The Best Places To Buy Prescription Glasses Online, Tried By Our Team

Turnaround time: 7 to 10 business days | Return policy: 14 days, no questions asked | Insurance accepted: Yes, as well as HSA/FSA | Virtual try-on: Yes | Virtual Rx renewal: Yes

• What’s notable: GlassesUSA offers a variety of styles and brands, including designer frames, blue light glasses, sunglasses, safety glasses and sports glasses.
• What could be better: Only your first pair of glasses is eligible for the 14-day return policy.

GlassesUSA is one of the largest and best online prescription glasses retailers, offering hundreds of designer frames from Ray-Ban, Gucci and Oakley, along with less expensive house brands in every frame style and color you can imagine. Prices run the gamut from $39 up to $700, depending on which brand you choose. With its virtual try-on feature, you can upload a photo directly to the website and see what each frame looks like on your face before you commit. GlassesUSA also has an app that scans your prescription through your current lenses, and those with expired prescriptions can get a renewal via the company’s virtual vision test.

All lenses are made to order in-house and then put through a series of inspections to check for quality, clarity and proper alignment. You also have the option for upgrades like progressive lenses, anti-reflective coatings and transition lenses for up to $169 more. Associate insights architect Shan Newton describes the selection and checkout flow as “sleek and intuitive,” and was pleased with the speedy delivery time. Managing editor Emmy Favilla notes that her glasses arrived 9 days after her order, which was pretty impressive given that the window included Thanksgiving weekend. If you’re unhappy with your new glasses for any reason, GlassesUSA has a 14-day, no questions asked return policy—but you can only take advantage of this for your first pair.

What our editors say: “I felt a bit overwhelmed by the number of options, but it was easy to evaluate the frames,” says former branded content editor Dana Holmes of shopping on the GlassesUSA website. “The ordering process was simple and I felt confident making my complicated prescription order.”

Turnaround time: 7 to 14 business days | Return policy: 14 days for a one-time replacement or refund | Insurance accepted: No, but HSA/FSA accepted | Virtual try-on: Yes | Virtual Rx renewal: No

• What’s notable: Eyebuydirect has a wide selection of prescription and non-prescription eyeglasses, blue light glasses and sunglasses, at prices to suit any budget.
• What could be better: You can only receive a refund or replacement once, per the return policy.

Eyebuydirect’s wallet-friendly prices make clear vision affordable and accessible. To keep prices down on Eyebuydirect’s own styles, everything from concept to design to manufacturing is done in-house. You can also choose from name brand frames from Oakley and Ray-Ban, and the site makes it easy to locate options with specific features like frame shape (which is useful if you want to. Since Newton only wears rectangular frames and can’t wear small-sized frames, he says that being able to filter on these preferences is super helpful. Frames start at $6 and standard lenses at $7 or you can opt for upgrades like advanced lenses and premium lenses, which go for $49 and $80, respectively. Favilla appreciates that there are a variety of options for blue light filtering as well as two choices for high-index frames.

When you find a frame you like, you can click “try on” to upload a photo and see what it looks like on your face. The photo stays uploaded as you navigate the site, so you can quickly see what other options look like. Eyebuydirect offers a 14-day “no questions asked” return policy for a one-time replacement or refund, but its 365-Day Product Guarantee covers defects for a full year.

What our editors say: Our testers note that their eyeglasses arrived promptly and safely in a compact cardboard box. “I like that the packaging was small enough to fit into my apartment’s little mailbox in the lobby, rather than needing to be left out in a common area with bigger packages,” says Holmes.

Turnaround time: 7 to 10 business days | Return policy: 14 days for refund (excluding shipping costs) or 30 days for store credit | Insurance accepted: No, but HSA/FSA accepted | Virtual try-on: Only for eyeglasses | Virtual Rx renewal: No

• What’s notable: Zenni has a wide selection of prescription sunglasses, which can be polarized for an additional fee. The site also has a great virtual try-on feature.
• What could be better: The site does not directly accept insurance.

Zenni is all about making prescription glasses affordable, with frames starting at just $7 and capping at $50—and that price includes standard prescription lenses. Its selection of prescription sunglasses is particularly impressive, and at such reasonable prices, it won’t sting if you happen to lose a pair on vacation.

While you won’t find any designer names among the selections, there are hundreds of designer-inspired frames in different shapes, sizes and colors. Once you select a pair you like, Favilla recommends taking advantage of the site’s virtual try-on feature. In addition, Holmes appreciates how the site allows you to filter frames by pupillary distance. Zenni also offers low-bridge options and ANSI Z87.1 safety glasses with prescription single vision and progressive lenses. You can add upgrades, like polarization, that start at $33.

What our editors say: “With my complex prescription, the cost adds up fast so a lower-priced frame is a nice bonus,” says Holmes. Favilla is particularly a fan of the site’s try-on feature, saying, “It’s very advanced to give you a well-rounded view of what your glasses will look like. It was a seamless experience from beginning to end.”

Turnaround time: 7 to 10 business days | Return policy: 30 days for a return or exchange | Insurance accepted: Yes, as well as HSA/FSA | Virtual try-on: Yes, as well as in-home try-on | Virtual Rx renewal: Yes

• What’s notable: Warby Parker offers a wide selection of prescription and non-prescription eyeglasses, blue light glasses and sunglasses, as well as a variety of contact lenses including in-house and third-party brands like Acuvue, Bausch + Lomb and Biofinity.
• What could be better: Kids’ glasses are only available in-store or over the phone.

Warby Parker offers designer-style glasses at affordable prices. Favilla has been ordering her prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses from the site for over a decade. All frames start at just $95, an impressive price that includes basic prescription lenses. You can try on virtually, but one of the brand’s biggest claims to fame is its at-home try-on program. Pick up to five frames to receive, for free, to physically try on before you buy. Holmes highly recommends taking advantage of this perk, as the frames she ordered based on her existing glasses’ measurements ended up being too small.

Once you have your frames picked out, you can add basic prescription lenses, which Newton describes as “perfectly accurate” and “not too thick,” despite his strong prescription. You can also choose from various upgrade options, like progressive lenses, blue light filtering or light-responsive lenses, which add up to $200 to the total price. If you don’t like your new glasses, you can return them for a full refund or exchange within 30 days of receipt. And if your lenses get scratched in the first 365 days, you can get new lenses made for free.

What our editors say: “The size accuracy, feel and fit are always excellent in my experience,” says Favilla. “The frames I wear regularly are blue light-blocking, which seem to do their job (as far as I can tell) to help prevent eye fatigue.”

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Turnaround time: 11 to 14 business days | Return policy: 30 days for a return or exchange | Insurance accepted: No, but HSA/FSA accepted | Virtual try-on: No | Virtual Rx renewal: No

• What’s notable: Frames Direct has an impressive collection of high-end designer styles, including pairs from Gucci and Prada.
• Keep in mind: For refunded returns, you have to pay shipping. There are also limited product photos on the website.

Frames Direct claims to have the largest selection of designer eyewear online: There are almost 5,000 frames from high-end brands like Gucci and Prada, as well as Oakley and Ray-Ban (in a wide variety of colors, too). Favilla mentions that her Armani Exchange glasses arrived with a “certificate of authenticity” that guarantees the glasses are genuine. Most brands sell for 20% to 80% off the retail price, and you can often score prescription lenses at a discount.

As far as lenses go, choose single vision, no-line progressives or non-prescription readers. You can also select different lens materials, from thin polycarbonate to lower-cost plastic, as well as optional upgrades like digital light protection or scratch-resistant coating. And before your order goes through, an optician will review everything to make sure you picked the best selections for your prescription.

What our editors say: “The value of these name-brand eyeglasses, with all the additional add-ons to my lenses, is very impressive,” says Favilla. Holmes, who wears progressives, says, “The lenses themselves match my prescription and have one of the best fields of vision of any of the glasses that I tried.”