Should You Order Your Glasses Online?
Ordering your new glasses online can seem like an inexpensive way to buy eyewear, but be advised that there are a number of shortcomings to this approach. Firstly, prescription frames are kind of like clothing or shoes: until you try them on, you don’t know how they’ll fit or feel. And because they arrive by mail in a box, you’ll have no one to adjust them for you if they’re not right. ♦At our office we will advise you on the fit of your frames so you make a good choice, and adjust them for you when you pick them up. Second, the colour or finish may look different in person than in a web page picture. ♦We’re always happy to order a frame in other colours so you can see it in person. Third, you have no way of knowing if the lab has filled the prescription accurately; recently a patient of mine came in for an annual checkup with glasses she’d bought online the year before. Interestingly, they didn’t match the prescription I had given her and her vision was not a clear as it should have been. Someone had either deliberately changed her ‘script, or they made a mistake and didn’t catch it (or care). ♦We check each completed job ourselves when they come back from the lab to make sure they’re done right. And finally, what if something just doesn’t seem right with your new glasses? Who will be able to help you? The help desk at the e-store? Not likely. The optometrist who did your eye exam? Not unless you pay for them to assess the issue. ♦When you purchase your glasses from us, we’re here to help if you have any concerns or problems with your new eyewear.
One final note: Ontario law requires that eyeglasses be dispensed by a licensed, qualified person to make sure things are done properly; online retailers are actually breaking Ontario law by selling you glasses by mail.