I’ve rounded up all the most popular websites for ordering glasses and contact lenses online. Find out which offer the best service and prices around.
I’ve been a licensed Optometrist since 2008, so I also go over many valuable tips on ordering glasses and contacts online below. 
Best Places For Contact Lenses Online:
Top 3:
Discount Contact Lenses
VisionDirect Contacts
VisionDirect is a partner on ShopDiscover, where you can earn 15% cash back with your Discover credit card. See my Discover It card review here.
Contact Lens King
Other Great Sites:
1800AnyLens
1-800-Contacts
1-800-Contacts is also a partner on ShopDiscover where you can save 10% off using a Discover credit card. Info on Discover cards here: Discover It card review.
1-800-Get-Lens
AC Lens
America’s Best Contact & Eyeglasses
ContactsAmerica
JustLenses
Lens.com
Lensplanet
Don’t Forget To Check Out The Latest Contact Lens Rebates!
Always take a look at the current contact lens rebates from all the manufacturers before you decide how many boxes to order, since sometimes a 6 month or year supply will qualify for some nice rebates.
You can check the links below or get them from your eye doctor during your exam.
Acuvue Rebates
Alcon/Ciba Rebates
Bausch & Lomb Rebates (check availability with your optometrist)
Coopervision Rebates
Save More Money With Contact Lens Solution Coupons:
*For hard contact lens wearers, get a $1.50 coupon for Boston Solutions here!
$2 coupon for Opti-free PureMoist soft contact lens solution here
$1 coupon for Bausch+Lomb Biotrue soft contact lens solution here
$2 coupon for Clear Care peroxide disinfecting soft contact lens solution here. *Best for disinfection.
Best Places For Glasses & Sunglasses Online:
Top 3:
Zennioptical.com
Coastal
39DollarGlasses
Other Great Sites:
BestBuyEyeGlasses.com
Bonlook
EyeBuyDirect.com
Eyeglasses.com
EyeSave Sunglasses
FramesDirect.com
GlassesShop
GlassesSpot
GlassesUSA
SmartBuyGlasses/VisionDirect
VisionDirect is a partner through ShopDiscover, where using your Discover credit card will earn 15% cash back. Get info on Discover cards: Discover card review.
Solstice Sunglasses
Online Glasses & Contact Lens Tips!
People get glasses and contact lenses online now?!
Patients are understanding less by going online, so I feel the need to educate the casual consumer about the Ins and Outs of getting your vision correction solutions through the web.
*Tip #1
: In the United States, you need a valid prescription to order glasses and contact lenses online.
*Tip #2
: For glasses, you will need the Pupillary Distance (P.D.) measurement, which is usually done at the optical when you order glasses. Ask the optical staff for this measurement if you plan on ordering online. Remember though, you can’t hold the staff liable for any mistakes when ordering online. Want to measure it yourself? Try this guide here.
Contact Lenses: Not much can go wrong here once you have a finalized prescription from your doctor.
You HAVE to order the exact brand, type, and size of contacts that are on your prescription. If you’re not happy with the contacts that were prescribed based on the trial pair you receive, be sure to voice that with your eye doctor so that you can get a prescription written for the exact lenses you do like.
Or, if you were only prescribed clear contact lenses and you wanted to order colored lenses online, you’ll need a separate prescription for that.
Many lenses come in more than one Base Curve (B.C.), which will affect how the lenses fit and move (and feel) on your eyes. Usually, there is only one Diameter (Dia.) for a brand of contact lens, which is just the overall size of the contacts.
Been told you need astigmatism contact lenses? I explain astigmatism contact lenses here.
Glasses: This is where things can get much more confusing with all the materials and options available.
*Tip#3
: Prescriptions leading with a “-” are nearsighted, and with a “+” are farsighted.
*Tip#4
: On a prescription, OD (Oculus Dexter in Latin) is the right eye and OS (Oculus Sinister) is the left eye.
Materials
Plastic - Basic, cheapest, lowest quality, doesn’t come with scratch resistance or UV protection (both can be added on though). Will get by okay for budget conscious. Won’t be too thick with low power prescriptions like (+/-)0.25 to (+/-)2.00.
Polycarbonate - Better optical quality, more scratch resistant, more sturdy, and has UV protection. Is also thinner and lighter than basic plastic. I recommend this upgrade for powers higher than (+/-)1.50. This is also a must for children for its durability, since little ones are usually pretty rough on glasses.
Trivex - Slightly better optical quality and slightly lighter weight than Polycarbonate. Roughly the same thickness as Polycarbonate. Also is more scratch resistant and has UV protection. Many online glasses stores may not offer this option. In general, I recommend this for the same prescription ranges as Polycarbonate. It is a newer technology than Polycarbonate, and some will argue is slightly better all-around.
Hi Index - Thinnest and lightest material. Costs more of course. I definitely recommend this to patients when their prescription is higher than (+/-)4.00. The higher the index number, the thinner and lighter the lens (i.e. a 1.67 index is thinner and lighter than a 1.60 index). You will see hi-index options like 1.60, 1.67, 1.71. Most online stores don’t offer a 1.74 hi-index lens, and we have to order these from Germany at my office.
Add-Ons
Anti-Reflective (AR) coating - This reduces the glare seen by your eyes. Recommended if you experience eye fatigue from your computer screen glare, and for night-time driving when the street lights and car headlights can cause a lot of glare/halos. Again, there are different levels of quality on this coating. If your online store doesn’t offer more than one choice, you are likely getting a basic version. Patients who wear their glasses full-time can often have this coating start to bubble or peel in a year or less. With a premium AR coating, you will have better performance against glare and smudging from your fingers. Plus, it usually comes with a 2-year warranty.
Photochromic - This is the coating that turns your lenses darker in the sunlight. Most people are familiar with these as Transitions, which is a brand name of this type of lens. There are other brands of this coating, such as Photofusion, but Transitions are still the most popular.
Others - You can add just about any kind of tint to the lenses of your glasses. You can add a variety of colored tints, gradient tints, and even make your lenses polarized(helps block glare from water/atmosphere). For plastic lenses, you can add on a UV coating and a scratch coating. Newer coatings can be anti-static and even anti-fog. Some of these newer coatings can’t be ordered online.
Types Of Lenses
Single Vision (SV) - One prescription power throughout the lens. If you’re under the age of 40, this will likely be your lens type.
Bifocal - Two prescriptions in each lens (1 visible line). The top portion is generally the distance vision and the portion underneath the line will be near vision. If you’re in your early to mid 40′s, it may be time to familiarized yourself with bifocal, trifocal, and progressive lens options.
Trifocal - Three prescriptions per lens (2 visible lines). The top is the distance, the middle is the intermediate (computer), and the bottom is the near vision.
Progressive Addition Lenses (PAL) - These are basically trifocals without the lines. More cosmetically pleasing, with a higher cost. There are many different manufacturers of PALs, and many different levels of quality and performance. In general, a more premium quality PAL lens will give you more usable area in the computer and reading portions. This equates to more functionality, less eyestrain, and easier adaptation. Some of the highest quality Progressive lenses can only be ordered through your eye doctor’s office.
Digital Customized Lenses - This is the new era in the optical world. Rather than having your lenses cut from a standard mold used for the masses, your lenses are digitally made and cut based on your prescription and measurements. The technology is available for all types of lenses and the premium options require special measurement equipment from your local optical. This means these lenses can only be ordered through your local optical. For those seeking the best of the best, this is the way to go. Honestly though, most people will be just fine with traditional standard lenses.
Things To Keep In Mind With Online Glasses & Contact Lenses:
One major drawback with ordering online is Quality Control, and this has more to do with glasses orders. With contact lenses, there’s not much that can go wrong when you have an accurate, finalized prescription from your doctor. It’s a little more complicated with glasses orders though.
So, here’s a typical scenario. You get your eye exam by your eyecare provider, you get a printout of your prescription and measurements, and then you use that information to order online.
Your glasses are shipped conveniently to you and everything should work flawlessly right? For the majority of folks, yes.
What could possibly go wrong then? Well, you likely won’t know how to verify the material of your lenses, or if the lenses were correctly edged with the optical centers in alignment with your pupils, or if the anti-glare coating will last more than a few months before peeling off.
If the optical centers aren’t aligned, you could possibly have unwanted distortion and poor vision. Maybe the anti-glare coating doesn’t work as well at night like you’re used to, and that blurs your vision. Whether or not you initially blame your optometrist for the blurry vision, the next step will always be a trip to see your eye doctor again (because the online shop will ask you to check with your doctor before initiating a return).
In the end, while you may lose out on the personal touch of ordering direct from your local optical, the convenience and economy of ordering online often makes a lot of sense.