Hey all.
I’m considering getting my next pair of frames online. I’m wondering if any of you have used Frames Direct ( www.framesdirect.com ) before, or other services, and what was your opinion of them? They have a lot of testimonials on their website but none of them seem to use the person’s last name, which makes me kind of weary.
I know a lot of people here wear glasses so that’s why I’m asking.
Cran -
How “complicated” is your prescription? I had Lasik done 9 years ago, so no longer have to worry, but my prescription was very hard to fill correctly. First, I was extremely nearsighted (contacts were -6.5 and -7 diopter) and even with “featherweight” lenses, there were quite a few frames that weren’t available for me because of the thickness of my lenses.
I also have large, but deep set eyes. The focal point on my lenses were never in the middle of the lens, but somewhat offset depending on the size of the lens. I remember having several sets of safety glass lenses made up at work before they finally got it “right”.
If you have a fairly “normal” prescription, it may not be a problem getting your glasses mail order, but if you have any “oddity” at all, I’d hesitate doing it.
Yeah, I have a lot of those varying factors too.
I’ll probably just try to wait until I can get to Lexington. There’s a store there called Eyeglass World which has the kinds of frames I want.
Personally, I wouldn’t want to buy frames without trying them on. Most of the glasses styles I like on other people look bad on my face, but I eventually found a pair I liked. I suppose if you knew the exact style of frames you wanted, then getting them online may be an option.
Well I want some dark green metal frames and I’ve only been able to find them online. I could get the same frames but in black or brown at Wal-Mart for almost $90 cheaper, which may actually be what I end up doing.
I don’t know how you could determine the size frames you needed or the measurements for the lenses. 
They need to be fitted by someone who knows what they are doing, or you’ll just end up wasting your money, or whomever’s is going to pay for them.
If you’re on a budget, it’s good to stay within it. That kind of fits with the Quaker thing, doesn’t it? “Simple” and “plain” would lead one to go with the less costly brown or black, right?
It just depends, I guess. Inside every pair of frames there are a series of numbers which tell varying measurements and such.
Right. That’s what you don’t know until you have them fitted – which frames are the right size.
You also don’t know the measurements of the lenses. They have to be ground with the center in front of your pupils. That varies from person to person.
Are those your skivvies showing in that new avatar?
I’d never heard of skivvies so I had to look them up. No it’s shorts. Despite having so much snow now, a few days ago it was in the 70s. I even went out and got a new pair of flip flops. Now it’s cold again and everybody is back to wearing wool hats and long coats. I wish it would stay warm.
Looks like skivvies. Maybe you can photoshop some blue in there?
But they’re not blue. They’re gray and they have a picture of Mickey Mouse on the side. Never mind, I’ll change it.
Unless you’re a certified optician, and know exactly the skill set and lens availability of your finish lab (for your lenses) you’re always better off having a professional fit you. Buying ANY optical device online is tricky, but much more so with something that depends on fit as well as fashion. Eyeglasses are a MEDICAL DEVICE, and really must be fit by a trained professional to optimize both visual quality and frame comfort.
Good luck
Brian~ (ABO certified optician)
If you were just going to buy the frames and have someone in town grind the lenses for them, then it may turn out alright. One of the women at work bought frames that she really really liked (but not online, she got them at an optical shop) and waited until she could afford to have lenses put in.
Some places don’t like it if you bring in your own frames, even if you just want to get new lenses put in the frames that you have been wearing forever that fit you and look good on you, so they charge more for just the lenses than if you get frames and lenses from them. I think they have a pretty high markup on the frames so if you bring in your own they get the money out of you in other ways.
I always pick out frames from the place where I’m getting my glasses. Never under any circumstances would I have the glasses made someplace where I can’t go back and have them adjusted. Between being really nearsighted and needing bifocals it’s always complicated enough without borrowing trouble.
edited because I should have proofread it before posting.
I’d never buy glasses online. I routinely have problems requiring multiple visits to the eyeglass shop after they get done.
Also, if the colour I wanted was $90 more than another perfectly good colour, I’d get the cheaper one on the grounds that a) $90 is a heck of a lot for a student and b) when I’m wearing the galsses I can’t see what colour they are anyway.
That’s why, when you go to the optometrist, your eyeglasses are fit by his golf buddy’s highly-trained 17-year-old daughter who needs a part-time job after school.
I would find a new office then - simple as that. When you bring in an outside frame there are several reasons the dispensary may charge you more: First, there is no way for the dispensary to know with certainty that the frame is new, is capable of holding new lenses (as often the glazing process will stress a frame and can cause it to fail), or is adjustable for the needs of the individual patient.
When you buy your glasses as a complete unit from your optician, you should be presented with a complete package. The frames and lenses should NEVER be thought of as being two completely separate entities. It comes together as a single unit, and should be optimized for your own visual needs and facial structures. Generally as well, unless you’re going to one of the mega-discount chains or big box retail outlets, you should also get a decent warranty against manufacturer defects. Ask.
Best of luck whatever you decide to do.
I did. They are still not opticians, but they are at least grown-ups, and my glasses do fit better.
I see a couple of problems with the system as it is. First, there do not seem to be any certification or training requirements for the people who fit your glasses at the optometrist. They can pull anyone off the street to do this. If I go to an optician for my glasses, am I assured of getting someone trained?
Second, whenever you ask the optometrist to write the prescription so you can take it to an optician, they get all pissy and imply that if you don’t get your glasses from them, you’re probably going to get some sub-standard, imported knock-off made in a third-world country that can’t even make toys that won’t poison your kids, let alone something as important as glasses.
That’s why you get your eyes examined by the optometrist, who is trained for that as well as being able to prescribe medicine if needed. Then take the prescription (no matter how pissy they get about it. ) and take it to a good optician. They know the mechanical side of glasses better than most anyone. STAY AWAY from the one-stop shop, ala Lenscrafters. They are in it for a buck, and that is it.
I had to get an eye exam several years past, and had to do it in a very short time. Stopped at the local lenscrafters, who had a licensed optometrist onboard. I told the obligatory 17 year old sales girl out front exactly what I wanted to do. Get the prescription, take it with me and have it filled where I was working at the time. Her reply was to the point that “they can’t fill OUR prescriptions properly.” I asked, why not? Are they in chinese? “Well, our eye exam is much more detailed than they can understand. so they have to be filled in-house.” I called the manager over, explained the LAW and how it’s supposed to work, and recommended that she fire the salesperson, then go to a mirror and fire herself. Now I tell everybody who asks ( or does not), to stay away from lenscrafters, and any other glasses mill like that. I will always go to the best optometrist I can afford for the exams and to the best optical shop I can find to get the hardware done. It’s the only way you can avoid getting screwed both ways.
What about Eyeglass World? That’s where I’m headed tomorrow, it seems. I have a friend who went there and had good luck.
I should add that I do have a copy of my Prescription, signed by my doctor. When I called Eyeglass World they told me that that’s all I needed to buy new frames and they’d have my glasses made in about an hour.
I bought my glasses online.
lenses and frames.
got them at www.optical4less.com
got two pair with my exact prescription and shipped from Japan for $100.
I use them every day when I’m in front of the computer screen…can’t complain. Antiglare lenses too!
good luck Cran.