GlassesUSA Review


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9.4 Our Score
2 Community Score (1 vote)
Pros

+ Thousands of Designer & Budget Frames

+ Interest-Free Credit Card Payment Plan

+ Free Shipping + Returns

Cons

- Short 14-day Return/Exchange Period

- 50% Store Credit Only On Warranty

Summary

GlassesUSA.com has thousands of fashionable designer and budget glasses to suit every member of the family from toddlers to grandpa Joe. With great deals on prescription Ray-Bans and Oakleys, finding stylish premium eyewear is no longer a headache. They've also got great in-house brands with a line of Hilary Duff glasses and sunglasses that bring on the glam at everyday prices.

Lens Quality9.5
Frame Quality9.5
Style10
Service8.5
Cost9.5

About GlassesUSA.com

GlassesUSA.com is an established online glasses retailer that’s been around since 2008. Their main optical lab is located in Atlanta, GA, but they also have operations in Israel and Bangkok, Thailand for international orders.

The company aims to provide affordable yet stylish eyewear so the whole family can see well and look good at the same time without breaking the bank.

They carry multiple brand name designers from Ray-Ban and Oakley to Tom Ford and Gucci, alongside their own affordable in-house designs. With over 9,000 frames to choose from, there are a plethora of styles, makes, and sizes that cater to young and old, fashionable and functional alike.

Our GlassesUSA.com Review

Shopping Experience

glassesusa homepage

Shopping for a new pair of glasses on GlassesUSA.com is straightforward and easy to use. The top navigation bar categorizes their selection by eyeglasses, sunglasses, brands, as well as sale/clearance items and contact lenses.

You can further narrow down your selections by filtering options for frame shape, features, frame type, and lens type.

We’d recommend doing so if you know what you’re looking for so you don’t have to scroll or click through several pages (unless you like browsing through thousands of eyeglasses).

One of the best things about GlassesUSA.com is its enormous selection of name-brand designers.

Brands include Ray-Ban, Oakley, and Versace, to their more economical house brands that are both trendy and practical.

Choosing your lens and any add-ons is straightforward. If you need prescription lenses, you can either fill out the online prescription form, upload a file to the site, or send it to them later if you don’t have it on hand.

glassesusa 728x90 banner

Virtual Try-On

glassesusa virtual try on

Like many online glasses retailers these days, GlassesUSA.com offers a virtual try-on feature where you can upload a picture of yourself (either an actual file, through Facebook, or take a picture via your webcam) to see what a particular frame looks like on you.

Once you’ve uploaded your picture, you have to rotate, crop, and then drag a couple markers over your eyes in order to get the glasses superimposed on your face correctly. This is true on both desktop and mobile.

One nice thing about their virtual mirror is you can actually set the product listings to show how each pair would look on you, which is nice:

glassesusa virtual mirror browsing

Recently, they’ve added a live try-on where you can view yourself a specific frame using your webcam. The glasses available with this feature will show a “Live Try-On” icon when you hover over the product:

When you click it, you’ll get a popup where you need to line your face up with the oval shape. Once you’re head is in place and the technology scans your face, it superimposes the frame onto your face live.

Using augmented reality (AR), it allows you to turn your head from side to side as you view yourself with the glasses.

Prescription Scanner App

If you don’t have a copy of your prescription anymore, you can use GlassesUSA’s prescription scanner app to scan and determine your prescription right from your glasses!

Keep in mind that this feature only tells you what your current glasses prescription is, it won’t give you an updated prescription. So it’s only useful if you’re happy with your current prescription.

It’s also only available for single-vision correction. If you’ve got bifocals or progressives, you won’t be able to use it.

The technology seems to be the same software used by several other online glasses shops with a nice British-sounding lady giving you instructions on how to scan your glasses.

You’ll need a computer plus a credit or debit card (for measurement purposes) in order to complete the scan.

It’s a useful and cool app, though we did find slight inaccuracies in our prescription and pupillary distance measurements. On one scan, there was -.25 discrepancy in one lens and about 2mm off with the pupillary distance measurement.

The most difficult part is holding your phone and glasses at the right distance and angle to scan your lenses. You have to keep all the dots on the screen inside the scan box on your phone at all times, which is harder than it seems.

glassesusa rx scanner app

That plus you have to tilt your glasses forward and backward as part of the scan and let’s just say you need some good eye-hand coordination unless you recruit someone to help.

That said, it is a handy tool if you don’t have your eye doctor’s prescription and can see well with your current correction.

Get FREE eyeglasses or sunglasses with contact lens orders over $120 using code FREE-GLASSES!

Home Try-On

glassesusa home try on

While doing our research, we discovered that GlassesUSA.com is currently beta-testing a free home try-on feature that’s currently available in select U.S. markets. It’s scheduled to roll out to the entire nation in the near future.

Unfortunately, we are not located in one of the target markets, so we were unable to try this out for ourselves.

However, we did contact GlassesUSA.com via Live Chat to inquire about how it works. This is what we learned:

You’re allowed to choose up to two pairs of glasses with prescription lenses to try on for up to 14 days without being charged.

But, only select pairs of glasses are eligible for the home try-on marked “Try Before You Buy”. From what we understand, only in-house frames are available for this program.

You can try to see if it’s available in your region here.

Also, you’re limited to 2 pairs of single vision lenses to try out, OR one pair of multifocal (progressives or bifocals).

Lastly, sunglasses are excluded from the program (either Rx or non-Rx). Boooo.

On the whole, this sounds like a great feature for those hesitant to buy their prescription glasses online, particularly because you can order glasses with your prescription to try out before purchasing.

The vast majority of other free home try-on programs offered by other retailers only let you try frames on without prescription lenses, so this could potentially be a standout feature once it’s available to everyone.

Contact Lenses

GlassesUSA.com sells all the major contact lens brands (including Acuvue, Biofinity, Dailies, and Air Optix) in addition to glasses and sunglasses.

They also just launched their own brand of dailies, called Vista Plus. You can get a 10-day trial of them for only $1 to see if they work for you.

What We Like:

  • The 10-day trial (20 lenses in total) gives you a chance to really test them out and see how they feel day after day. And the cost is truly only $1 – no taxes are added and shipping is free in the U.S.
  • Shipping was fast! We got our order in 2 days.
  • The contacts are very comfortable, didn’t dry out the eyes, and we’d definitely consider switching to them.
  • For daily lenses, the cost is very reasonable ($32/month).

What To Know:

  • By getting the free trial, you’re also effectively signing up for the paid subscription unless you cancel. The next shipment goes out 8 days after your trial ships, so be sure to cancel before then if you don’t want to continue.
  • Vista Plus is currently only available for single-vision correction (i.e., it won’t work for astigmatism or multifocal prescriptions).
  • You will need to provide your contact lens prescription details or allow GlassesUSA to contact your eye doctor to verify your prescription.

GlassesUSA FAQs

GlassesUSA.com Lens Options and Quality – 9.5/10

GlassesUSA Elliot Frame in Tortoise

Our GlassesUSA review found that their lenses are good quality and generally last if you care for them properly. The main downside is that some coatings (like anti-glare or blue-light blocking) can start to wear off after a while.

Otherwise, the prescription strength was spot on and it didn’t take long to get used to the glasses we ordered. The visual clarity was excellent and they don’t scratch or smudge too easily.

In terms of lens options, GlassesUSA offers the following:

woman with optical test lenses

Standard 1.5 index lenses: the standard CR-39 plastic lens included in any pair of glasses

Polycarbonate 1.59 index lenses: these are the most impact-resistant, are 22% thinner than standard lenses, and are recommended for children’s, sports, and safety glasses for their shatter-resistance

High-Index (Thinner) Lenses:

1.6 index: up to 25% thinner than standard lenses. Recommended for prescriptions of -4.00 to +3.00.

1.67 index: super thin lenses; the ideal choice for strong prescriptions of -8.00 to +6.00.

1.74 index: the most ultra-thin lenses, recommended for extremely high prescriptions.

In terms of prescription types, they can make:

  • Single Vision, Reading, Bifocals, Progressives (no-line multifocals)
  • Rx Sunglasses

All single-vision prescriptions are included in the price of the frame in the standard 1.5 index lens.

Upgrades, Coatings, and Add-ons

Besides your customized prescription strength, GlassesUSA.com has 4 lens packages to choose from. They cater the available options to the frame chosen as well as your prescription strength:

glassesusa lens package options

Their basic 1.5 index plastic lens is included at no additional charge. If you upgrade to a higher package, you automatically get anti-scratch, anti-reflective, and UV-blocking coatings included with your choice of higher-index, thinner lenses.

They will also let you know which lens type is most appropriate for your specific prescription if you’re not sure which is best for you:

glassesusa lens options with polycarbonate

Note: only certain frames are available to customize with impact-resistant polycarbonate lenses. Here are the frames that are eligible for polycarbonate lenses.

You can add a blue light coating for an additional $29 to reduce digital eye strain if you’re device-addicted or work in front of a computer full-time.

There’s also an option to add a superhydrophobic coating, which prevents smearing and smudging by repelling water and oils.

Lastly, you can also make any pair of glasses into sunglasses. Besides a choice of tints, you can also choose from polarized, mirrored, or photochromic (light-adapting) options with their in-house technology or with Transitions®.

GlassesUSA.com Frame Quality – 9.5/10

man holding glasses up to camera

There are so many frames to choose from on GlassesUSA.com that it’s kind of hard to generalize about the overall quality. On the whole, you’ll find excellent glasses at every price point from their in-house brands like Muse and Revel to their premium designer frames like Gucci, Ray-Ban, and Michael Kors.

Based on our experience, GlassesUSA.com’s house frames are quite good – they come in a variety of materials including plastic, acetate, stainless steel and titanium. They feel sturdy, are comfortable to wear (assuming you pick the right fit), and don’t need a ton of maintenance.

GlassesUSA vs. EyeBuyDirect

When it comes to the designer frames, we were worried that they might carry the rejects from the premium brands, especially with the discounts you can usually find on them. However, we were pleasantly surprised with the few we tried – they are legit resellers and don’t have defects.

Here are some of the best in-house frames they carry:

GlassesUSA Ottoto Bellona in Tortoise
GlassesUSA Port in Black
GlassesUSA Amelia E. Nettle in Tortoise

GlassesUSA.com Style & Selection – 10/10

Selection-wise, you’ll be hard pressed to find more eyewear options elsewhere given that GlassesUSA.com makes their own designs in addition to carrying most of the top premium brands.

Besides men’s and women’s frames, they also have kids (including toddlers!) glasses, sunglasses, sport glasses/goggles, and even contact lenses too.

You can get single-vision prescription glasses for under $40 all-in at the low end. Of course, these will be for GlassesUSA.com’s brand plastic frames, which are quite decent for the price.

On the other end of the spectrum, they have a nice selection of brand name glasses from top designers – Ray-Ban and Oakley of course, but also Coach, Prada, Versace, and Michael Kors, to name a few.

glassesusa glasses and contacts

Keep in mind that if you customize any designer sunglasses with prescription lenses, you won’t be getting the brand’s proprietary lens since GlassesUSA.com will produce and replace the original with prescription lenses made in their optical lab.

This is a great way of saving some dough on designer Rx sunglasses though, so it’s worthwhile if you want a particular frame but don’t want to pay sky-high prices for the original lens in prescription.

All in all, you’ll be spoiled for choice when shopping at GlassesUSA.com, whether you want glasses, contacts, or even performance glasses for active pursuits.

Best GlassesUSA Glasses and Sunglasses

GlassesUSA.com Customer Service – 8.5/10

illustrated male with headset

GlassesUSA.com may be great in many ways, but their customer service can be a bit hit or miss. We personally didn’t have any problems with our order so we didn’t need to contact customer service, but a fair number of people have run into issues that were not quickly resolved to their satisfaction.

Specifically, there seems to be problems with delayed deliveries, even for those who pay for expedited service. So bear in mind that you may not receive your order right away if you order prescription glasses, though in our case (and we believe in most cases), it’s reasonable to expect your glasses in a couple weeks.

glassesusa trustpilot negative review

On the plus side, it’s easy to get in touch with them via phone at 1-844-244-1186 or Live Chat at any hour, any day of the week. They’re also reachable via their social platforms too, and are quick to respond to requests or questions.

They’ve also garnered 4.5 stars on Trustpilot (with more than 30k reviews and counting) too – which certainly indicates that there are plenty of happy customers out there despite some less-than-stellar experiences.

glassesusa trustpilot positive review

There are plenty of return customers too:

glassesusa trustpilot positive review

GlassesUSA.com Cost – 9.5/10

woman in glasses lying on money

Compared to buying prescription glasses in a traditional brick and mortar store, GlassesUSA.com can definitely save you a good chunk of change.

This is particularly true if you’re looking for designer eyewear, which is generally quite marked up if you buy from an optical shop. Of course, you can get an even more economical no-name pair, but the real value lies in getting a pair of prescription Ray-Bans or Oakleys at a fraction of regular retail price by applying a discount coupon.

GlassesUSA.com offers many different coupons such as 50% off lenses, or 20% off premium frames. The key is to apply different codes to see which one saves you the most.

You may find that the site automatically applies a specific code for you (like the LENSES50 code) when you’re checking out. But you can sometimes save more by applying a different code (see our deals and coupons page for the latest promos).

Depending on where you live, your local optician could charge anywhere from $200 – $400 for prescription sunglass lenses (and that’s just for single-vision lenses). With a base price of $150 for a pair of Ray-Ban New Wayfarer frames, for example, you’d typically be spending nearly $500 for a pair of prescription Ray-Bans compared to less than $200 at GlassesUSA.com!

glassesusa splitit payment option
GlassesUSA SplitIt Payment Plan

If price is the priority, the average pair of prescription in-house glasses will cost you around $40-50 all-in including Rx lenses. Their sale and clearance frames can get as low as $19, but there aren’t many choices at that price.

There’s also an option to pay for your glasses over 3 months interest-free if you pay with Visa or Mastercard. We like that this option doesn’t require going through a 3rd party like Affirm.

Shipping is also included in all orders free of charge – including returns! – with no minimum.

Get 25% off Premium Frames with Basic Rx Lenses – Code: PREMIUM25

GlassesUSA.com Review Final Thoughts

For good deals on prescription glasses and sunglasses, GlassesUSA.com is an excellent choice. They’ve got a great selection of the most popular brands, plus several of their own budget-friendly designs that aren’t too shabby either.

GlassesUSA Muse x Hilary Duff Zora

With an easy-to-use website and a helpful, if not entirely impressive, virtual try-on, you can quickly see which pair of glasses suit you.

Entering or uploading your prescription is simple, and barring any delivery hiccups, the entire process from purchase to product-in-hand is quite seamless.

Our only wish is that they had a longer return policy. Compared with other retailers like Warby Parker (30-day returns) or SmartBuyGlasses (100-day returns), GlassesUSA.com’s 14-day return/exchange period isn’t as generous.

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