In this hands-on review, we’ll share our thoughts on EyeBuyDirect to help you decide if they’re worth purchasing from.
Buying prescription glasses online has become very popular. It’s convenient and less expensive than buying them at a traditional glasses retailer. These days, there are tons of brands selling prescription eyewear online.
One of those brands is EyeBuyDirect. This review will tell you what you need to know about buying glasses from them.
Quick Take
Overall, EyeBuyDirect is a good company to buy glasses from. They have a large selection and fair prices.
Unfortunately, they don’t have a home try-on program like Warby Parker. However, if you don’t end up liking the glasses you buy from EyeBuyDirect, you can exchange them one time for a different pair (free of charge). It’s a system that makes sense, but it’s not ideal.
Pros
- Great prices (a lot cheaper than traditional eyeglass retailers)
- Large selection of frames
- They offer prescription sunglasses too
- For every pair of glasses purchased, they donate a pair to charity
Cons
- They don’t have a home try-on program
- If you don’t like the glasses you bought, you can only exchange them once
Click here to check out EyeBuyDirect, or read on for the full review.
About EyeBuyDirect
EyeBuyDirect is a direct-to-consumer prescription eyewear company. Companies like EyeBuyDirect let people buy glasses directly from the company, with no middlemen.
That’s great because it cuts the bulk of costs traditionally associated with buying prescription glasses.
Make Quality Eyewear Accessible to Everyone.
From EyeBuyDirect’s About Page
Overall, EyeBuyDirect is a pretty standard online eyeglass company, but one really cool thing that sets them apart is that for every pair of glasses they sell, they donate a pair to charity.
How It Works
The process is pretty straightforward. You’ll need to have a prescription that you’ve gotten from an eye doctor. Pro tip: Make sure you ask what your pupillary distance is while you’re there.
When you have your prescription, the rest of the process is super easy. You go to the EyeBuyDirect site, choose a pair of frames, choose the lenses, enter your prescription, and you’re good to go!
From there, they’ll ship you your new glasses.
What I Like
The process of buying glasses is very easy, and there are tons of frames to choose from, including frames from a few “premium brands” like Ray-Ban and Oakley.
A lot of the frames are really cool. They offer a lot of different styles. I think anyone can find a great pair of glasses from EyeBuyDirect, regardless of their face shape.
They offer premium coated, anti-reflective lens options, and it looks like they can make any frames into sunglasses.
The quality of the glasses I tried is great and is exactly what I would expect from a pair of glasses. They aren’t higher or lower quality than glasses I’ve purchased at brick and mortar eyeglass stores.
There are a lot of good things about EyeBuyDirect. They have a great selection and great prices!
Room for Improvement
Obviously, buying glasses online isn’t perfect. It’s a big sacrifice not being able to try on frames before buying them.
With no way of trying on glasses before buying them, you may not like them when you actually get them and finally get to try them on.
That’s why a home try-on program is a crucial feature that EyeBuyDirect, unfortunately, doesn’t have. It’s really the only big complaint I have with them.
Luckily, EyeBuyDirect will let you exchange a pair of glasses one time if you don’t end up liking the pair you purchased.
That’s solid of them, but it’s honestly not enough. I understand that they can’t let people exchange glasses as many times as they want (that would not be a sustainable business model), but being able to exchange a pair twice would be a lot better.
Really though, a home try-on program would solve the entire dilemma. They do offer a “virtual try-on” option, but I don’t think it really cuts the mustard. I just don’t trust its accuracy.
I got two pairs of glasses from EyeBuyDirect, and I didn’t like either of them. I exchanged them for two different pairs, and I liked one of those.
In total, I tried four pairs of glasses and liked one of them. That’s not a good ratio.
One other con of buying glasses online is that you can’t bring them into a store if they need to be adjusted. For example, the pair from EyeBuyDirect that I actually like feel too tight on one side of my head. I’ve tried adjusting them some, but I always worry that I’m going to break them.
EyeBuyDirect does include a note about adjusting your frames which is a plus, but I definitely miss being able to just take them into a store for adjustment.
Questions About EyeBuyDirect
Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about EyeBuyDirect.
Is EyeBuyDirect Owned by Amazon?
No, EyeBuyDirect is owned by the company Essilor.
Is EyeBuyDirect Worth It?
Yes, EyeBuyDirect is worth trying if you’re looking for a cheaper option than traditional eyeglass retailers.
Does EyeBuyDirect Really Deliver in 2 Days?
None of the glasses I ordered qualified for 2-day shipping, but EyeBuyDirect does offer 2-day shipping on certain frames.
My Recommendation
EyeBuyDirect has a large selection of frames, and their prices are great compared to normal eyeglass stores. It’s a bummer that you can’t try on glasses before buying them, but it’s not a dealbreaker.
I do recommend trying EyeBuyDirect if you’re interested in buying glasses online!
Questions? Comments? Leave them below!
