Because of two incorrect prescriptions and my own inexperience, I have ordered over ten pairs of glasses from four sites in the last three months. When checking them on various lensometers, they have been either dead on or close enough.
My friends are impressed at the quality and appearance of my translucent orange and black tinted Khan wayfarers from India and the price I paid for them. You should see and hear the spontaneous reactions of opticians when they see them -- "nice frame!" "wow -- and those are prescription?!" The local optician who made my music glasses checked the Indian sunglasses on the lensometer -- the tint is light enough for the lensometer to work -- and said, with a slight sigh of dismay knowing how inexpensive they are, "it's all there!" referring to the Rx and coatings. My friends all like the modified aviators I got from Goggles4U more than I do. Goggles4U operates on "Indian Time" so to speak. Allow some additional time to receive your glasses and be pleasantly surprised if they come on time. :-) English is not their strong point, but they will work with you to make you satisfied, and they have a huge selection of frames and lenses. With the right discount code, and some patience, you can make out like a bandit! The frame I got from Zenni wasn't exactly as I expected. In some ways it is better: spring loaded temples are a nice surprise on a $6.95 frame. In one very small way it wasn't: it's difficult to see how the bar at the top of the frame juts forward 1 or 2 mm -- I said very small, but I'm very particular. However the frame looks fine to my friends, the optics seem perfect -- I haven't checked them yet -- and for $21, I have a perfectly good backup pair. I just ordered another translucent wayfarer from Globaleyeglasses along with an intermediate pair with their buy1get1 promo code. They have some bad reviews, but I have found them to be very accommodating -- even significantly stretching return periods for me to get new exams. They said it would take 12 days and it took 12 days. The glasses I got are of much higher quality than you can see in the pics on the site. The Rxs were dead on on the lensometer -- my first optometrist seemed noticeably surprised at their accuracy, as if the lenses were more accurate than those he had checked from local shops. Their customer service via chat is great! Their email takes too long and you should avoid calling them on the phone, as their phone system sucks. Coastalcontacts has over the top service -- phone reps who speak perfect English, free return shipping labels, liberal refund and exchange policies, and expedited service if you ask for it. They also have a decent selection of frames. Become their facebook friend and watch for their free pair promos -- you pay for shipping, handling and upgrades. The only frustrating thing about cc is that they don't handle strong Rxs too well. They kick me into expensive lens upgrades because of my astigmatism. My "free" pair would have cost me $55. YMMV. I have a high astigmatism. I would have been better off getting my first pair locally, in order to have been able to fix problems with my Rx more easily. Now that I know what my Rx is supposed to look like, I'm confident ordering online. FWIW, single vision is easy to do online, but progressives and bifocals are difficult to mount correctly. If you order progressives online, you should do it from a site which will allow you to return them for a full refund for any reason, in case they don't work for you. Zenni glasses are made in China; Goggles4U are made in Pakistan, Thailand, California, and perhaps elsewhere; Globaleyeglasses are made in India; and coastalcontacts are made in Canada -- though I think I read that they outsource some of their lens work to a shop in California. Ultimately, it doesn't matter where they are made. If an online site has to remake and refund too many orders, it won't be able to turn a profit at the prices they sell glasses for. Bad reviews can make or break an online site, so they will generally bend over backwards to satisfy you. If you know what your single vision Rx is supposed to look like, then don't be afraid to order online. If you have a new Rx, you might consider getting your first pair in the new Rx locally, especially if it's a strong Rx. Growing up, my parents always had me get eye exams at the ophthalmologist, before going to the optician to get glasses. They said that optometrists who worked in shops have too much of a conflict of interest because they sell the glasses too. Recently, I joined Kaiser HMO. I get one $30 eye exam each year -- but no glasses! My OD at kaiser is a nice guy, but after refracting me twice, I ended up with a Rx which was too strong. I decided to get a second opinion and because I was in a hurry, I went to a local OD who had good yelps. He got it right, and it occurred to me that there was greater pressure on him to get it right, as it costs him too much to remake glasses if he doesn't get it right. My Kaiser OD doesn't experience that kind of pressure, and is so pleased not to be involved in the dispensing side of the business, that he is unaware of a lot of the products out there. I dare say I know more about certain specialized lenses than he does, though admittedly he knows much more about everything else! My point is that if your Rx isn't right the second time, get another OD, preferably one with a good track record -- evil yelp can be help you find one. It's helpful if you can develop a relationship with a local optician who isn't threatened by the online glasses world. If you buy a pair or two from a local shop -- or get lenses put in your own frame -- he or she will help you with the glasses you didn't buy from him or her. I found the local optician who made my music glasses because he has a one hour lab and I was in a hurry. He is nice, affordable, he has plenty of business, so he isn't threatened by online glasses and he will help me with adjustments and checking the Rxs of glasses I purchase online. I'm going to order fancy custom digital progressive lenses from him later this week. When I add what I pay for the glasses I get from him to what I pay for glasses bought online and average it out, I'm still paying less than $50 per pair for glasses which would cost 2 to10 times more in a store. The only thing to worry about getting cheap glasses online is becoming obsessed with online glasses! That said, I think I will go back to my real life now! :-) Sorry for the long reply. Hopes it's helpful. On Feb 8, 7:30 pm, Leslie W <[email protected]> wrote: > Hey guys, > > I want to order some online glasses, but the thing holding me back is > that the lens are created outside of the US, in either Pakistan or > China, (I'm trying not to be biased) where I know quality control can > be sketchy. I'm specifically looking to order from Goggles4U, but has > anyone checked their prescription with an optician and verified that > the prescription is indeed correct? > > Thanks! -- Check us out at the oft-updated http://glassyeyes.blogspot.com! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "GlassyEyes" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/glassyeyes?hl=en
