Student Styles: Cheap Eyeglasses

Feb 08

Tina

Whether you need glasses to see far away or close up, almost everyone needs glasses at some point. Even if you only wear yours on days when you can’t get going early enough to put in your contacts, glasses can be stylish. They can reflect your style, your mood, and what makes you unique.

Eyeglass stores have huge markups however, making a simple pair of glasses suddenly cost hundreds of dollars. You don’t have to pay that. There are a number of excellent sites online where, with your prescription and a measurement called pupillary distance (PD), you can order a new pair of glasses and have them delivered for $20-$100. And there are FAR more frame choices available online than you will find at your local store.

The process is simple:

Get your eyes checked; you should do this every year regardless. Your Doctor will give you a prescription. Ask them to measure your pupillary distance or follow these instructions to do it yourself.
Try on frames to get a feel for the shapes that look good on you. For example I look dorky with frames that go up at the outer corners, but great in very rectangular frames. Get to now what looks good but you DON’T have to buy them yet. If you find a pair you absolutely love, write down any brand or model numbers and take a picture of yourself so that you can remember the details. If you have a pair you love now, then take detailed measurements (in millimeters) to use when selecting other frames.
SHOP! Top sites include:
The site will walk you through entering your prescription, faxing it to them and choosing options. Personally, I always go for anti-reflective coating (better for looking at a computer), anti-scratch (since I’m rough on them) and UV protection.

At the prices you will find on these sites you can buy a different pair for every day and every mood. Not to mention prescription sunglasses and sport glasses.

Want more information on buying glasses online (and coupon codes for some of the sites above)? See the glassyeyes blog.

10 Comments so far »

Nathaniel said

am February 7 2008 @ 10:07 pm

excellent!
Rapidshare search engine said

am February 8 2008 @ 12:20 pm

Excellent? You spammy git
signthelist said

am February 10 2008 @ 2:33 am

Hey, I’m glad you posted this! I need to get a pair of glasses before I ship off to college this fall, since now I only wear contacts, but I’m pretty sure it’d be good to have an actual pair of glasses on hand. And hey, Tina Fey!
signthelist said

am February 10 2008 @ 8:27 pm

Oh, and eyebuydirect.com lets you ‘try’ on different styles by uploading your picture. Very helpful.
Maya Mah said

am February 19 2008 @ 4:01 am

Are you kidding me? Man, I just spent $275 CDN on a pair of recommended glasses. That makes me feel like a complete idiot! Thanks for the links though..I’ll keep it handy for the next time my doctor changes the prescription.
paulette said

am February 24 2008 @ 9:19 am

Thanks for the info. I need one pair of eyeglasses too.
Payul Edwards said

am October 14 2008 @ 8:28 pm

Another great option is AffordableVision.com They seem to have taken a higher road than some others I came across. They are not selling based soley as the cheapest online eyeglasses. They have a quality product at a great price. Still under $40.00. AffordableVision.com is worth looking into. I am quite happy.
anthony laboe said

am July 22 2009 @ 8:07 am

check out these deals im on my 5th pair
Julia B. said

am December 18 2009 @ 2:13 pm

Have any of you guys tried those websites online? I started using www.eyeglasses.com a few months ago and I like them a lot. Are all of the online stores reliable?
jamie watson said

am February 24 2010 @ 7:13 am

Great idea and piece of work executed & implemented. For more detail Info visit prescription glasses online