So, you've just discovered you need to wear glasses. The first thing most people consider when they hear this news is the expense. But the good news is that when you receive your new eye prescription from your optometrist is that it doesn't have to be an expensive exercise.
It is surprisingly easy to shop for prescription glasses online, giving you a lot more choice of frames as well as saving you a significant amount of cash. But where do you start? Here are our top tips for shopping for prescription glasses or sunglasses online:
First thing's first: you can't buy your glasses online without a copy of your prescription. Your optometrist should be able to give you this, and your prescription will last for two years. At this point it is recommended that you arrange an appointment for another eye test, in case you have experienced any changes to your vision.
Your prescription may seem complicated at first glance, but it is actually very easy to read. Where you see OD this is the prescription for your right eye. Where you see OS this is the prescription for your left eye. The other abbreviations that you will see on your prescription are:
SPH – This is the sphere of your eye and will show the amount of power needed to correct your short or long sightedness.
CYL and AXIS – This is the Cylinder and the Axis figure. Both of these measurements are needed to correct any astigmatism.
PD – This is your pupillary distance, and This number indicates the distance between the center of one pupil to the center of the other.
At iframes we have worked hard to ensure that the process of buying your prescription lenses is as easy and straightforward as possible. No hidden catches. No hassle. Simply enter the information from your prescription, or send us your prescription and let us do the rest.
You may be asking yourself why the frames you love online are so much cheaper? With iframes, it certainly isn't because you're compromising on quality or style! When you buy glasses in a store you're not only buying the frames; you're also covering the cost of the expensive overheads involved in running a store, such as rent and staff salaries. Purchasing online significantly cuts these costs, without compromising on quality.