I love Warby Parker and have owned many pairs over the years. If you don?t know, WP offers high-quality prescription glasses and sunglasses, with all the bells and whistles, at really low prices. If you don?t know, now you know. Warby Parker is successful because they offer a lower price that is arguably higher quality than what you typically find elsewhere. And where you might have doubts, they have removed barriers?
Will the frames look good? Try on samples with free delivery, or visit a physical store near you. Will my glasses fit? Take them to any optometrist and WP will reimburse you if they charge for fitting. What if I don?t like them? Take advantage of free returns and exchanges. Will the lenses be right? More on this below?
Pro Tips for Total Delight
Ocular Center Height
A key factor in glasses working well for you is getting the lenses right. WP will measure your pupillary distance (PD) to get the correct horizontal center in your lenses point of focus. But what you really need is your ocular center height (OC height). This is measured on a frame-by-frame basis, so you will need to get a good photo of you wearing the frames you want before ordering (or you can visit a store for frames and measurements).
The Right Photo
If you don?t have a store near you, be sure to get a photo of yourself wearing your preferred frames before placing your order. A good photo allows WP to measure both pupillary distance and ocular center height.
- Get a friend to take the photo so you are a good distance from the camera.
- Place the frames as you normally wear them on your face.
- Keep your chin level and look straight ahead at the camera.
- Take the photo from about the same level as your eyes.
- Email the photo to [email protected] and ask for your PD and OC height for each frame.
Phone Your Order
The online order form does not allow you to enter OC height (because it is frame specific). If you order online they will default to the middle. The only way to ensure you get the correct OC height with your lenses is to phone in your order. WP?s customer service is terrific and it won?t take much longer than making an online order (it might even be faster). When you phone in your order, you can also order off the secret menu (below).
The Secret Menu
CR-39
WP uses polycarbonate lenses as a standard. This is an upgraded feature with most optometrists above their standard CR-39. However, might still prefer CR-39 to polycarbonate, as do I, because it has less chromatic aberration. I get can be distracted when LED displays start to split apart into different colors. This effect is even more pronounced with high-index lenses. I will admit, this is an edge case, but it?s near and dear to me. You can ask for CR-39 for single vision lenses (not in sunglasses).
Polished Edge (is a lie)
You can ask for a polished edge, and people may say ?yes, sure,? but it will never happen. This is not simply a feature the lab offers and no matter what anyone says, you will not get polished edges. I tried re-doing an order four times. I tried at different times with different frames. My advice is to put it out of your mind.
Lens Replacement
If you?re updating your prescription, you can get new lenses placed in old Warby Parker frames. However, there are some important caveats: the frames need to be in really good condition. Frames age and become brittle over time, depending on the environment. You save some money with lens replacement, and for single-vision, this could be a 40% savings. But if you?re getting progressive lenses they cost more, so the savings become less important.
That?s it for now. If you enjoyed this, clap! And if you want your friends to know, share it!
