Chris & I are both nerdy glasses people. We like to have a range of glasses to wear. 
Glasses are getting a lot easier to buy online, so I can collect a few pairs without feeling ridiculous for having spent $200+ on eyewear. Maybe one of these days my assortment of glasses will catch up to my assortment of shoes ( I do have a lot of shoes, though). GlassesUSA.com approached me with a gift card & asked if I would be interested in testing out their product/services. I like that they gave me a gift card, because it made the order process more genuine. I was impressed, so I’d like to break down my experience for you. 
• O R D E R I N G •
It was tough to choose a pair of eyeglasses. I was able to find plenty of frames (lenses included!) that I liked in the $40-$70 range. I appreciated that the glasses available were completely different that what I found last year when shopping for glasses at Target optical. Since I have some practical glasses already, I thought I’d take a chance & order some slightly off-kilter lenses. I was nervous, but their virtual mirror helped me make the decision. I ordered a pair of wayfarer lenses that they sadly don’t offer any more. This is the closest style. Chris ordered a pair of sunglasses with a grey gradient on them. I sort of wish I had spent the extra $20 to make my own pair into prescription sunglasses, but eh. Maybe next time. Ordering the glasses was very straight forward, and they often have a variety of discounts available on the home page. Some include free shipping while others are a percentage discount. Only one coupon can be used at a time, so choose wisely! 
• S H I P P I N G •
Considering that most optical places take 7-10 days to order in new lenses, GlassesUSA was pretty quick. We waited 7 days, plus one day due to the DHL shipment that couldn’t be left on the doorstep. It was great to have prescription glasses in hand so quickly, but they were not clean or adjusted for my face. They had a lot of dust on them (to be expected for coming through the mail) and the hinges were SOOOOO wide on my face. I was worried that they wouldn’t fit my face properly. It took me a few days to get into an optical center to have them adjusted.
• Q U A L I T Y •
My glasses($50 frames) were cheaper than Chris’s($80 frames) and I can see a small difference in the quality of the plastic. Compared with my RayBan’s the plastic on my pair feels a bit cheaper, too. Despite these differences you can only tell when comparing them up close. The functionality & style is on par with our name-brand glasses. 
• O V E R A L L •
We’re incredibly happy about our new specs. They’re fun, unique, and cost about 1/2 of what we spent last year. Here are some pros and cons of ordering from GlassesUSA. Pros:
- They’re fast
- They have a wide range of glasses & are getting new styles every day
- They’re affordable
- They’d be perfect to use for ordering for children who may have a tendency to lose or break their glasses
- They have a virtual mirror that allow you to get a preview of what they’d look like on
- They also include measurement information just in case you’re not sure of the sizing
- They have an excellent return policy
Cons:
- While they may be fast, you may need to go into an optical center to get them adjusted
- You must be home in order to receive your order. If you’re out & about a lot you may want to write a note to DHL to deliver to a neighbor or leave on your doorstep
- You can only use one discount code at a time
- Despite the virtual mirror, there’s still a chance the glasses will look funny on your face, since you can’t try them on in person
The Pros in this case severely outweigh the cons (especially with their no-questions-asked return policy!). I would definitely use GlassesUSA for my future glasses purchases and will recommend the site to friends & family. The only thing, I’m not sure I would recommend first-time glasses buyers to buy glasses online. I think you need to go to an optical shop for that – because it was a lot easier to use the virtual mirror & find glasses I liked because I’ve purchased glasses before. But I’d say to buy glasses online after that!! Again, we’re really happy with how GlassesUSA worked for us. If you have any questions about their services, glasses or policies, feel free to email or leave your question in the comments below! *P.S. Right now you can get 20% off their already affordable glasses + free US shipping with the discount code: NEW2012.
