises that the company still does this, but it has happened in the past.
4. Warby Parker
The optical brand that shook the US glasses market, Warby Parker, helps its customers save money by cutting out the middleman and designing all of their glasses. Though the company is best-known for their vintage-inspired frames, they support a charitable cause as well. For every pair of glasses purchased, a pair is donated to someone in need. Every pair of glasses includes anti-scratch, anti-reflective, and superhydrophobic coating, and prices start at $95.
How will they fit?
Currently, Warby Parker has 44 physical stores throughout the US and Canada where shoppers can try on and purchase glasses. Some of these stores also offer optical exams and frame adjustments.
For those who can?t make it to a physical store, Warby Parker offers a home try-on program.
To take part in the home try-on program, customers select up to five eligible styles and the company mails the glasses (with non-prescription demo lenses) to the customer. Once the glasses arrive, the customer has five days to try on the frames, see how they feel about them, and send the glasses back free of charge. The first downside to this feature is that there are some gorgeous styles (like Addie shown above) which are not eligible for home try-ons. The second downside is that it requires a credit card number. Of course, the company needs a method of charging customers who don?t return the glasses, but for those who are reluctant to hand out their card number, this feature is problematic.
What kinds of deals do they offer?
It seems that there aren?t any functional promotional codes or other discounts for this company. But if you have Warby Parker coupon knowledge, share it in the comments!
5. Zenni Optical
If you?ve seen a commercial for affordable glasses recently, it was probably for Zenni Optical. Because all of their glasses are designed and produced in-house, the company can sell a complete pair of glasses for as low as $6.95 (excluding shipping which will probably bring the total closer to $12).
Customers who buy $6 glasses from this company shouldn?t expect a pair of indestructible designer glasses. They?ll do their job, look like decent quality glasses, and probably fall apart in a year. Another downside to this company is their poor quality service, e.g. they have a tendency to reject returns. To be fair, the website has stylish frames that have lasted many customers years without a problem.
If you?re new to purchasing glasses online and have a limited budget, then use the referral link here to save $5 on an affordable pair of glasses. If you?re satisfied with your purchase, you?ll feel more comfortable investing more in glasses from this site. Otherwise, cut your losses, and check out another site or stick with your optician.
How will they fit?
Zenni Optical used to offer a home try-on program similar to Warby Parker?s, but they?ve traded it for a virtual try-on feature. It?s comparable to the other virtual try-ons mentioned on this list. However, customers who want glasses that sit on the face so that the eye is at the center of the lens shouldn?t overlook glasses that appear to sit low on the face in the virtual try-on feature. Those glasses will sit low on the face in-person.
What kinds of deals do they offer?
If you?re new to Zenni Optical, you can use this referral link to save $5 on your order. Otherwise, I?d suggest leaving items in your cart for a week. In the past, the company has sent out 10% off coupons to customers who?ve done that, and they might still practice this.
6. Firmoo
Firmoo should win the award for most hit or miss optical store. The site is filled with pages upon pages of trendy, Instagram-worthy glasses. No frame on their site is priced at more than $39, shipping, handling, and lens coatings and tints excluded. I?ve ordered two pairs of glasses from Firmoo. One fits perfectly, and the other needed several adjustments. If you?re comfortable with adjusting your glasses, then you?ll probably have a ball ordering glasses from this site.
How will they fit?
Firmoo offers a virtual try-on feature that seems to be a bit less accurate when compared to the other company?s virtual try-on features. Rely on the photos on the website of customers wearing the glasses and the glasses measurements when gauging how the frames will fit your face.
What kinds of deals do they offer?
Firmoo offers a ?free? pair of glasses to new customers. The ?free? is in quotes because customers still have to pay shipping and handling. The actual total comes out to about $10, which is still a great deal, but it?s not free. For returning customers, get for 50% off select frames using the clear50 coupon code. If you want two pairs of glasses, check out their BOGO sale.
7. GlassesUSA
GlassesUSA appears to have the largest combination of designer and in-house brand glasses. Prices start at $48 including prescription lenses and shipping. They offer a one-year guarantee on all glasses; if your glasses break within that year, they?ll send you a replacement.
How will they fit?
GlassesUSA offers a virtual try-on feature similar to the other virtual try-on features mentioned in this list. They call it a ?virtual mirror.?
What kinds of deals do they offer?
The company offers a 50% coupon to new customers. As of posting this article, there are coupons codes for returning users floating around on RetailMeNot, but I haven?t personally tested their validity.
Where do you buy your glasses? Tell me in the comments below!
All prices are in USD. This is not a sponsored post.
