READ THIS BEFORE ORDERING GLASSES ONLINE
For many, ordering eyeglasses online seems like a logical alternative to analog shopping.
You already can get pet meds, your own meds, mental health counseling and lab testing online. But at TACOMA EYE probably the biggest reason we’ll see patients is to troubleshoot or correct the glasses patients bought online. We asked ChatGPT to perform a review of webpages and articles to get an idea of what people feel about online eyewear.
Here are the summaries of the webpages:
- The Modest Man: A long-term review of Warby Parker glasses praises how cheap they are, relatively stylish design. The main drawbacks include a lack of premium quality and durability in metal frames. The brand’s direct-to-consumer model disrupted the eyewear industry by offering good quality at reasonable prices. They try very hard to provide good customer service over other online retailers like Zenni.
- Vision Center: This review covers Warby Parker’s product offerings, highlighting their stylish and cheap glasses, the convenience of their home try-on program, and their commitment to social causes. Downsides include quality issues with lenses and frames.
- Hacker News: A discussion thread on Warby Parker, focusing on user experiences with the brand. Opinions are mixed, with some wanting the business model to work and cheap pricing, while others criticize the quality of the glasses.
- Reddit: A discussion on lens issues with Warby Parker glasses, where multiple users share their negative experiences with lens quality, leading to dissatisfaction.
These summaries provide a view of online eyewear (mainly Warby Parker). As one user mentioned You get what you pay for
Measuring your own PD. When you order glasses online, you need to provide your own pupil distance (PD). Try and watch yourself or someone else’s pupils when transitioning from looking at an object far away to looking at something up close.
Three things will occur:
- your eyes focus on the near object (accommodate)
- your pupils actually get smaller (miosis) to increase depth of focus.
- your eyes turn in toward the object (converge).
What this means is that the pupil distance is not just one measurement, it should consist of more than one measurement to reflect the fact that we do not look at only one distance.
Where do I get my PD?
Online retailers have one main purpose – sell you glasses. They cannot legitimately attempt to do this without getting a PD measurement (even if it is not accurate).
Often if your prescription is not complicated & does not have a prism correction, patients can google How do I measure my PD?, Just follow instructions and provide the measurement yourself to an online retailer. That may be enough to get a badsic pair of glasses. But what if you get headaches and blurry vision? Is your online retailer able to troubleshoot what is wrong with your prescription?
Do eye doctors have to give me my PD?
Nearly every state with the exception of New Mexico and a few others recognize a pupil distance measurement is obsolete.The PD is not a required part of a prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses in Washington since it is such an inaccurate, archaic measurement.
What is the best measurement for my eyes?
At Tacoma Eye we’ll refine your prescription with our MARCO digital refraction process (we’re still one of the few offices on North Tacoma with this technology).
With the push of a button, we can even show you the difference in vision between not wearing glasses, your old prescription and the new prescription! YOU decide if you see better and if you need new glasses.After the prescription process, our staff will help you select some quality frames that meet your budget. Then we measure the horizontal and vertical distances, the optical center (OC).
In the end, combining the Digital refraction, the OC and a digitally surfaced EYEZEN or PROGRESSIVE lens you’ll get the best value over the long run. As stated earlier Warby parker and online glasses can be a way to get cheap pair of readers or back up glasses. Tacoma Eye cannot warranty glasses not purchased from our office. “