Online Glasses For High Prescriptions

February 16, 2020 7:43 AM

I have a very, very strong glasses prescription (single strength, no prism). Most places seem to consider -4 to -6 to be strong, whereas I am over double that. If you or someone you know is like me, have online glasses places (like warby Parker or Zenni) worked for you?
posted by Aranquis to Health & Fitness (17 answers total)

Yep, I'm -10 with significant astigmatism and I get my glasses from Warby Parker. I get compliments on them all the time, too.
posted by adiabat at 7:51 AM on February 16, 2020

I’m -8. Both WP and Zenni have worked out well for me. I prefer Zenni for price and selection.
posted by quixotictic at 7:57 AM on February 16, 2020

Zenni has some frames whose lenses can go up to -20.
posted by all the light we cannot see at 8:06 AM on February 16, 2020

I also recently got Zenni glasses with a prescription close to as bad as yours, and they've been great!
posted by Narrative Priorities at 8:07 AM on February 16, 2020

Got my -12 glasses from Warby Parker. The optical center was too low but they fixed that for me free of charge. Caveat, I did actually go into the store as there is one near me. But I can at least attest to the quality.
posted by brook horse at 8:15 AM on February 16, 2020

Lifehacker just published an article "Don't Buy Glasses Online if You Have a Strong or Complicated Prescription"
posted by saturdaymornings at 8:15 AM on February 16, 2020 [1 favorite]

I get -11.75, +1.25 cylinder, 170 axis from Zenni and, recently, Goggles4u (wait for a sale; they have them all the time), and they've always tested correct at my ophthalmologist's office. The only downside is that they won't do transitions lenses for me anymore, but it's entirely possible that that's a technological limitation. Clearly it doesn't bother me enough to spend $500+ more somewhere else.
posted by teremala at 8:33 AM on February 16, 2020

I’m around -9 with astigmatism and Warby Parker worked for me. I did have to have them remade because the optical center was too low, same as brook horse, but it was free and fast. I would recommend having your optometrist check the prescription and optical center etc. when you get them regardless of where you order from, because a small deviation makes a big difference when your prescription is strong.
posted by MadamM at 8:43 AM on February 16, 2020

I'm +16 (cataract patient with no implants) and I have never had luck with online glasses places, I always have to get mine from the optometrist associated with my opthalmologist. My prescription is so rare though that even the places that can make my glasses say that they only get prescriptions like that once a year or so. I don't know if your rx is more common or not -- you want to get glasses from a place that has worked with that type of prescription before.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 8:51 AM on February 16, 2020

I've always been happy with my complicated prescription from Zenni... I recently had a bunch of my Zenni glasses from several years' worth of orders tested by multiple optometrists and, whenever they found an anomaly, it turned out to be user error on the testing machine rather than a problem with the glasses. That didn't give me great confidence in the experience and expertise of my local professionals! (... who also may do their ordering and reordering from a factory in China.)

Plus, unless you have contact lenses or you're a wizard with selfies, "trying on" glasses is way easier online with a strong prescription. Order a few of your favorites-- even if they don't look great in person, it's probably still less to order five pairs than one at the doctor. I always think, if I LOVE love a pair, I'll reorder them with thinner lenses, but I never get around to it before they retire the frames!

FYI, Zenni's factory closed down for Coronavirus concerns and recently reopened. They may still be working through a backlog. I am waiting for shipment of an order from about a month ago and it doesn't typically take this long. My order from September took 15 days to get to my door.
posted by Gable Oak at 9:08 AM on February 16, 2020

I’m around -9 in each eye and have an astigmatism and have been wearing Zenni glasses daily for years. I’ve gotten one bad pair, but that’s out of seven or so. I generally buy a couple pair at a time.
posted by advicepig at 9:12 AM on February 16, 2020

Zenni was great for my -13 prescription.
posted by padraigin at 9:26 AM on February 16, 2020

I'm -13 in both eyes with no astigmatism and Warby Parker told me to fuck off. This was around two years ago. Never tried Zenni though, gonna give it a look now!
posted by saladin at 9:50 AM on February 16, 2020

My rx is very high and zenni will not make me glasses at any price. I have tried, multiple times. Every time this comes up, everyone here insists that I am somehow wrong and stupid and zenni actually will make them and I just don't know it and it's so frustrating. My rx is weird and high and I have astigmatism and need progressives.

I did get glasses from discountglasses dot com and they're... okay? I guess? The lenses are comically thick, which is why they cost me $150 instead of the $800-$1k I usually have to pay for glasses, and they mostly work, but even with the lightest available frames they weigh a lot, the thickness of the lenses make my peripheral vision nauseating sometimes, and the progressive area is just like. weird somehow. I got them with the transitions sunglasses lenses though so they're good for the summer when I can otherwise hardly leave the house bc of glare-induced migraines. Again, please don't mistake this for an enthusiastic recommendation. They mostly work, I can see, I don't want to die in the sun any more than usual, but that's about it.
posted by poffin boffin at 12:35 PM on February 16, 2020 [3 favorites]

I’m -9.5 in one eye and -11.5 in the other. I have a pair from Warby Parker as my main glasses and a pair from Zenni as backup. Be aware that you’ll need to pay extra for the ultra-high-index lenses from both sources; WP ran me over $200 and Zenni ran me over $100, even with super cheap frames. Still better than the $400 I paid in a brick and mortar opticians.

(For the first couple years they were in business, Warby Parker couldn’t make my prescription. But they can now.)
posted by snowmentality at 2:19 PM on February 16, 2020 [1 favorite]

I’m a six with two astigmatisms— zenni has been pretty bad last two orders.
posted by tilde at 3:42 PM on February 16, 2020

Yeah, I should note that I’m -13, but no astigmatism or need for multi focal. I do pay through the nose for the thinnest possible lens, but they’re still at least half the price of anything else I’ve ever bought. I think any time you’re combining a strong prescription with other complicating factors you’re going to run into roadblocks.
posted by padraigin at 4:38 PM on February 16, 2020