ordering glasses online

Brendanmc

Hi,

I was just wondering if anyone has ordered prescriptioned glasses online? Is there somewhere in Ireland that does this? I've heard of lots of places in America doing it, but i was wondering if this applies to Ireland, and what people who have used the service have thought. What information exactly would i need to get first?

Thanks

EDIT: Sorry ive just found this question on the next page

Moonbeam

I got mine from vision2you.co.uk.
My prescription is a bit complicated and they were very good and my glasses perfect.

sineadgalway

Was just looking at doing the same thing. Off to specsavers tomorrow to get a copy of my prescription. I was looking at ordering them here http://www.framesdirect.com. The glasses themselves are almost €140 cheaper than the same pair i saw in vision express.

Has anyone ordered them from the us? I'll let you know how i got on...

buzz55

Hi Moonbeam & Sineadgalway - I'm getting my eyes tested in Specsavers this evening, and hoping to then go and order online.
Moonbeam, how long did it take for your glasses to arrive after you ordered them from vision2you.co.uk?
Sinead, did you have any hassle getting a copy of your prescription plus your pupliary distance from specsavers? I have heard they dont want to give it to you if they know you're not going to buy the glasses off them?

What else should I consider before ordering online? What about lense coatings, eg specsavers do an ultraclear coating, would the online sites offer anything similar?
I want to get a pair of prescription glasses and also a pair of prescription polaroid sunglasses - with the specsavers 2 for 1 offer, would I still be aswell off buying online or should I just stick with SS's?

thanks!

sineadgalway

so to update you on my online ordering experince.....

I eventually went with www.myglasses.com but I had already tried on the frames I wanted in a shop. I uploaded my prescription and had to ask my optician for my pupil distance as it wasn't on my written prescription. Other than that the whole process was really easy and I just got them in the post today. They are perfect, couldn't be more happy. Total cost was $175 but i had to get thinner lenses for my prescription. Here they would have been close to €350...

I was with specsavers too and they have to give you a copy of your prescription if you request it...

Alice1

I got my specs from Zenni optical. They were super! I got 5 pairs (2 reading, 3 ordinary) for 80 euro. I had to pay customs about 20 euro - but so pleased and they have a huge range of frames.

I got my eyes tested here and got a printout of the prescription - and I had to request the pupillary distance.

Moonbeam

buzz55 wrote: »

Hi Moonbeam & Sineadgalway - I'm getting my eyes tested in Specsavers this evening, and hoping to then go and order online.
Moonbeam, how long did it take for your glasses to arrive after you ordered them from vision2you.co.uk?
Sinead, did you have any hassle getting a copy of your prescription plus your pupliary distance from specsavers? I have heard they dont want to give it to you if they know you're not going to buy the glasses off them?

What else should I consider before ordering online? What about lense coatings, eg specsavers do an ultraclear coating, would the online sites offer anything similar?
I want to get a pair of prescription glasses and also a pair of prescription polaroid sunglasses - with the specsavers 2 for 1 offer, would I still be aswell off buying online or should I just stick with SS's?

thanks!

In my case they took less time then buying them from specsavers:) about 10days.I had no problem getting my pupillary distance from specsavers.
It was alot cheap-er for me to buy online as my lenses are high index and very expensive.

Boyne Shark

I just got 5 pairs from zenni optical delivered today, they took 3 weeks to arrive and there was no customs charge due to some "creative description" on the package. This was unexpected as I was prepared to pay some sort of customs charge.
Each pair of glasses had either a tint or was photochromatic and the 5 pairs plus postage cost €173. Specsavers eat your heart out. The quality of the glasses is simply superb, looking at the 5 pairs I got for the price I paid I feel I got a bloody good deal. I paid over €500 for 1 pair of designer glasses for my wife earlier this year, never again, we're being ripped off in this country and the various glasses companies don't want us knowing just what good deals are out there. It's Zenni Optical for me and my family from now on.

oceanclub

I'm definitely looking into ordering online myself; when I checked a local shop, the cost of the particular Oakley glasses I want would be 600+ with thin lenses; online I can get them for 250!

Anyone have any dealings with any of the following?

* iris-spectacles.co.uk
* accuity.co.uk
* framesdirect.com
* thespecsplace.com

Cheers,

P.

Boyne Shark

I don't know much about "Oakey glasses" but from what I've seen some of them look something very like a pair of frames I've seen on Zennioptical, I'm kinda kicking myself I saw them too late, but anyway they're a stainless steel set of frames in an Oakley style. I don't know how long this link will be active but they can be seen here, and for $26 you can't go wrong.

 
[URL]http://zennioptical.com/cart/product.php?productid=1078&cat=14&page=1[/URL]

Boyne Shark

I just had a quick look at the claimtheframe site, I found from what I can see are an identical pair of frames to the ones I posted a link to previously on zennioptical but are called Ashley Kate here (men's frames, don't ask). On Zennioptical with a full tint and anti-reflective coating the frame would cost $36, on claimtheframe the same one would cost €120 for just the frame and anti-reflective coating, I assume a tint would be extra. I have yet to find any site cheaper than zennioptical and I can testify that they do what they say.

Sunglasses frame on claimtheframe site

http://www.claimtheframe.com/mens-frames/ashley-kate-a138.html

The same sunglasses frame on zennioptical site

http://zennioptical.com/cart/product.php?productid=1078&cat=14&page=1

Louocb

Boyne Shark wrote: »

I just had a quick look at the claimtheframe site, I found from what I can see are an identical pair of frames to the ones I posted a link to previously on zennioptical but are called Ashley Kate here (men's frames, don't ask). On Zennioptical with a full tint and anti-reflective coating the frame would cost $36, on claimtheframe the same one would cost €120 for just the frame and anti-reflective coating, I assume a tint would be extra. I have yet to find any site cheaper than zennioptical and I can testify that they do what they say.

Sunglasses frame on claimtheframe site

http://www.claimtheframe.com/mens-frames/ashley-kate-a138.html

The same sunglasses frame on zennioptical site

http://zennioptical.com/cart/product.php?productid=1078&cat=14&page=1

This is interesting. I took a look at zennioptical they are really cheap but their site is very confusing to get around too much writing very messy.

Squiggle

Louocb wrote: »

I get my prescription glasses on-line at www.claimtheframe.com they make it really simple to buy glasses. They are an Irish based company and I always get my glasses or contact lenses really quickly.:D

I don't see any advantage in using that website - definitely not on a cost basis anyway. They charge €150 for " Thinned lens ". What index value does their thinned lens come in at, 1.6 or 1.74 or something else - there is a big difference ? Usually the thinner the more expensive but this crowd have the same price regardless and they don't appear to tell you what you are getting.

Louocb

I think its pretty straight forward but I guess we are all looking for something different!:P

Squiggle

Louocb wrote: »

I think its pretty straight forward but I guess we are all looking for something different!:P

I think you would be very foolish to pay €150 for " thinned lenses " without knowing the actual index value - I wouldn't anyway.

banchang

Moonbeam wrote: »

I had no problem getting my pupillary distance from specsavers.

I called Specsavers & asked them for my prescription - they said they would post it out, but that I would have to come in to get my pupillary distance as there is a charge for this ?

Surely if I have paid for an eye test already I should get all details of it, including PD ?

Boyne Shark

Knowing Specsavers they'd charge you for giving you the time of day, but maybe I'll be proven wrong. I would have thought if they took your prescription then they would have measured your PD, after all they always boast about how good their eye tests are and how well trained all their personell are. It certainly doesn't sound that way does it.
By the way I've gone on to buy many more pairs of glasses for myself and other family members from Zennioptical, a pair of prescription sunglasses for €20, you can't go wrong.

endplate

When you ask for a copy of your prescription the Opticians law states that the sphere, cyl, axis, reading addition and or prism if necessary for the left and right eye are included. The PD is not required to be given out. You have to ask for it and any optician can charge for the PD if they want.

However it's so easy to measure. Simplest way would be to place a mm ruler on your nose take a close up photo. Tip don't stare at the camera as your eyes will naturally converge. now open up the pic on your computer and read off the distance between your pupils (the dark bits). Measure from the middle of one eye to the middle of the next eye or the inside edge of your pupil to the outside of the other eye. In most cases it will be about 60 to 63mm. If your not sure about the measurement send me the picture and I'll tell you your PD.

Boyne Shark

As far as I remember my optician measured my eyes with something similar to what you're suggesting, it looked like a small fancy ruler and I guess he used this to measure my PD. Its a small family run optician's and, to be fair, he is a nice bloke so maybe thats why he did it for me and gave me the entire prescription with no quibble.

endplate

It's just a standard mm ruler nothing fancy usually supplied by a lens provider as a little freebe. It depends on the optician if they give out the pd freely. All Opticians know you are mainly going elsewhere to buy the glasses and it's a little gutting for them as their shops depend on the glasses sales.

nino1

Hi endplate,
i see you have an opticians shop and a website. is it possible to call into your shop in athboy and try on the glasses and then buy the glasses on your website?

endplate

If you come to the shop we can do you a good deal based on the internet price simply to save you the hassle of having to go away and logging in online

nino1

endplate wrote: »

If you come to the shop we can do you a good deal based on the internet price simply to save you the hassle of having to go away and logging in online

how do you justify selling glasses in your shop for hugely inflated mark up's when you are selling the exact same product online for so much cheaper.

in other words if you are prepared to sell me the glasses for the internet price if I go into your shop why don't you do that for all of your customers?

D you think your customers would be happy if they knew that all they had to ask was for the internet price and they would have paid far far less for their glasses?

obviously a shop will have overheads etc that selling online doesn't but the difference is hugh and the mark ups are astronomical.

endplate

How do you know what I charge in my shop? Have you been in already? And why do you feel the need to argue this point with me if you don't know my shop?

Boyne Shark

I don't know if its fair to be slagging off your local "family opticians" on a board where the topic is buying glasses on the internet, and maybe I'm being a little hypocritical after singing their praises so much but as I looked at all the small local shops that have closed in my town in the past couple of years I can't help but feel a kind of patriotic duty, for want of a better description, to do what I can.
When I couldn't afford it I had no choice but buy my glasses elsewhere, and will still have to, but when my wife needed a new pair recently and I could afford to buy them off the local family run optician, who has always been good to me even when when he was just giving me my prescription knowing I was buying them elsewhere, I went back to him.
My wife found out recently she has an eye disease called AMD, she's going blind and her prescription is complicated. Could I get the prescription from the internet? Maybe, but if there were any problems and its highly possible with such a prescription, fixing it could be time consuming and possibly even more costly in the long run. While I have a few bob it puts my mind at rest to get the glasses within a few days plus I know I've done something for one of the "good guys". You be the judge.

nino1

endplate wrote: »

How do you know what I charge in my shop? ?

err.. you just told me you would give me the internet price if I called into your shop.

endplate wrote: »

Have you been in already??

yes i have, and i think you are ripping off the people of athboy by charging them inflated prices in your shop and not telling them that they could buy the exact same product way cheaper if they left the shop, went home and brought them from your on-line shop.

endplate

Well your entitled to your opinion but our shop is a lot cheaper than a lot of other shops around. We recently went to the trouble of finding that out for ourselves. Anyway isn't this thread about buying glasses online. I don't think it's fair to be dragging this thread off in a different direction.

imagine1

Endplate, that was actually really helpful. You didn't tell anyone to come into your shop so you can charge us for it. Everyone has to make a living.

Jimoslimos

endplate wrote: »

When you ask for a copy of your prescription the Opticians law states that the sphere, cyl, axis, reading addition and or prism if necessary for the left and right eye are included. The PD is not required to be given out. You have to ask for it and any optician can charge for the PD if they want.

However it's so easy to measure. Simplest way would be to place a mm ruler on your nose take a close up photo. Tip don't stare at the camera as your eyes will naturally converge. now open up the pic on your computer and read off the distance between your pupils (the dark bits). Measure from the middle of one eye to the middle of the next eye or the inside edge of your pupil to the outside of the other eye. In most cases it will be about 60 to 63mm. If your not sure about the measurement send me the picture and I'll tell you your PD.

its worth mentioning that if its for reading or computer (intermediate) glasses then this PD will need to be adjusted (usually about -3mm for reading). Although I guess most places online will do that automatically.

you may also require a split PD (eg. 33/31 instead of 64 split to 32/32) if your face isn't symmetrical (broken noses esp!). Of course most peoples faces aren't perfectly symmetrical but a difference of a mm won't matter too much.....except in the case of high prescriptions where small differences DO make a big difference - I'd recommend anyone with high prescriptions to get monocular PD measurements

Oh and I'd also recommend anyone with high prescriptions to consider having optical centre height measured, although this is a bit tricky if you're ordering online and don't have the frames.

Moonbeam

Out of interest what would you class as a high prescription?
Do prisms make a huge difference to this?

Jimoslimos

Moonbeam wrote: »

Out of interest what would you class as a high prescription?
Do prisms make a huge difference to this?

IMO, anything over 6D would be high.

As regards prism, I'm really not sure what happens, Do the PDs get taken and then the lab will correct depending on the amount (in the case of horizontal). For vertical prism you'd need to get heights checked aswell I'd imagine.

Of course vastly incorrect PDs can induce a sort of horizontal prism in patients with high prescriptions.

bluebirds

I usually use Zenni Optical. I had done a research on this website when I decided to try the online glasses shops. Zenni is an American company, but they do ship to Ireland and the shipping fee is $9.95. Moreover, they only charge $9.95 once no matter how many pairs of glasses you are going to choose. Fantastic!