Prescription glasses can be very expensive. My ophthalmologist changes my prescription every year or every 2 years. Every year, I need to set a certain amount of money aside for these new glasses. New lenses tend to cost the most.
I’ve looked everywhere to find the best glasses but my efforts weren’t successful. I’ve even considered taking out small loans to pay for expensive glasses. But after discussing the issue with my doctor, he recommended cheaper alternatives.
Among them, 39DollarGlasses was a service he recommended. These prices allowed me to purchase different types of glasses. Some I wear at work while others I wear to the gym. My interest in glasses increased. If I wasn’t willing to spend hundreds of dollars on glasses before, I now afford to purchase multiple pairs for the price of one.
You can also order similarly-priced sunglasses online. They are a better option than the standard supermarket sunglasses you buy with no prescription. Basic lenses are also free. You only end up paying more for top-quality lenses and various levels of the coating.
39dollarglasses Features
Types of Frames
Frame selection is somewhat limited. But I understand as they need to be affordable. Still, you can choose from over 100 frames in the men’s category alone.
These frames vary in style from aviators to round frames. I’m sure you can find at least a few glasses you would be interested in. Now, the price doesn’t include the frame alone, which I find very appealing.
These are the 3 main benefits included in your price. All frames come with custom prescription lenses. For me, this was a crucial turning point from other eyewear merchants. The cheapest lenses I found were $100 a pair. This is why I find it interesting to have them included in the price of the frame.
However, these prescription lenses you get are normally limited to the most basic UV protection. If you want blue light protection, you may end up paying at least twice the value of the glasses.
I know that a blue light filter can go a long way in protecting your eyes. But I don’t have an office job so I don’t need to look at a monitor for hours every day. However, there’s sufficient evidence that those who work at a computer could benefit from blue light glasses filters.
Regular and progressive bifocals cost $80 while single vision lenses are free. Premium anti-glare coating costs $24.95. Seiko super-thin lenses cost $59.95 extra. There’s also another ultra-thin Seki Rx lenses you can purchase for $99.5.
Blue anti-glare coating costs $44.95. It might be the best type of coating for those who need to protect their eyes from the low monitor refresh rate while working at the desk every day.
Types of Lenses
Not all lenses are the same. When shopping on the website, it’s your responsibility as a customer to enter the correct information on your lenses. Here are the options.
Single Vision Distance
These are distance lenses specifically made for everyday use. These lenses are prescribed to those who need to wear glasses all day long.
Single Vision Reading Only
As their name suggests, these lenses are made for those who need extra vision help while reading. Those who wear bifocals can also choose these lenses. Instead of only having the bottom part of the lens magnification, they get full-lens magnification.
Regular Bifocals
These glasses are a combination of reading and distance glasses. On the website, all such lenses come with the distance prescription on top and reading magnification lenses on the bottom.
No-Line Bifocals
These lenses are popularly known as progressive lenses. Their progressive nature still has the distance vision prescription on the top and the distance prescription on the bottom.
How to Shop
All of this information needs to be at hand when purchasing glasses on the website. I would not purchase glasses without a prescription.
Once you see your eye doctor, there’s going to be a written prescription for you to base your glasses on. You can enter all of its information such as the type of lenses you need on the website yourself.
If you can’t see without glasses or if you need help with the prescription, you can upload it as a scanned file. The company then enters the information in the system for you.
When placing an order, you need to know that the low price you see at first is for the frames alone. You might get standard lenses for your glasses but if you choose thin lenses or extra blue coating you will have to pay more.
The final price is only shown on checkout. You have the price of the frame plus the price of the lenses which goes into the amount you have to pay.
Coating options are added in the 4th and final step of the purchasing process. The coating can be expensive on certain glasses and you need to be able to find your coating according to what the doctor recommends. I wouldn’t pay for extra coating if not recommended by an ophthalmologist.
Shipping
Orders over $99 get free shipping. But if your order is smaller, you’ll have to pay $4.95 for standard UPS shipping. The glasses arrive at your address within 5 days. 1 business day FedEx Next Day delivery is also supported. You’ll have to pay $17.90 for the glasses to be delivered the following day.
Warranty
2 warranty policies are supported on the website. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you don’t like the glasses, you can get reimbursed within a month from the purchase date. The second warranty is a 90-day store credit policy. Within 3 months, you can change your glasses with others from the website without having to pay extra.
Pros
Cons
Final Verdict
If you want to try out the glasses on your own, you can use your existing prescription to place an order online. But you shouldn’t place an order with no prescription just to see how the service works for the health of your eyes.
Alternatively, if you already have regular glasses, you can purchase sunglasses based on your prescription. Most sunglasses cost between $48.95 and $68.95.
I’m about to order 2 pairs of sunglasses to prepare for the summer. One of them is going to be the beach-type glasses which are a bit more casual. But the other type of sunglasses is going to be aviators which I can wear with formal outfits.
If you want to test out the sunglass service, there’s a virtual try-on tool on the website you can use. You simply upload a photo of yourself to see how the glasses would look on you. This tool is also available on your regular reading glasses if you want to check out how you look. Feel free to use a photo of yourself to test out how you look with various types of glasses.
