Where To Buy Inexpensive Prescription Glasses
Details matter. With EyeBuyDirect, you have the freedom to consider every aspect of your order. From your prescription, to our extensive range of lens options, your eyeglasses will be customized just for you.
where to buy inexpensive prescription glasses
Frames with non-prescription lenses are $50 while the rest range from $90 to $290 with single-vision (or reader or non-prescriptive) lenses included. Progressives tack on an extra $120 and special tints and transitional lenses are also an extra $120. For those wanting blue light blocking lenses, they cost either $30 or $60, depending on the type: Screen Daily Use lenses block 25% of blue light and Screen Heavy Use block 40%. And a final heads up for ordering: Unlike some other online glasses retailers, the field to add your prescription pops up after you place your order.
We spent hours researching popular eyewear companies and what they offer in terms of selection, value, insurance eligibility, return policy and turnaround time. We also thoroughly browsed each site to test out the user-friendliness of the glasses-buying process and discover special features like virtual or at-home try-ons and prescription renewals. Finally, we included firsthand recommendations from Forbes Vetted staffers like GlassesUSA, Zenni Optical and Warby Parker.
Thankfully, there are ways to save money on contact lenses and glasses if you know where and how to shop. Like many industries, online retailers make it easier to find high-quality prescription glasses at affordable prices. Plus, there are affordable in-store eyewear options if you know where to look.
GlassesUSA is one of the most affordable ways to buy eyeglasses online. Glasses USA also carries contact lenses and sunglasses, but prescription eyewear is where this website shines. If you shop on clearance, you can get frames up to 60% off and 25% off prescription lenses.
Readers start at $95 at regular pricing and $49 when on sale. Overall, Eyebobs has more variety for readers than most online eyewear retailers that focus on prescription glasses. According to its website, Eyebobs is the No. 1 premium reader brand. And its all-day readers have a progressive lens with your reader magnification at the bottom part of the lens, half the magnification in the middle, and no magnification at the top. That means you can wear the same pair of readers while reading a book, typing at your computer, or socializing with friends.
For prescription eyewear, Eyebobs is on the pricier side versus the cheapest eyewear retailers, with glasses starting at $245 for single-vision prescriptions and $345 for progressives. Glasses come with coatings for scratch-resistance, antireflection, and UV protection. You also have several upgrades available:
As the name suggests, 39DollarGlasses carries a variety of prescription glasses for $39. Prescription sunglasses are only $48.95. All eyewear purchases include single-vision lenses, and regular bifocals and progressive lenses cost $80.
DiscountGlasses.com also carries prescription sunglasses starting under $30 on clearance and under $50 for nonclearance frames. Lenses start at around $10 extra, although you can upgrade to thin and ultra-thin lenses for about $30 and $50 extra, respectively. Adding polarized lenses costs an additional $10.
Lensabl also carries contact lenses and prescription sunglasses. Like regular prescription eyewear, single-vision sunglasses start at $97 and progressive prescription sunglasses start at $197. Night lenses that are 50% orange-tinted help block blue light are also available for $127 for single-vision prescriptions and $227 for progressive prescriptions.
Another convenient feature Lensabl offers is lens replacement. If you damage your lenses, you can send your glasses to Lensabl for repair and receive your glasses back within four to seven business days. Lens replacement starts at $77 for single-vision prescriptions. Progressive lenses cost $197 and bifocals cost $127. Various coating upgrades or thinner lenses are regular price for lens replacement.
After additional testing, including ordering glasses with single-vision and photochromic prescription lenses, we still think Eyebuydirect and Zenni Optical are the best online glasses retailers for most people.
Depending on your needs and preferences, you can save hundreds of dollars by buying prescription eyeglasses online instead of through an optician. After performing more than 120 hours of research over four years, talking to eight eye-care professionals, and testing dozens of comparable frame-and-lens pairings from 12 retailers since 2017, we recommend that you start your online glasses search at Eyebuydirect. It offers an extensive, easy-to-search selection of quality frames, multiple lens and coating options, and affordable prices when compared with the prominent competition.
When we ordered my glasses (metal-and-plastic frames filled with comparatively stronger Rx lenses), we found that two retailers, Eyebuydirect and GlassesUSA, required that we order more-expensive lenses based on the prescription (costing an extra $79 and $70, respectively). Firmoo and Zenni allowed us to order basic lenses, with the option to upgrade.
Wondering what happens to returned spectacles? We asked each of the retailers we tested what they did with unwanted prescription glasses. Liingo said it reuses returned frames for its in-home try-on services, as well as donates glasses to various organizations. Eyebuydirect, Firmoo, GlassesUSA, and Warby Parker all said they partner with charities to distribute glasses to those in need. Zenni donates them to Lions Clubs International.
Eyebuydirect offers two-day delivery on single-vision prescription glasses in more than 300 frame options, for an additional fee of $19 (though you can usually pay less with a coupon code). We tried this service and were pleasantly surprised to receive our order within 33 hours of placing it.
In 2020, we ordered the exact same glasses that we ordered in 2019 to evaluate consistency. We were pleasantly surprised to note that not only was the prescription perfect, but the glasses were also slightly less expensive the second time around, thanks to the recent uptick in Zenni coupon codes.
Lensabl says it can put Rx lenses in any frames for these flat rates. To test this claim, I bought an $8 pair of foldable reading glasses (currently unavailable). Within two weeks of sending the frames and prescription to Lensabl, I had a pair of perfectly prescribed folding eyeglasses for less than $100.
If your eyewear needs don't require a visit to an actual store or a check-up with your physician, there are plenty of prescription and reading glasses to choose from online. We narrowed down a few online glasses retailers that our editors love shopping. They all make the process of perusing through online glasses stores fuss-free and convenient, and there are options on the list that fit every budget.
Why we like it: Beverly Hills-based ophthalmologist Alexander Knezevic, MD, recommends Zenni for its low price point. The online retailer offers a wide variety of prescription glasses, many of which are under $30, with some frames priced as low as $10. The company has even teamed with A-listers, including Iris Apfel as well as buzzy brands like Cynthia Rowley. While the wide variety of options can feel intimidating, customers can sort by color, face shape, new releases, and best-sellers. Narrow down your results by filtering according to size, shape, and/or material. Still need help picking the right frame? Use the virtual try-on tool or watch one of the tutorial videos to gain additional insight. Blue-light glasses and sunglasses are also available.
Why we like it: Sapphire Eyewear was founded by optometrist Seamus Flynn, MD, and his wife, Dearbhaile Collins. The company sells prescription and non-prescription blue light glasses with anti-reflective coatings, as well as sunglasses and transition lenses. Sapphire Eyewear also has phone service and live chat support seven days a week, allowing customers to speak directly to an optometrist before ordering their frames. The virtual try-on tool is also helpful when it comes to selecting frames. And, as an added bonus, for every product purchased, Sapphire Eyewear donates a pair of glasses to the Mission for Vision charity.
Why we like it: Barner has honed in on a niche that we can all probably benefit from right now: blue-light protection. The brand exclusively offers blue-light glasses, which can be customized with prescription lenses. Each collection is inspired by a particular city, and while the aesthetic, overall, errs on the more artsy side, the frames have a fun yet classic appeal to suit a range of style preferences. There are also options available for kids, a virtual try-on feature, and a 15 percent discount for students.
Stores like Zenni Optical and EyeBuyDirect advertise offers for cheap prescription glasses (that includes frames and lenses) for $6.95 or even slightly less. While that's slightly deceptive only because the price doesn't include tax and shipping and you really should add an anti-glare coating to the lens for about $4 extra, I have put together a usable pair of glasses for around $17 shipped.
You'll need to know your prescription and pupillary distance from your optometrist before you use an online glasses retailer -- so make sure you get a hard copy the next time you get your vision checked. Be aware that sometimes optometrists won't give your pupillary distance because they'll say they want to measure you for a specific set of glasses. But insist on getting one. You can also measure PD yourself using an app on your smartphone or download a PD ruler that most online stores have available for download with instructions on how to use it. Pupillary distance is key because when lenses are made it's important to know where your eye is in relation to the center of the lens.
You can also pick up a device like the $99 EyeQue Vision Check to use your smartphone to check your vision and create a prescription that many online glasses stores will accept (some do require an Rx from an optometrist). 041b061a72