How to Save Money on Your Glasses

Are you in need for new glasses? Then you have arrived to the right place. This article helps you to understand why your previous glasses may have cost so much and how you can save a considerable amount on your next pair. In my case, I managed to save over 400 US dollars with the method described below!

Buying glasses from a brick and mortar store

Next time you enter your local eyewear store, look carefully around. What do you see? Several staff members walking around in white coats, lots of room for the fancy eyewear display stands, and stylish coffee machine waiting for you in the corner. And let not forget the eye examination devices in a separate room in the back. This is great! Only problem is that all of this is accounted on the price of your glasses. But there is more you cannot even witness on the spot. You also have to pay for the middlemen. They are eagerly waiting to get their part of your wallet as well.

But who are these middlemen? Let’s start with frames. The frames you choose are likely to be designed and manufactured by a third party. They want their profit margin for manufacturing the frames, and also licensing fees. Next, a wholesale distributor buys the frames from the frame manufacturer and sells them forward to your eyewear store. But wait, there’s more! After you have made a selection of the frames you want, they are shipped to yet another company, a lens manufacturer that wants a margin for their efforts as well. Once the glasses are ready, they are sent back to your local store where you receive them, along with an expensive bill. Fortunately, on this day and time, there are more cost-efficient alternatives for getting your spectacles. One of them is Zenni Optical.

Zenni Optical

Just like the rest of us, two San Fransisco based scientists Tibor Laczay and Julia When were frustrated with the eyewear pricing. In 2003 they founded Zenni Optical, a direct to consumer company focusing to get rid of the the middlemen, greatly reducing price of the glasses for the end customer while still maintaining great quality.

My Personal Experience and Step-by-Step Guide on Ordering Glasses from Zenni

My previous glasses had designer frames and 1.74 high index lenses, costing well over 500 dollars total at the time. I bought them from a traditional brick and mortar store. After several years of wear, the glasses started to give up on me. For the next pair I decided to give a try for Zenni, which I had read a lot of positive, including the average rating of five stars on Trustpilot.

Step 1: Get Your Eyesight Checked

First step on getting my new glasses was that I had to get my eyesight checked (if you have just recently done this, you can skip this step). This can be done either by an ophthalmologist or an optometrist. I got my eye examination for free as my local eyewear store had such a campaign at time, and it did not obligate to purchasing glasses from them.

Important thing to remember during the appointment is to ask the examiner to measure and mark a PD (pupillary distance) value on your receipt. This is often not marked as it would enable customers to order appropriate eyewear online. Zenni also provides an alternative method of measuring your pupillary distance yourself with the help of a ruler and a mirror. However, I trusted more an expert to take this important measurement.

Step 2: Find the Measurements For Your Existing Frames

After receiving your eye prescription, it is time to take a look of your existing frames. You should try to look for three numeric values. These are lens size, bridge size and temple size. They are usually written somewhere on the frames as a following set of values: XX-XX-XXX. The first two numbers are for lens size, following two for bridge size and the last three for temple size.

All of these are millimeter measurements. For example, my previous frames had the following values: 52-17-135. In case you can´t find these values on your glasses, try look for them online. Last option would be to take the measurements yourself.

Step 3: Pick New Frames From Zenni´s Selection

Now that you have both the eye prescription and frame measurements, it is time to head over to zennioptical.com. Choose your frame style and use the frame measurements to find frames with same or closely matching values. For example, the glasses I ordered from Zenni that fit fine had values of 51-18-135, versus the previous glasses´ 52-17-135.

You can also utilize Zenni´s virtual try-on feature to get an idea of what the glasses would look on you. However, I have found that here lies the biggest weakness against traditional brick and mortar stores. You really cannot be sure how the exact fit will be before you have received your glasses.

Step 4: Fill in Your Prescription, Lens Features and Pay

After you have chosen the frames, it is time to fill in the prescription. After you have done that, choose from the various lens options you are offered. Next, after you have create your Zenni account and filled in your contact details, you have almost completed your order.

Now you just have to pay with one of the available options (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, PayPal Express, Amazon Pay, gift cards, and store credit) and wait a bit for your eyewear to arrive. This takes 7 to 28 days, depending of your location and chosen shipping method. Depending on your country, you may also have to pay importing fees for your glasses.