Member Article

A Close Look at Eyewear Websites

The growing number of websites that specialize in eyeglasses has skyrocketed — and the appeal is clear: they can save you time (no running to the optician) and money (many sites offer dozens of styles at affordable prices).

But are eyeglasses sold online up to par with those sold at a storefront optician? And how do these online sites compare in quality of merchandise, range of selection, price, shopping guidance, and shipping and return policies? Experts at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute (GHRI) set out to answer these questions.

More From Good Housekeeping Here’s What Weddings Looked Like the Year You Were Born Is the Search for Kelly Ripa’s Co-Host Already Over? Why This Little Girl’s Drawing of Her Mom Is Going Viral

How We Tested Eyewear Sites

We scoured the Web and found 19 sites that sell prescription glasses or just reading glasses. We looked at how many eyeglass styles each site sold, the attractiveness of the styles sold, their return policy — and narrowed our list to nine that looked most promising. We then asked consumer testers to go online, order glasses and assess their shopping experience and the eyewear bought. We also consulted Ethan Brown, ABO, FNAO, an optician and fellow of the National Academy of Opticianry in New York City, to evaluate the lenses to ensure the accuracy of prescription strength and pupillary distance. Here are our eye-opening findings:

Budget Buy Eyewear Sites

We evaluated three websites that offer glasses at extremely affordable prices: Glassesshop.com, Eyebuydirect.com, and Globaleyeglasses.com. The eyewear from these sites cost our testers, on average, $68 per pair of single vision frames and $143 per pair of progressives.

Best Option: GlassesShop.com Testers found that being able to upload photos of their faces in order to see how different pairs of glasses look on them was very helpful. In fact, in general, this website outstripped its budget-minded competitors across the board. None of the eyeglasses bought from this site had prescription errors and all testers thought the actual frames closely resembled what they had seen in the pictures. Good Housekeeping’s Fashion Director Jasmine Chang rated GlassesShop’s eyewear the most stylish offered in the Budget Buy category. With more than 500 styles available on the site, just about anyone should be able to find a pair they like. On average, our testers spent $47 per pair of spectacles, again ranking best in the category. Orders arrived the fastest — in eight days. Glasses, moreover, can be refunded for 50% of the purchase price if they prove defective within 90 days. The website also offers a slender money-back guarantee window, open for five days from the time you receive your glasses.

EyeBuyDirect.com Half of the glasses purchased from this site had prescription problems. One pair had an uncalled for “prism,” a correction for double vision that the consumer tester did not need; another had an unwanted “retroscopic tilt,” with the lenses angling away from the face. Testers who received glasses with the correct prescription were very satisfied with their purchases. And users found the website a breeze to navigate, minus an occasional snag at checkout. True to the website’s promise of delivery within 14 days, glasses arrived in two weeks. They can be returned within 30 days for any reason and are protected by a generous one-year warranty.

GlobalEyeglasses.com Spectacles ordered from this site tended to fit poorly. One tester ordered glasses with a cylinder correction that counteracts astigmatism, and Brown noted that it was missing from the lenses. Glasses came in flimsy cases. More so than any other site in this category, GlobalEyeglasses.com dispensed glasses that looked like they did online. They were slow to arrive, taking on average nearly 16 days. Unhappy customers must replace their frames within 30 days, for there is no warranty after the initial money back period.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by andy .