3 Best Online Stores for Eyeglasses
Eyeglasses Depending on your requirements and preferences, buying eyeglasses online instead of buying prescription glasses can result in significant financial savings.
We suggest you start your online search for glasses at Eyebuydirect after conducting more than 100 hours of research over three years, speaking with eight eye doctors, and testing dozens of similar frame and lens combinations from 10 retailers since 2017.
When compared to its more established competitors, it offers a wide and easy-to-search selection of high-quality frames, a variety of lens and coating options, and affordable prices.
Eyebuydirect
Eyebuydirect is a great place to start your online eyewear search with single vision Rx glasses starting at $13 and going up to $233 during the trial period (depending on frame and lens choices). They also have a full 14-day, no-questions-asked return guarantee.
The glasses we got from Eyebuydirect in 2019 and 2020 confirmed what we found in our 2018 tests: They were high quality, and the company’s customer service was reliable. Eyebuydirect doesn’t offer at-home frame try-ons, but we found that their virtual try-on tool gave us a good idea of how the glasses we eventually purchased would look on our faces.
In 2020, the company will offer an unparalleled free or inexpensive two-day shipping option on a wide range of frames. (Our 2020 test pair of single-vision prescription glasses arrived in just 33 hours.)
Liingo Glasses
Free home frame trial and excellent return policy
Liingo offers the most liberal full-refund policy of any store we looked at—60 days, no questions asked—despite having fewer frame options than Eyebuydirect.
Liingo Eyewear, a relative newcomer to the online eyewear market, set itself apart from the competition by offering free home trials of up to five frames. This was due to both its generally larger range of frames and its exceptional returns policy (which can be done in just two clicks).
Although the glasses we ordered from Liingo were, on average, more expensive than those we received from Eyebuydirect, Liingo allows you to return the glasses for a full refund for a full two months instead of the two weeks with Eyebuydirect.
Zeni Optics
A fairly affordable option
You may be able to score a great pair of prescription glasses from Zenni. And based on user reviews and our own testing, a lot of people do. However, this business only offers partial refunds or store credit on returns, making it a riskier option.
You might be surprised at how little you spend at Zenni Optical for prescription glasses that are comparable to what you would get from an optician if you are willing to take a chance on a company with a lenient return policy.
Despite Zenni’s ridiculously low prices, we found that they often exceeded our expectations. Our tester who bought the $19 glasses from Zenni was completely satisfied. And one tester loved Zenni’s $149 progressive prescription glasses and a matching $295 pair from a competitor.
Of all the companies we tested, Zenni has the most comprehensive frame selection. However, be prepared to accept store credit (100% of the initial purchase price) or only half your money back, excluding delivery, if the glasses you get from Zenni don’t fit.
Who is this for?
According to studies (PDF) from the Vision Council, a nonprofit trade organization, more than 76 percent of Americans use some form of vision correction. A typical pair of prescription glasses costs $315, according to vision insurance provider VSP. So it's no surprise that eyeglasses are some type of.
When you buy glasses online, you can save up to half (or even more) compared to buying them in-store. At the time of our research, comparable frame and prescription lens combinations from our top recommendations ranged from $12 to $237. However, keep in mind that if you want special lenses or additional upgrades, your online expenses may eventually match what you’d pay in an optical store.
Shopping online for glasses can expand your options if you’re having trouble choosing frames that complement your face or personal style. Online eyeglass stores as a whole offer a much wider selection of frames than any optical store, offering wider, slimmer, and shallower styles as well as frames for those with higher cheekbones, lower nose bridges, or weight limits. With advanced virtual try-on tools and at-home frame try-ons, many online eyeglass companies can help you find the perfect pair of glasses for your face (and, less formally, with generous, no-questions-asked return policies).
Check the inside of the arms of a pair of frames you currently own to get a head start on finding the right ones, as many frames are printed with their specifications. You can then look up matching dimensions on a new set of frames. In order to quickly identify glasses that fit and look good, you can use the style finder tools available on many websites. But keep in mind that going to an optician in person will allow you to try on the largest selection of styles and sizes in the shortest amount of time if you’re not quite sure what you’re looking for.
Not everyone should buy glasses online. The eight eye doctors we spoke to agreed that buying online is generally acceptable if you have a small or low prescription.
To ensure accurate prescriptions, people with very strong prescriptions or other issues, such as prism correction requirements or progressive lenses, may feel more at ease buying glasses from a brick-and-mortar store (although they may occasionally make mistakes).
According to Dr. Neil Pence of the Indiana University School of Optometry, there is no official classification of what defines a “strong” prescription, but in general, it refers to prescriptions with a strength of +/- 6 or higher.
Some readers who claim to have “complex” or particularly strong prescriptions have noted that after spending time choosing glasses from our recommendations that they like, the dealers have refused to fill their prescriptions. It’s understandable why this is annoying. Before spending too much time on a company’s website, if your prescription is strong, look at their guidelines (or go to an optician in person).
You will need a prescription and PD.
You need a valid prescription and your PD, or pupillary distance, in order to purchase glasses online.
Although most prescriptions won't officially expire until about five years later, the American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends that everyone under the age of 65 have their eyes checked in person at least once every two years. It strongly discourages the use of self-service prescription checkers and online-only services to renew eyeglass prescriptions.
Patients “should be wary of any company that claims that [its service or device] can replace the care provided by a physician,” the AOA said in an email. Only in-person eye exams can detect early signs of glaucoma, diabetes and high blood pressure, according to ophthalmologist Dr. Camille Cohen.
You'll also need a value known as pupillary distance, or PD, which is unlikely to be in your prescription, as well as a valid prescription.
The distance between your pupils, measured in millimeters (using a single PD), or the distance between your pupils and the center of the bridge of your nose (double PD).
The horizontal center of vision in the lenses should be positioned according to the PD values so that you can see clearly through them. According to Pence of Indiana University, it is more important that the lenses are properly aligned in front of your eye the stronger the prescription (i.e. the larger the spherical numbers - positive or negative).
When ordering frames with prescription lenses, online eyewear stores must ask for the PD. While your doctor likely arrived at this number during your eye exam, he or she is not absolutely required to give you the PD (unlike your eyeglass prescription, which is required by federal law to be available to the patient).
Only a few jurisdictions, including Alaska, Kansas, Massachusetts, and New Mexico, currently require your PD to be listed on your prescription, according to the FDA.
Elsewhere, it is up to your eye care professional to share this important information. Ask if your PD will be included in your prescription when you schedule your appointment to avoid any unpleasant interactions. If your doctor does not include your PD in your prescription after your eye exam, call them and ask them to do so.
Although they are not required to, your doctor will likely answer your question if you ask. You still have options, however, if your doctor decides to hold this information hostage.
When ordering frames with prescription lenses, online eyewear stores should ask for a PD. Although they likely did this during your eye exam, your doctor is not required to give you a PD.
If you can find one, it’s important to have a professional measure your PD so you have the best chance of finding the right glasses online. We randomly contacted eight “big box” opticians across the country to see if we could pay for a PD measurement. Every one of them said they wouldn’t give a PD measurement to someone who wouldn’t buy glasses directly from them. Other store representatives cited state rules that make them liable for ill-fitting glasses.
Others (like a LensCrafters customer service representative in New York) stated that their company never disclosed this information to anyone, including their customers, and that we should instead visit a “mom and pop store.” In fact, the only store we contacted whose representative stated that their staff would measure anyone’s PD at no charge, whether or not they purchased glasses from their establishment, was independently owned Oscar Oglethorpe Eyewear in Greensboro, North Carolina. You may be able to locate a local expert willing to measure your PD for little or no charge by making a few phone calls.
How we chose
You can get prescription glasses online from countless sellers. In order to avoid wasting time and money, we first rejected any retailer that didn’t include a try-on option, whether online or in person. This is because getting glasses online without even a vague sense of how they will look on your face can be risky.
Since regrets and mistakes are inevitable, we eliminated any business that didn’t offer a full, no-questions-asked refund (though we did exclude Zenni Optical, a retailer known for its comprehensive budget-friendly offerings and great customer reviews). And since saving money is a major factor in choosing to buy items online over in-store, we focused on companies that could provide us with a selection of trendy frames with single-vision prescription lenses for under $150.
These criteria made it simple for us to narrow down our test list to two potential online eyeglass retailers that offer Americans free home frame trials:
Nine offers virtual experience services:
Bonlook
Eyebuydirect
Eyeconic
Firmoo
GlassesUSA
Jins
Kits
Lensabl
Zenni Optical
Both Liingo and Warby Parker offer virtual try-on services through their websites as well as free home framing try-ons. Additionally, Warby Parker offers a great virtual try-on app (iOS only).
Only adult-sized glasses were considered for this guide. Although Boonlook, Eyebuydirect, Firmoo, GlassesUSA, Jins, Warby Parker, and Zenni all sell kids' glasses, we did not test any of their frames or lenses (Liingo and Lensabl do not). (Bonlook kids' frames are sold there only.)