Buying Spectacles Online

It's time for me to buy some new glasses. Now normally I'd pop into my local branch of Specsavers but after a quick Google I've learned it's possible to buy prescription glasses online. (Is it me or does this post sound like an advert already?).

I don't mind my local optician, they usually do a reasonable job, but choosing frames is really tedious. There's generally only a small selection and the plain & simple ones I like are strangely the most expensive. I usually just want to get out of the store and get away, especially when there's always a load of old dears in there faffing about.

As I happened to stumble across my old prescription this week, I'm taking the plunge and buying some new specs online.

After choosing some nice frames and selecting decent lenses, the price is still quite high. Certainly no more expensive then the high street, but not the cheap prices I was expecting.

The only measurement I didn't have on the prescription from Specsavers was my Interpupilliary Distance (IPD) measurement. That was pretty easy to get with my trusty digital camera, the self timer and a tape measure (61mm if you want to know).

I will post a short review of how it went once they arrive. Wish me luck!

Update: Two days later and my specs are "at the lab" for the lenses.

Update 2: Another two working days later and my order is "on it's way". Interestingly I had a separate mail, sent at the same time, for each pair, but both pairs appear to be in the post. Fingers crossed they arrive ok.

Update 3: A day later and the postman delivered a package containing my two new pairs of glasses. Each was supplied in a nice plastic case with a cleaning cloth.

I spent about an hour adjusting the arms so they fit comfortably and don't fall of. I did this by measuring the arms on my old pair which fit nicely and marking the centre of the bend point on the new arms. After adjustment, both pairs are really nice.

The only small concern is that my pair with Transitions lenses don't appear to have the anti-reflective coating applied. The other pair (which has) reflects everything with a green hue, but the transitions pair reflect in the usual colours. Maybe this is normal for this type of lens?

I felt a bit wonky for the first day, with a slight headache and nausea, but was fine the next day. The prescription was the same so I don't know why I felt funny for the first day. Possibly as they are sitting differently on my face?

I won't name the company but they claim to be the largest seller of online specs in the UK.