Best Places to Buy Glasses Online 2025 Reviewed by Experts

1. The first thing you need to buy prescription glasses online is a prescription. The best way to get an accurate prescription is to see an optometrist and have an eye examwhich usually costs around $100. Once you have completed the test, you should make sure you get a paper copy of your prescription so you can keep it for your records. Alternatively, you can get a device like the $99 EyeQue Vision Control (out of stock) to use your smartphone to check your vision and create a prescription that many online eyewear stores will accept, although some require a prescription from an optometrist.

2. Get your pupil distance number from your optometrist or measure it yourself. Be aware that sometimes optometrists will not give your pupil distance because they will say they want to measure you for a specific pair of glasses. Insist on getting one as it is required to order glasses online. Note that you can also measure PD yourself using an app on your smartphone or download a PD ruler that most online stores offer for download with instructions on how to use it. Pupillary distance is essential because when making lenses it is important to know where your eye is in relation to the center of the lens.

3. Make sure your prescription is not expired. If you haven’t had a vision test in a whileIt might be a good idea to buy another one. Some sites like Warby Parker offer a inexpensive virtual vision test if your prescription has expired but you feel that you can see well with your current glasses (but you still want to replace them). You take a five-minute vision test by looking at an eye chart from home. An ophthalmologist then reviews the results and responds within 48 hours to let you know if you are eligible for a prescription refill.

4. Some, but not all, stores accept dollars from flexible spending and health savings accounts. If you have money you want to use with an FSA or HSA, or if you have vision insurance, you should check the store’s insurance, FSA, and HSA policies before making a purchase. Many accept them.

5. Go to an online retailer and select a pair of frames you like. This can be the most difficult part of the process, because it’s difficult to know exactly how you will look in the glasses unless you try on the frames in person and look in a mirror. Some online retailers offer virtual try-on apps or, better yet, they’ll send you a few frames to try on at home before selecting one or more to purchase.

6. Provide your prescription. At some online retailers, you can simply take a photo of your prescription with your smartphone and upload the image to the site. Most prescription eyewear sites also allow you to manually enter your prescription numbers, which I usually do. When a site asks for your prescription, it will also ask for your PD number.

7. Select the type of lenses you want. You can buy complete basic single vision prescription glasses for less than $20 online. And in most cases, they will work well. You’ll definitely notice a difference when upgrading to higher quality lenses in terms of clarity and weight (thinner and lighter lenses tend to cost more). Personally, I have a few pairs of inexpensive prescription glasses that I keep in my car or in a backpack as backup glasses in case something happens to my main pair. What I’ve found is that often the best thing to do is to spend a little more for a higher quality lens and not go for the cheapest option.

8. Before making your final purchase, read the fine print of the site’s return policy. Many sites allow you to return glasses if the lenses you ordered (based on your correct prescription numbers) are not good for one reason or another. the frames just don’t fit. Read the fine print on the return policy. In some cases you can get a full refund and in others a store credit. Sometimes stores only offer partial credit. You don’t want to be surprised if something goes wrong. Only one company messed up my order with a wrong prescription for a lens.

9. Enter discount codes at checkout. Eyewear sites constantly offer promotions with discount codes that you enter at checkout, although they sometimes exclude high-end frames from brand-name companies. Sometimes you’ll see slightly better deals around the holidays, with online eyewear stores using almost any holiday as an excuse to offer a new discount code.