How to Buy Eyeglasses Online?

A few years ago, buying your prescription eyeglasses involves going to your favorite optical shops and have your eyes tested. Then, you can pick the eyeglasses frames you love. Those were the times when the choice is limited.

In this digital age, we can buy eyeglasses online. We can even compare different items and deals in a matter of minutes, get discounts and freebies at the comfort of our homes.

Though buying eyeglasses online is easy, we still need to exercise precautions. We should be sure that the website we are visiting is legitimate; otherwise, we'll end up getting scammed. We also want to make sure that the lenses we will get are accurate to our needs.

As a person working in the eyewear industry, here are some of the measures we need to check before buying eyeglasses:

Buying prescription eyeglasses still involves a visit to the optical clinics and having your eyes checked (unless you are aiming for Plano). Ophthalmologists can clearly identify your vision problems, explain technical terms and recommend the things you need.

For custom-made glasses, you can also seek the services of opticians. They can measure your pupillary distance to know the exact placement of the lenses.

Note: Plano eyeglasses are for aesthetics only. They don't have 
corrective measures but may have anti reflective coatings.

Now that you have your prescription, it's time for you to decide where to buy online. Thousands of manufacturers and retailers are up there waiting for that "buy" button to be tapped or clicked.

Here are some of the legitimate eyewear manufacturers and retailers:

Warby Parker

Warby Parker can be considered one of the biggest manufacturers of eyewear in the world. Aside from reasonable prices and good quality reviews, the company donates a pair when you buy from them. The designs are pretty good as well.

39DollarGlasses

Cheap but great are some of the feedback for 39DollarGlasses. There are some issues with the shipping though.

SmartBuyGlasses

SmartBuyGlasses offers the best deals on designer eyewear on the internet. It also has in-house brands that are on par with the branded. What's good about this company is that it hires people from around the world with some of them are working from the comfort of their homes. Some of them are a single moms with 5 children, an undergraduate guy from Africa, and many more.

Frames Direct

Another legitimate e-retailer of known brands is Frames Direct. Ray-Ban, Oakley, Kate Spade, Gucci are among the brands. It also sells not-so-popular items.

Eyeglasses.com

Just like SmartBuyGlasses and FramesDirect, Eyeglasses.com also resells designer brands. It is one of the oldest resellers and has proven its legitimacy over time. However, some customers claim that they were asked to pay for the shipping of the returns.

Eyeglasses frames play important roles in your quest to finding the tool for your vision needs. Frame size, measurement, materials used, shape, type, and color are just some of the factors you should consider in buying eyeglasses.

Frame Size

Oversized eyeglasses are considered a fashion statement. However, they may cause discomfort; and you might spend most of your working hours adjusting them. There are times that they might slip out.

Small frames are not that also recommended because they won't give you a clearer vision on the side and below.

Find the frames that are just right to cover all points. Correcting your eyesight issues is your main priority here.

Measurement

When buying eyeglasses online, measurement is also an important thing to remember. Loose eyeglasses may cause discomfort because they are not secured, while too tight may cause improper blood flow.

If you have an old pair of eyeglasses that fits you well you can check the measurements engraved at the temples (arms). They are usually three consecutive numbers that are separated by dashes, dots, and vertical bars. They are the lens size, bridge size, and temple length respectively.

Materials Used

Plastic is the most common material used in making eyeglasses because they are cheap, easy to mold, light, and generally hypoallergenic.

Nowadays, manufacturers are also using nylon-based materials called acetate. Though they look the same as plastic, they are stronger and better at absorbing impact. They are usually used in wraparound glasses like sports glasses and safety goggles.

High-end plastics like carbon, resin, and polycarbonate are also used.

Stainless steel is the commonly used metal to make eyeglasses. You can see in popular items like the Ray-Ban Round Metal.

Titanium, which is present in space crafts and medical equipment, is now becoming a favorite by eyeglasses manufacturers. It is lightweight, durable, and corrosion-resistant. They are best for kiddie glasses because they are strong and can handle the impact.

Flexon, from the name itself, are flexible materials, such as an alloy of titanium. Eyeglasses featuring such materials are best for clumsy people who used to drop their glasses.

Gold, silver, and other fancy metals are used for luxurious eyeglasses.

Frame Shape

Shapes don't play a huge role in achieving the perfect vision. However, they boost confidence.

In choosing the best frame shape, we should consider our facial attributes such as face shape and size. Spectacle frames can either make or break your fashion sense.

By simply looking at the mirror, you can know your face shape.

• The oval face is characterized by a narrow forehead and slightly wide cheekbones. People with this shape are considered lucky because most of the frame shapes look good on them.
• The round face features an equally wide forehead and jaw with slightly wider cheeks. Rectangle, square, aviator, and wraparound look good on them.
• The square face is more angular. The cheek, forehead, and jaw are equally wide. Wayfarer, oval, aviator, and wraparound are among the frame shapes that suit this face shape.
• The Triangle face has a wide jaw and narrow forehead. Rectangle, oval, aviator, butterfly, and cat-eye are among the shapes that can bring out good attributes.
• Heart shape faces feature a wide forehead that will narrow through the jaw. Rectangle, aviator, round, wraparound, and oval are among the frame shapes that look good on them.

I hate to burst in your bubbles but oversized eyeglasses don't look good at all.

Colors

Just like shapes, eyeglasses frames' color must suit your physical attributes. Skin tone and hair color are among the factors we need to consider.

Skin color is identified as cool, warm, and neutral. You can identify your skin tone by checking your veins -- if they look blue or purple, you have most likely had the cool tone and if they look green, you are warm-toned. If you can't identify it, your skin tone is neutral.

Warm-toned people look good light colors like gold, copper, peach, orange, pink, white, light blue, and many more. Cool-toned looks good on darker frames like black, brown, dark blue, red, and many more. Neutral-toned shouldn't mind the frame colors because everything looks good on them.

This rule of thumb also applies to hair color.

Bankable online eyeglasses retailers are always partnered with optical laboratories. You can send a copy of your prescription to them then wait for your glasses to arrive right at your doorstep.

The internet makes our lives easier. However, based on my observation, it also made us impatient. Some also felt the privilege of stressing out employees of the above-mentioned companies if they didn't get what they want.

Here are some friendly reminders:

Systems always have flaws - For example, if two customers bought a one-stock item at the same time, with only nanoseconds interval, systems can't react quickly. The company didn't scam one of them.

Refund takes time - Because of local and international rules, sending money to your accounts takes time. Huge companies won't run away with your $150 because they earn thousands a day.

Shipping takes time - Because of geographical rules, sending items will also take time. There are even times that the customs will randomly select an item for inspection. Patience is always the key.

Luxottica imports from China - Yes, Luxottica products are not 100% made in Italy. The company now imports eyewear from China and it's not a secret. The company even announced it. So, when a big e-retailer shop ships from China or Hong Kong, it's not necessarily they sell fake items.