I have been nearsighted since I was 12 years old and need glasses to see into the distance. As the only one of 5 siblings who always had to wear glasses, I have had my fair share of good frames that were comfortable and fit my face shape, but also bad frames that left dark marks on my nose and slipped off my face. This year marks the 7th year I have had my frames and it was time for a change. Here is my story about my search for cheap, comfortable and stylish new prescription glasses and sunglasses.
Deciding it was time for new glasses
I personally have had four different frames in the 15 years I have been wearing glasses and have worn each one to the end of its life. My decision to take care of the frames was based on two reasons: first, my face shape and clothing style fit well with the frames I had been wearing for years, and second, the cost of buying new frames is significant.
What prompted me to buy new prescription glasses and sunglasses?
On my first paddle boarding trip, I was wearing the prescription sunglasses I bought eight years ago for about $400, and I hadn’t put on the goggle straps to keep them on my face. As I continued paddling, a small wave knocked me off balance and I landed in the water. Since the sunglasses were aviator-style, they sat snugly on the sides of my head and were secure. A few minutes later, a series of larger waves came under my board and I tipped into the water. When I surfaced, I saw my sunglasses quickly sink out of reach into the darkness of the water.
Luckily, I had my glasses in the car and was able to drive home without any problems. Similar to my aviator sunglasses that I just lost, these glasses were Ray Ban brand with transition lenses and cost around $400. Because of this, I have had these frames for 7 years and replace the lenses every two years.
After losing my prescription sunglasses, I decided it was time for a new look and decided to buy both new glasses and prescription sunglasses. My decision to get new glasses is due to the following issues with my current glasses. The frames of my Ray Ban are very thick and the lenses are large, which makes the glasses heavy. This causes them to fall off my face when I look down and causes me to experience pain in my left ear after wearing them for over 12 hours continuously.
When I was looking for new glasses and sunglasses, I set some criteria that the new glasses had to meet in order for me to feel comfortable buying them and the first step was finding the right company.
Warby Parker
Over the past two years, I’ve listened to a lot of podcasts about startups and entrepreneurs, where the host tells personal stories, interviews established people, and has discussions with the founders of some of the fastest-growing companies of the century. One of those podcasts, How I Built This, was an interview between host Guy Raz and Warby Parker founders Dave Gilboa and Neil Blumenthal, which you can listen to at
In this interview, the founders of Warby Parker talked about how they met in business school. Before starting business school, Gilboa accidentally left his glasses on the plane, which would have cost $700 to replace. In the interview, he compared the new iPhone 3g, which offered a variety of features for $200, to the less technical glasses that would cost $700.
Gilboa complained to all of his friends about the high cost of plastic glasses. One day, his friend, who kept losing his glasses, vented his anger and talked about how he could buy everything online except glasses. After these conversations, Gilboa was in a computer lab with Blumenthal when Gilboa started asking questions about selling glasses online. Since Blumenthal had worked at a nonprofit eyewear organization, he had experience in eyewear design, and also had inside knowledge that one company owned almost all of the eyewear companies!
Suddenly, the group realized that the reason glasses are so expensive is because one big company owns almost all of the major eyewear brands!
So they decided to open an online eyeglass store together as an alternative to the overpriced eyeglass market dominated by one company. Their goal: to sell comfortable and fashionable eyeglasses at an affordable price. With this goal in mind, they founded Warby Parker, which makes online eyeglass shopping easy, fun, and affordable!
Best of all, for every pair of Warby Parker glasses sold, the company donates a pair of glasses to a person in need through nonprofit organizations like VisionSpring.
Here’s my story about buying glasses from Warby Parker based on 5 parameters.
1. Affordability
Similar to Gilboa’s story about losing his glasses and his endless search for an affordable replacement pair, I went through the same journey after losing my prescription Ray Ban aviator sunglasses. After finding Warby Parker’s online store, I browsed through their selection of eyeglass frames. I was amazed by the variety of frame shapes, sizes, and colors they offered. Best of all, their website is intuitive and you can easily filter through the different frame types.
After selecting a handful that I thought would fit my face shape and fashion style, I looked at each one and read through the description of each frame, measurements, and materials. Most importantly, I found that the average price for their prescription glasses, both frames and lenses, was between $95 and $145! In the world of quality glasses, these are fantastic prices.
Compared to a new pair of glasses from a typical name brand company, I would spend an average of $250 on the frame and an additional $125 to $150 on the lenses. Ultimately, $400 is out of reach for most people, but being able to see the world with frames that fit your fashion taste and face shape is important, which outweighs the high price in general. This is especially true for people who wear glasses from the time they wake up to the time they go to sleep, as they become a part of our everyday appearance!
Prescription sunglasses usually cost at least $400, like the pair I lost in the lake, which is out of reach for many people. I found a fantastic pair of sunglasses at Warby Parker and when I went to place my order, the total was $225! That may sound like a lot of money, but for those of us who wear prescription glasses, that’s a fantastic price.
However, at Warby Parker, you can correct your vision with beautiful frames that fit your face shape and fashion sense. With so many glasses to choose from, it’s almost impossible not to find frames that fit you and are made of high-quality material.
2. Quality
Another important parameter when looking for my next pair of glasses was the quality of the frame and lenses. Warby Parker offers glasses in 3 different materials: cellulose acetate (looks and feels like plastic), titanium, and mixed materials. Most frames are made of cellulose acetate and are a popular material choice for many people.
When I was looking for my next pair of glasses, I knew I would be wearing them for at least the next 5 years, so it was important to me to find durable frames that were similar in shape and size to my original Ray Ban frames. I chose frames made of the same material, cellulose acetate, in black and looked for glasses with larger lenses.
When you’re ready to start selecting frames from Warby Parker, you can narrow down your search to frames that are eligible for their amazing at-home try-on program. This one was designed for people like me who don’t live near a Warby Parker store, are interested in getting glasses, and want to try the frames on before buying. This option is completely free (no shipping or deposit) and you can choose up to 5 frames at a time. The best part is that you take photos of yourself wearing each frame, upload them to Instagram, tag Warby Parker, and you’ll learn which frame fits you best!
During this at-home try-on program, I chose 3 pairs of glasses and 2 pairs of sunglasses to try on and was pleasantly surprised by the quality and comfort of each pair. The material felt stiff enough to hold its shape and sturdy enough to withstand a drop. I also found this program to be an essential part of my purchase, as some of the frames were either larger or smaller than I imagined. You can see in the photos that the sunglasses were a little too big for my face and one of the glasses was too narrow.
1. Eyewear:
Frames: Warby Parker offers a wide range of frame styles, including full-rim, semi-rim and rimless options. Materials range from acetate to lightweight metals.
Lenses: Single vision, progressive and blue light filter lenses are available. They also offer high-index lenses for thinner, lighter options.
Prescription: Customers can enter their prescription details online or schedule an eye exam with Warby Parker’s in-house opticians.
Customization: Options include lens coatings (anti-reflective, scratch-resistant) and tinting.
2. Sunglasses:
Styles: A variety of designs, from classic aviator to modern cat-eye shapes.
Lenses: Polarized lenses are available for reduced glare, and prescription sunglasses are also an option.
UV Protection: All sunglasses offer 100% UV protection.
3. Contact lenses:
Types: Daily disposable lenses are available, with comfort and convenience as the main focus.
Prescription: Customers can order contact lenses with their existing prescription or get a new one through Warby Parker.
Comfort
After having the try-on box in hand and assessing the quality of the frames, the next step was to put them on and feel how they sat on my head. My previous Ray Ban glasses had thick frames that were oversized and heavy on my nose and ears. Additionally, the Ray Ban frames didn’t make contact with the temples on the sides of my head. This caused a lot of pressure over my ears and actually irritated and scratched the top of my left ear where the frames would rest.
So it was important to find a frame that was light enough to rest on my nose and ears and come in contact with my temples to provide additional support through friction. Most importantly, the frames had to be comfortable to wear for long periods of time and have large lenses that suited my style and offered a larger field of vision.
After trying on all the frames, I was torn between two different ones and decided on the Crane frame, which I found to be the most comfortable and thinnest. The Crane frame is also very lightweight and thick enough to be sturdy and durable. All of the Warby Parker frames that I saw on their website and tried on at home were beautifully designed.
4. Design
Anyone who wears glasses, whether to correct their vision or as part of their style, knows how important the design of the frames is. Every aspect of the glasses or sunglasses frame affects a person’s overall appearance. Think about it. When you meet and greet someone who wears glasses, you spend a lot of time making eye contact during the conversation, so it only makes sense that the frames you choose should represent you!
If you simply browse through Warby Parker’s glasses and sunglasses collection, you’ll quickly see that it covers a wide range of fashion styles and aesthetics. They have a variety of glasses that reflect a fashion sense from an earlier era, like the round lenses. Then they have all the glasses in standard shapes that people have been wearing for centuries. Finally, they carry a full spectrum of modern frames that represent the trends of today.
5. Customer Support
When I finally decided to purchase my new glasses and sunglasses from Warby Parker, I was so surprised by their customer service representatives and programs that helped me find the right frames, troubleshoot my issues, and ultimately deliver me the perfect glasses and sunglasses. Here’s a quick summary of my long journey to my final pair of glasses and sunglasses from Warby Parker, with some advice for you along the way.
After ordering my first box of 5 frames to try on at home, I made an appointment with my optician to get my eyes checked and a prescription to upload to my Warby Parker account. By the time I saw my optician, I was already trying on my second box of glasses, so I uploaded my prescription to my account and selected the frames for my glasses and sunglasses.
After placing the order, I received an email with the receipt and another when the glasses were shipped. Every day I tracked the shipment, which was free from Warby Parker, and finally received it in the mail about 5 days later. My first shipment was the glasses, which I immediately took out of the box and tried on.
To my surprise, the left lens felt too strong and made it difficult for me to focus anything for a short period of time. So I contacted customer service through the online chat system and they quickly responded to my questions. They had one of their opticians contact me to discuss some of the issues. After a 5 minute phone call, the Warby Parker optician thought it was their mistake and promptly sent me a new shipment of my glasses.
A few days later, I received the glasses and had the same issue! This time, I informed the Warby Parker representative of the issue and told him I was taking the glasses to my optician to have the lens checked. We found out the issue was the prescription my optician wrote – my left eye should have been -2.75 and he wrote -3.75 – and he immediately called Warby Parker to let them know the prescription was incorrect.
From here, the Warby Parker representative reordered my glasses and sunglasses and expedited the orders so I finally got my glasses with the correct prescription! This whole back and forth took about a month, but at the end of the day, the exchange cost meabsolutely nothing.
After this experience with Warby Parker, from their at-home try-on program to their customer service, I couldn’t imagine buying glasses anywhere else. It’s clear that the company probably didn’t make much of a profit on my order; especially since they sent me a total of 3 pairs of glasses and 1 pair of sunglasses that were traded in for my last pair of glasses! What other eyewear company would go that far for a customer?
Conclusion
As one of the hundreds of millions of people around the world who suffer from visual impairment, I understand the importance of having agreat glasses that are well designed, comfortable, made of quality material and most importantly, affordable. Through my experience with Warby Parker, I now have a greater appreciation for companies that care about their customers and go above and beyond to serve them until their order is perfect. Most importantly, I can say that in my small way, I helped get someone in need a pair of prescription glasses. In the future, I want my company to emulate that customer service and contribute to a greater cause.
When you’re ready for your next prescription or non-prescription glasses and sunglasses, be sure to stop by Warby Parker. I hope your experience is less eventful, but just as great as mine!
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