How To Buy Cheap Eyeglasses Online

January 4, 2010 by Silicon Valley Blogger

I had a reader approach me with this guest post. Ken Brownstein often visits personal finance blogs. Following are some of Ken’s frugal tips about shopping for eyewear.

buy cheap eyeglasses online
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I am probably like you. I read personal finance blogs, and am constantly searching for frugal tips, looking for ways that I can improve my personal finances. I’m always on the lookout for ways to save more money for myself and for my family. One of the main points I have taken from reading personal finance blogs is that the best way to begin saving money is not by cutting back on small items, but by cutting back on your large costs. One of the larger expenses I have is from eating out, so I personally control that by dining out less; but money is still tight for me as I am trying to help out my mother with her finances. At the end of the day, I’m hoping to grow my savings in a high interest savings account — a goal I’m striving to achieve this year.

Recently I had another big win and was able to cut back on a large expense of mine. It began last month, when I went to the eye doctor and learned that I needed a higher prescription, and therefore, new glasses. A new pair of eyeglasses can easily cost me $300.

This was hard for me at the time. That night though, I thought about how I buy so many items online and I asked myself, why hadn’t I looked at purchasing glasses online?

That’s when the light went off in my head; here was another large cost that I could reduce! So allow me to share with you how I went about buying my glasses off the web, for a price much cheaper than I would have gotten through my doctor.

How To Buy Cheap Eyeglasses Online

I did some research online and discovered that I could buy the exact same pair of eyeglasses online for less than half the price of glasses I had been checking out in malls and stores. In fact, according to the New York Times, an eyeglasses frame that costs less than $25 to make in Italy can retail for at least $150 at an optical shop in the United States.

I couldn’t believe it.

Here’s what The New York Times tells us:

“If ever there was a market ripe for the intervention of the Internet (which allowed consumers to find discounts on best-selling novels, digital cameras or Hawaiian vacations), eyeglasses would be it.”

Honestly, when I began looking online, I was pretty nervous. I didn’t know if I needed a doctor’s permission or verification to be able to pick up glasses this way, or if the quality of the lenses was going to be high. After searching online though, I realized that there was a lot of information out there; in fact, I was surprised that I hadn’t heard about purchasing glasses online much earlier. There is actually a really well read blog, GlassyEyes, that is dedicated solely to helping users shop for glasses on the Internet.

From reading about this on the web, I found out that you can get a current prescription from a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist by finding out your “Pupil Distance measurement”. I called my eye doctor for this and the next day I ordered the glasses off the web. The glasses came after 2 business days, and they are exactly like my current specs; I am actually pretty satisfied with the quality.

Tip: You can also save money on eyeglasses by shopping at Costco, even if you don’t have a Costco membership!

Looking back, I see that purchasing glasses online was not only able to lower my costs, but it has also become quite convenient for me. I now buy my contacts online as well. In case you didn’t know, you can also buy contact lenses online for a significant discount. The most popular website is 1800contacts.com, but there are other websites as well. I estimate that I pay approximately half the amount for my contacts online that I used to buy at my eye doctors’. For those of you who enjoy the sun, particularly in California, you can also purchase sunglasses on the Internet. Now I cannot believe that last summer, I spent over $200 on a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses at the Sunglass Hut!

I hope this information has helped those of you who are looking for ways to lower costs. As I mentioned earlier, I believe that the best piece of advice I have read on personal finance is to always look for those big wins. That is where you are going to see the most benefit.

Where To Buy Cheap Eyewear

If you are interested in purchasing eyewear online, here is a list of websites and resources I use for shopping for glasses, and where I’ve been able to get helpful information:

  • FramesDirect.com: An eyewear online store.
  • Eyeglasses.com: An eyeglasses online retailer that has received an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
  • Goggles4U.com: A popular website for glasses.
  • 1800contacts.com: Where to purchase contacts.
  • Article from Slate.com about purchasing glasses online.
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