Not Made Of Money

photo credit: Starck Ting

I’ve read in the past how you can save so much money by purchasing eyeglasses online. So after a recent eye exam where I found out I would have to start wearing prescription eyeglasses, I decided to try buying them online to save money.

Now I have never worn glasses before, so this was all new to me. My prescription was for bifocals and I decided I wanted progressive lenses. I had to learn all the “lingo” – PD, frame height, lens types, coatings, etc. It was a bit overwhelming. I shopped at several different optical stores and tried on a variety of frames so I could get an idea of the style and size I wanted. I also had each brick and mortar store give me a price quote for the frames and lenses. I was surprised at the large variations in price. My Super Target would give a discount based on our insurance provider. Surprisingly, the local Sam’s Club was the highest price for the type of lenses I was looking for. Since my glasses would be with progressive lenses, I needed a minimum size of lens for them to be effective.

Armed with all the information I thought I would need, I headed to the online stores. I was particularly careful to read each store’s guarantee and return policy. I chose to buy my eyeglasses at EyeBuyDirect because of the ease of navigation through the site and their return policy. After browsing the site and choosing a frame with the color I liked and the size I thought would fit, I placed my order. I did have to call their customer service department as I did not understand how to read the prescription the eye doctor had given me. The customer rep was extremely helpful and explained how to enter the information.

My eyeglasses arrived 2 weeks later. While they were of high quality and exactly as described on the website, they didn’t fit properly and I hated the color of the frames so I sent them back for a refund. I followed the instructions exactly on how to return the glasses and received a credit for the purchase price less the shipping fee (which was only about $5).

It was now apparent to me that I needed more professional help in purchasing my eyeglasses. I needed correct measurements taken and also needed to try on the exact frames I would be wearing. So I headed back to Super Target and tried on frames until I found ones that fit perfectly and purchased my glasses there.

It is definitely true that money can be saved buying eyeglasses online. The ones I purchased online and returned were $63; the eyeglasses I eventually purchased at Super Target were around $200. Being a first-time eyeglass wearer, the difficulty for me was not knowing what exact size frames to purchase. I also think the progressive lenses make things a bit more difficult; as a small framed person (read petite), I needed to have the seg height adjusted on the lenses.

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