Anyone bought prescription glasses/sunglasses online?

[Mason-]

Yea, my optician didn't give that on the print out of my latest eye test. I'll contact them and see but suspect they won't but doesn't look too challenging to measure with some help.

It’s because it’s part of the ‘fitting’ of the glasses rather than the prescription. Or at least that’s what they’ll argue. The thing is it affects the manufacture of the lens so in my opinion it should be part of the prescription.

I winged it once, tried to measure my PD manually and bought online. I got by with those glasses, but they were never ‘right’.

 

[Blackjack Davy]

Yea, my optician didn't give that on the print out of my latest eye test. I'll contact them and see but suspect they won't but doesn't look too challenging to measure with some help.

They don't give you length of the arms either though thats typically printed on the specs when they arrive, just have to make a note before it wears off lol

It’s because it’s part of the ‘fitting’ of the glasses rather than the prescription. Or at least that’s what they’ll argue. The thing is it affects the manufacture of the lens so in my opinion it should be part of the prescription.

I winged it once, tried to measure my PD manually and bought online. I got by with those glasses, but they were never ‘right’.

Yeah there has been talk of including it but so far no movement high street opticians don't want to tell you for obvious reasons

 

[Mason-]

You can understand it to some extent. People will then just get tested and buy glasses online. I suspect they make most of their profit from the glasses. Considering the vast gulf in price between online and in store for specs…

 

[Demon]

Biggest issue is Pupil Distance measurement. It’s not part of your prescription and opticians won’t usually give it to you unless you pay.

PD is simple to measure and for accuracy opticians will sometimes double check using a manual method if they suspect you may be difficult to measure using the quicker/easier tablet Apps..

What is a real issue is if your prescription/frame type/lens type dictate you need exact pupil alignment, this is vertical/horizontal alignment within the frame and so takes everything in to account to ensure the lens sweet spot or varifocal alignment is optimised..

However, we have successfully measured PD at home and got my Mrs sunglasses online nice and cheaply with zero issues.

We went in and she tried loads of frames on in their designer ranges in various opticians, when we found the ones she liked, we checked online and £120 instead of £230 at MisterSpex, so went with them.

 

[VincentHanna]

Used glasses direct before who were good but I've used https://www.smartbuyglasses.co.uk/ twice this year. It looks and sounds quite scammy because they are based in Hong Kong but I couldn't fault the service or product and literally 1/3 the price of UK

I actually just used them to order some new lenses for my old Oakley's, dropped them an email and even though the item wasn't stocked on the site they were able to fulfil and provide me personal shipment updates instead

Biggest issue is Pupil Distance measurement. It’s not part of your prescription and opticians won’t usually give it to you unless you pay.

Bit of a thread revival.

I didn't end up getting sunglasses as I didn't have my PD, but yesterday I went in to specsavers and spun some BS about needing my PD for VR lens inserts.

I felt bad because the director (owner?) ended up talking to us for about 10 minutes about various things (some useful info about yellow tinted lenses helping with night driving and taking the edge off oncoming cars LED headlights)

But last night I ordered some Armani glasses from smartbuyglasses and with the super thin and light, and digital block coating they were half the price that Vision Express wanted for the same specs.

 

[ElliorR]

The way Glasses Direct get PD, and other online glasses sellers I expect, if you don't know it is they ask you to put a card that is bank/credit card sized (I used my Nectar Card) on your forehead and take a photo looking directly into the lens so they can measure your PD as they have something of a known size in the shot. I do wonder if they really don't need that but want some stupid photos of customers for the office wall.

 

[VincentHanna]

Bit of a thread revival.

I didn't end up getting sunglasses as I didn't have my PD, but yesterday I went in to specsavers and spun some BS about needing my PD for VR lens inserts.

I felt bad because the director (owner?) ended up talking to us for about 10 minutes about various things (some useful info about yellow tinted lenses helping with night driving and taking the edge off oncoming cars LED headlights)

But last night I ordered some Armani glasses from smartbuyglasses and with the super thin and light, and digital block coating they were half the price that Vision Express wanted for the same specs.

Well that didn't go quite to well.

The lenses look great, but the frames sit high enough that my eyebrows are mostly inside the lens now. So they look a bit ridiculous

I went back to the website and realised I had ordered the size 54 frames. The ones I tried on in the UK were size 58.

SmartBuyGlasses only do 54 and 56 though.