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BUY GLASSES ONLINE
How to Buy Glasses Online
Buying glasses online at VisionExpress.ph is an easy, hassle-free experience, and the benefits are huge. When you buy glasses online, you can choose from thousands of styles, you’ll save hundreds of dollars on high-quality glasses and sunglasses and you’ll get them right at your doorstep. It’s very common for first-time customers to ask themselves ‘How do I buy glasses online?’. This article will give you the big picture of how your initial journey will be. Follow these few simple steps and you’ll become an expert shopper the first time around:
1. Choose Your Frames
The first step to take when you order glasses online is choosing the frame. If you already know which frame you’re going to get, simply visit VisionExpress.ph and type the frame name in the search bar. But what if you’re feeling like window shopping for your next pair? If you have an open mind and want to indulge in going over our variety of frames, it’s worth considering the following:
- Shape: Whether its rectangular, aviator, round or cat-eye, choose something to compliment your style and features.
- Size: Unless you’re going for oversized frames or something super snug for fashion reasons, it’s always recommended to choose a frame that will fit you well. If you have an old, comfortable pair, look at the measurements on the temple arm as guidelines.
- Tip: How to buy glasses online that fit? If you’re not sure what works for you, use the Virtual Mirror to try on frames until you find the perfect one. Our Virtual Mirror will ask you to upload your picture so we can show you online how any frame you choose will look on your face.
- Color: This comes down to your personal taste. Most frames have several color options, so you’re never “stuck” with just one choice.
- Brands & Trends: Whatever your budget is, buying Ray-Ban glasses online always costs less at VisionExpress.ph than at a brick-and-mortar store. We cut out the middle-man to offer you a huge variety of designer brands at prices you’ll love. The same goes for other designer brands like Oakley, Persol or the latest Muse x Hilary Duff collection. If designer names are what you’re looking for, we’re definitely the place for you.
As for eyewear trends, they come & go with the seasons, but you can always check out what’s trending right now so your look is always up to date with the current fashion fad.
2. Choose Your Lens Type
If the frame choice has a lot to do with stylish preferences, lenses are the more functional aspect of your new glasses. In short, what do you need them for?
- Prescription or Non-Prescription:
- Prescription type:
- Coating & Customization:
3. Complete Your Order
After deciding on lenses, the only thing remaining is completing your order and voilà, you’re done. Your new glasses will arrive at your doorstep in no time. We also notify you about your order every step of the way via email: You’ll know when your glasses are in production, when they are shipped, etc. We hope this guide answers all your questions on how to order glasses online, there’s a first time for everything! And rest assured that all your orders at visionexpress.ph include free shipping & returns plus a 100% money back guarantee, making buying glasses online with us completely Risk-Free.
GLASSES FOR YOUR FACE SHAPE
How to Choose Glasses for Your Face Shape
Have you ever wondered how to buy glasses online that compliment your face shape? When shopping online for a new pair of glasses you want to find a frame that compliments your features. Today, you can easily shop for glasses online choosing from 1000’s of styles and at more affordable prices than at a brick-and-mortar store.
To make the right choice when you have a huge variety of styles to choose from, it’s good to know three things: What’s your face shape, what styles work with this shape and maybe more importantly, what styles are big no-no’s.
What is Your Face Shape?
People with oval faces are in luck - pretty much any frame style will suit them. With a jawline that’s slightly narrower than the forehead, complemented by high, angled cheekbones. This face shape is proportional and versatile when it comes to picking glasses, but we do recommend rectangular or cat-eye frames to truly shine.
Square Face Shape:
With a square face that usually has a broad forehead and strong jawline, you want to choose frames that soften the features and elongate the face shape. The best way to do that? You won’t go wrong with round or oval frames, while you should try and avoid angular and rectangular styles.
Heart-Shaped Face:
The heart-shaped face usually means a broad forehead and wide cheekbones that narrow down to a small chin. A lot of styles, especially oval & cat-eye with a wide nose bridge work well here; rimless glasses and heart-shaped faces are a match made in heaven. Try to avoid aviators and dominant browlines.
Round Face Shape:
Round faces are relatively short, have (surprise surprise) a rounded chin, full cheeks and a wide forehead. Sharper angles are needed to compliment this face shape. We recommend rectangular and square frames, the narrower the better, to help elongate the face and add a complimenting contrast. Stay away from rounder or oversized styles.
Oblong Face Shape:
Oblong faces are longer than they are wide, and have long, straight and relatively thin cheek lines. As with other face shapes, the way to compliment an oblong face is by contrasting its features. Wide aviators or square frames will do just that. Look to avoid narrow, rectangular frames that make your face seem even longer.
Diamond-Shaped Face:
The diamond face shape is narrow at the jaw and eyeline, complemented by high & broad cheekbones. The best styles to offset these features have prominent browlines. Semi-rimless frames and curvy cat-eyes are recommended. Try avoiding narrow frames that draw too much attention to the narrow eyeline.
We hope this article helps you find your start line when shopping for your next pair of glasses online. But don’t forget - You look best in what makes you feel best. Don’t be afraid to go bold and break these rules. Trend-setters have done that for hundreds of years and you could be the next!
MEASURE YOUR PD
Measuring your PD
WHAT IS PD?
A personalized fit starts with measuring your pupillary distance-that's the space between the centers of each of your pupils. It's measured in millimeters and tells the lens maker where to put the optical center on each lens. You can ask your eye doctor to include your PD measurement on your prescription, or if you don't have it, here's how you can measure it yourself.
STEP 1: Put on glasses. Have a felt tip marker handy!
STEP 2: Focus on an object at least 20 feet away.
STEP 3: Mark on your right lens directly over the object.
STEP 4: Mark over the object on your left lens.
STEP 5: With both eyes, make sure the markings overlap into a single dot.
STEP 6: Measure the distance between the two dots with a millimeter ruler.
NOTE: If measuring for near-sighted glasses, focus on a close object like reading material or computer screen.
NO GLASSES HANDY
Don't have a pair of glasses handy? You can still measure your pupillary distance using a mirror, a small ruler marked in millimeters, a pencil & paper.
STEP 1: Stand about 8" away from a well-lit mirror. Grab your small ruler in one hand. Have your pencil and paper handy. Look straight ahead into the mirror and position the ruler over the bridge of your nose.
STEP 2: Starting with the right eye, line up the zero end of the ruler at your pupil; measure the distance from your right to your left pupil. The millimeter number that lines up with your left pupil is the measurement you want. That number is your PD. Jot it down. Just to be sure, measure a few more times to make sure you get the same number. You want it to be accurate.
GETTING A FRIEND TO HELP
A friend, a small ruler marked in millimeters, a pencil & paper.
STEP 1: Face your friend and look straight ahead with both eyes open.
STEP 2: Have your friend hold the ruler up to your right so the zero end lines up with your pupil. Measure the distance from your right to your left pupil. The number that lines up with your left pupil is your PD. Jot it down. Try it a couple times to make sure your measurement is accurate.
STEP 3: Have your friend repeat the process on your left eye by measuring the distance from your left pupil to your right. Use the number that lines up with your right pupil. That's your PD. Jot it down. Do a couple tries to make sure the measurement is right.
Once you've got your PD measurement, fill in the numbers in your cart and you're good to go.
TYPES OF LENSES
What type of lens should you get?
Single-vision
Single vision type lenses are one of the most common in vision correction. It means the lenses are correcting for one field of vision—nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatisms. The entire lens contains the same amount of vision correction.
Progressives
Progressive lenses provide uninterrupted vision from distance to near without any visible lines between the zones. Progressive lenses’ seamless transition from distance correction on top to reading correction on bottom provide much sharper overall vision.
Bifocal
Bifocal lenses have two (2) distinct powers which are divided by a distinct line to separate.
READ YOUR PRESCRIPTION
How to Read Your Eyeglasses Prescription
Trying to read a prescription for glasses isn't the easiest thing in the world, so we whipped up this guide to help you understand better what the numbers in your eyeglasses prescription mean.
1. Reading Your Eyeglasses Prescription
While there might be some minor variations between different eye prescription forms, the generic doctor's RX note will probably look very much like this:
The key to reading your eyeglasses prescription, whether you have nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, or anything else, is knowing what OD and OS stand for.
Sometimes appearing as O.D. and O.S. (oculus dexter and oculus sinister), which are abbreviations in Latin for the right eye (OD) and left eye (OS). Some doctors may use O.U. which means both eyes, or RE and LE for the right eye and left eye respectively.
There are other abbreviations in your eye prescription. Here is what each of them means:
- Sphere (SPH): Measured in diopters, the number under this header refers to the lens power necessary for each eye. A minus (-) is used to correct nearsightedness. A plus (+) sign next to the number refers to farsightedness correction.
- Cylinder (CYL): The lens power (also diopters) used to correct astigmatism. If you have no astigmatism or a very slight one, nothing will appear under this column. Just like with Sphere, minus is used to indicate lens power for nearsighted astigmatism, plus is for farsighted astigmatism.
- Axis (Ax): Like Cylinder, this only applies to astigmatism prescriptions. The numbers under this column refer to angle degrees (1 to 180) and not diopters. If your prescription includes Cylinder lens power, it must include Axis as well.
- Add: Only used for multifocal (progressive/bifocal) lenses. It refers to the added magnifying power applied to the bottom of the lens in multifocal lenses. PAL is used in some cases by eye doctors when the addition for progressive lenses is different compared to bifocals.
- Prism: Prism is used to correct double vision or vision displacement. The value on the prescription refers to the number of diopters applied in order to compensate for the image alignment issues.
- PD: The distance between your pupils. If by some chance your eye doctor didn't write it down for you in your RX note, you can easily measure it yourself.
After going online to Vision Express and choosing a frame you love, sending in your prescription is a piece of cake. You can choose one of 3 easy ways to get it done:
- Online: Copy it section by section from your doctor's written form
- Upload a photo: If you have a digital copy of your prescription, you can upload it directly to the site
- Send it via email: You can complete your order without providing a prescription, instead sending it to us to us with your order number. We'll take care of the rest!
3. Final Reminders
Your eyeglasses prescription is also eligible to use for sunglasses but not with Contact Lenses. Your prescription is yours to keep! If you get an eye exam at the doctor's, you don't have to purchase your glasses there. A copy of any prescription that includes a refraction, whether multifocal prescriptions or single-vision, must be given to the patient after the exam, without charging extra.
That's it, now you know what all the numbers in your prescription mean, and you can read it without a problem! If you already have your prescription, you can enjoy our exclusive discounts and shop a brand new RX pair right here.
ADJUST YOUR FRAME
How to Adjust Your Frames
The glasses you ordered online just arrived. You open the box, put them on and... they're not sitting on your face as perfectly as you imagined. No need to worry! With our useful tips on how to adjust glasses at home, they'll be sitting nice and snug on your face in no time!
How Can I Adjust My Glasses At Home?
It might feel weird at first to wear progressives. Still, you should stick to them for all your glasses-needy occasions until you get the hang of it. The more you wear them, the easier the transition will be.
Here are the most useful tried and true tips on how to fix your glasses, whether it's a pair of smart readers or stylish sunglasses. Remember - minor adjustments usually go a long way.
The first thing to do when your new glasses arrive? Put them on and go look in the mirror. If they look and feel good, you're all set. If not, it's adjusting time!
Tip #1: How to Straighten My Glasses
The secret to adjusting crooked glasses is all in the temple arms.
If your glasses are straight when you place them on the table, but crooked when you wear them: Straighten your glasses by adjusting the temple arms. Take either side and gently raise or lower it.
If your glasses are crooked when placing them on the table: To straighten your glasses, gently bend the temple arm in the opposite direction.
Tip #2: How to Adjust the Width of Plastic Frames
To fix this glasses issue, heat up the bridge piece (for example, use a hairdryer) for about 15 seconds, and then adjust slowly.
Don't heat them for too long or you'll end up damaging any special coating you might have on your lenses. Let the glasses cool off before putting them on.
Tip #3: How to Adjust the Width of Metal Frames
To fix metal frame glasses, don't use heat. Simply bend gently, and check after each adjustment how the glasses look and feel.
Tip #4: How to Fix Glasses with Adjustable Nose Pads
If the glasses are sitting too high: Widen the nose pads gently. If the glasses are sitting too low: Narrow them gently.
Whatever the case is, make sure the pads are even on both sides.
Tip #5: How to Stop Glasses from Slipping down My Nose
Simply take the stem tip and bend it inwards so that the temple arms hug your head.
Follow these tips whenever you run into a minor fitting snag, and you'll most likely solve it by yourself. Remember, make small adjustments from time to time. It will keep your glasses fitting perfectly and looking great.
Now that you know how to handle minor adjustments, it's time to get a new pair of glasses! Discover 1000s of styles for men, women, and kids, available with all prescription types.
Try any frame with the Virtual Mirror to find the perfect one. Basic RX lenses are free with every frame. Shipping & Returns are free too, no minimum required!
GET USED TO PROGRESSIVE LENSES
How to Get Used to Progressive Lenses
From a certain age (somewhere between late 30s to early 40s), your vision naturally declines, especially when it comes to seeing things up close. For most glasses wearers, that comes in addition to imperfect eyesight when looking at a distance.
You can get 2 pairs of glasses, each for a different issue, but switching between them can be a pain. A more ideal solution would be the all-in-one kind, aka progressive lenses.
This type of lens provides clear and corrected vision for reading, distance, and everything in between, with a smooth transition between all fields of vision. However, it might take a long time getting used to because it requires looking through different parts of the lens for each field of vision.
Here are some tricks and tips to make your adjustment period as smooth as possible.
Tip #1: Wear Your New Glasses, Not the Old Ones
It might feel weird at first to wear progressives. Still, you should stick to them for all your glasses-needy occasions until you get the hang of it. The more you wear them, the easier the transition will be.
Tip #2: Focusing Tricks
A neat way to get the hang of it. Start by looking and focusing on an object at a distance (across the room, for example), and slowly lower your eyes to the midsection of the lenses, focusing on something else. Then, take a book and start reading it using the bottom part of the lens.
Tip #3: Move Your Head, Not Just Your Eyes
When getting accustomed to your new glasses, try moving your head and not just your eyes. Do it up and down and then side-to-side as you look through different fields of vision.
Tip #4: How to Walk up the Stairs with Progressive
It's quite common to feel like your eyes are playing tricks on you when walking up a flight of stairs for the first time with progressive lenses. As mentioned above, move your head and not just your eyes to look down, which will enable you to keep everything in focus.
During your first week of wearing new glasses with progressive lenses, use them while driving only if you're already comfortable.
For first-timers with multifocals and progressive lenses, there might be some super subtle side effects such as very slight dizziness. It's completely normal and will pass quickly. And now that you know what's in store for first-time wearers of progressive lenses, it's time to get yourself a pair of multifocals. Vision Express offers 1000s of styles to pair up with high-quality progressive lenses for any prescription at affordable prices. Check out the collection. There's probably a sale on multifocals you can take advantage of right now.