Today there are more options than ever available to the consumer when it comes to purchasing glasses. It can be difficult to determine the differences between these various options, and decide which is right for you. When the differences aren’t made clear price often becomes the default deciding factor. So why would one pay more for glasses when there are less expensive options available? We find there are numerous benefits to investing more in your prescription eyewear that we believe add great value to your day to day life. Below we will breakdown the advantages and disadvantages of the three most common means of purchasing eyewear: online, retail optical, and doctor’s offices.

Ordering Online

Pros:

  1. Can be less expensive.
  2. Convenience: can shop from home and have glasses delivered.
  3. Large selection of frames to choose from, although quality can vary quite a bit.

Cons:

  1. Quality control is lacking: a recent study by the American Optometric Association found that 44.8% of eyewear ordered online had incorrect prescriptions or safety issues.
  2. Proper measurements are not taken to ensure lenses function as intended.
  3. Inappropriate frame selection for face shape, color, or prescription.
  4. Inability to have glasses adjusted properly for face.
  5. Inability to properly troubleshoot issues with glasses.
  6. Custom measurements not available to receive latest technology lenses.
  7. Higher likelihood of symptoms of blurred vision or eye fatigue.
  8. Not always able to try frames on before purchasing it to make sure you like how it looks on you.

Retail Optical

Pros:

  1. Often large selection of frames.
  2. Many locations locally to shop.
  3. Price can be less expensive, but not always.
  4. Quality control can be better than that of online but is variable depending on location.
  5. Can try on frames, get assistance/opinions in frame selection.

Cons:

  1. The retail sales environment tends to emphasize making a sale over meeting patients’ needs: can push you to buy something you don’t need/want.
  2. Quality control is often inconsistent.
  3. Latest technology and lenses are often not offered as these products are less profitable.
  4. Experience and training can be lacking in sales force.
  5. Lack of accountability: Retail optical are quick to place blame for eyewear issues on the doctor’s prescription, even before fully assessing whether the problem could be due to the glasses being made or adjusted wrong. More often than not a simple adjustment of the frame can solve a patient’s complaint, rarely does the issue stem from the doctor’s original prescription being incorrect. This can lead to a situation where the patient is caught in the middle of the optical and the doctor’s office, unable to find a solution to their problem due to each placing blame on the other.

Our Office

Pros:

  1. Helpful and highly trained staff to assist you in frame/lens selection, troubleshooting, and adjustments.
  2. Large selection of high quality frames.
  3. Offer you products because they are what is best for you, not us: we are patient, not profit, driven and always place what is best for the you ahead of all other considerations.
  4. Value packages that are similarly priced to what you can find at retail optical but utilize higher quality materials and newer technology lenses.
  5. Utilize the newest technology lenses and lens treatments.
  6. Utilize advanced instruments to take more accurate measurements to ensure your glasses fit and function perfectly.
  7. All eyewear is thoroughly analyzed when it is received to ensure the prescription was made accurately and that all quality control standards were met before being given to the patient.
  8. We offer a warranty on all of our products, with the exception of our value line.

Cons:

  1. Can be more expensive than online and some discount retail.
  2. Cannot be purchased from home.
  3. Less frames to choose from than online.

We believe that all of the advantages of buying glasses from our office add great value to not only the actual purchasing experience, but also your enjoyment/use of the glasses for years to come. We invite you to come take a look and experience all the things that make us different!

–Dean Amundsen, O.D.