If you wear glasses, you know that they can be expensive! Back when we were paying off six figures of student loan debt, I was especially diligent at figuring out how to reduce every one of our expenses. While some of our spending habits have changed as our finances have changed, our spending on glasses has not. My secret to saving money on glasses is the same as ten years ago and has not even been touched by inflation. If you wear glasses, then keep reading to find out how you can save big money on glasses, no matter what kind of insurance you have (or don’t have).
I got my first pair of glasses, cute pink wire frames, when I was in third grade. I don’t know how bad I actually needed them, but my best friend had glasses, so I really wanted them. Both of my parents wear glasses, so the optometrist probably knew that it was inevitable. I have worn glasses all day everyday for years.
When I was single and in college, my glasses were covered under my parents’ insurance. When I got married that changed. Since my eyes aren’t too bad, I didn’t worry too much about having regular eye appointments. For years I wore the same glasses. That was better than paying for glasses out of pocket (or so I thought).
Then at the playground one day when my big kids were young, my glasses went crashing to the ground. Pavement and gravity decided it was time for new glasses. I did my research and learned that I could get glasses online for a small fraction of what they cost in person.
At first I was a little nervous to try buying glasses online, but with the spectacular deals I found, I figured I didn’t have much to lose. In fact, I went ahead and bought two pairs, knowing that I had many years of kids and playgrounds in my future.
Get Your Prescription
Before you can order glasses online, you’ll need your prescription. If you already have your current prescription, you’re set. I did not have my prescription and I was well overdue for an eye exam anyway. Since we didn’t have any vision insurance, I called around and found the best price for an exam. Make sure that you can read your optometrist’s handwriting.
In addition to your prescription, you’ll need to know your pupillary distance (PD). This isn’t normally part of the exam, it’s usually done by the person who helps you pick out and order your glasses. If you don’t want to go through the potential awkwardness of asking a professional to take your PD measurement, don’t worry, you can easily measure your PD by yourself or with the help of a friend.
After browsing the glasses in a eyeglasses shop, I asked the lady who was helping me if she would measure my pupillary distance. She was very kind and did so without a question. Now that buying glasses online is becoming popular, vision professionals probably know exactly why you’re asking for your PD measurement to be taken. They might even warn you against buying glasses online. You can’t blame them though– after all, selling glasses is their job.
Find a Great Fit
To start, look on the inside of your current glasses to get the size measurements. It will be printed on the inside of the arm or the bridge. There may be two, three, or four numbers. They correspond to the size (in millimeters) of the different part of the glasses. For example, my glasses say 52-17. The 52 refers to the width of each lens and the 17 is the width of the bridge (part that goes over your nose).
The other pair I wear regularly says 53-15-136. The first two numbers are the lens width and bridge width, like my other pair. The third number is the length of the entire front of the glasses.
You can try on glasses in person and make note of the sizes that look and fit best. Then, when you’re online, you can search by size. Most sites that sell glasses online allow you to use your device’s camera or upload a headshot picture of yourself so you can virtually “try on” different frames.
My Recommendation
There are lots of online eyeglasses retailers that you can try. I have used several over the years, but only one of them is still in business. I will share with you the one that I can personally vouch for is Zenni Optical
You can “try on” glasses virtually using either an uploaded image of yourself or your device’s camera. They also have videos to help you choose and order your glasses. I was shocked to compare with my past purchases and see that the low prices and the cost of shipping has not changed in the past ten years! Their frames starting at just $6.95
New customers can get a $30 off coupon to use, which means you can buy several pairs or add some sunglasses too! When you use my referral link above, then enter your email or their site, you will get a coupon code. After you have your glasses added, go to your shopping cart with the summary of your items (don’t go all the way to “checkout”) and scroll to the bottom to enter your coupon code to get $30 taken off!
Thanks Dad!
When I had only been blogging for a couple of years (about 2015), my dad excitedly told me that he had a great idea for a post for Six Figures Under. (Secretly, I was just flattered that my dad reads the blog.) He told me about how his secretary and office manager convinced him to try buying glasses online from Zenni. He was a little skeptical at first, but his staff helped him upload a headshot, measure his PD and try on different frames.
He had a wonderful experience and saved lots of money on his glasses. He was amazed how quickly he received them and that they had his prescription (which is way more complicated than mine) just right. He was so excited to share his money-saving tip with me so I could share it with all of you. I didn’t let on that I already knew the secrets to saving money on glasses, but he does get credit for reminding me to write about it!
How about you?
Have you bought glasses online? What was your experience?
