Founded by eye doctors, FramesDirect.com was the first and remains the only place to buy glasses online that is staffed by certified opticians. Our expert opticians can answer any questions you may have about prescription glasses, from inquiries about prescription lenses and coatings to questions about spectacles frames and choosing the correct size.

The Best Quality Designer Eyeglasses: Setting the Standard

The FramesDirect.com quality standard begins when we select only the best eyeglasses to feature on our site. Our demanding frame evaluation process has several steps. We will only consider eyeglasses that are well designed and that will please the customer with respect to both comfort and style.

In addition, all of our eyeglass products follow best practice manufacturing standards. We want to make sure that the eyeglasses we sell are well made and are durable enough to meet our one-year manufacturer's warranty.

FramesDirect.com only sells the absolute best, optical-quality eyeglass lenses available on the market today. We keep up with advances in eyeglass lens technology and always strive to offer our customers the best. For this reason, we use only the highest-caliber lens materials and hand pick all of the popular lens coatings, such as anti-glare and UV coatings, to ensure they are the best quality.

When you order glasses online from FramesDirect.com, one of our expert opticians will personally evaluate and review your eyeglass prescription before sending your order to the lab for processing. If we notice a potential problem with your order -- such as an incorrectly entered prescription or a frame on back order -- our certified opticians will personally call you to answer any questions and confirm the details of your eyeglass prescription.

Buying some great prescription glasses online is probably easier than you think. If you have any questions about your eyeglass prescription or need help choosing your eyeglass frames, please do not hesitate contact us at any time at 1-800-248-9427 to have a certified optician help you with your eyeglass order.

FramesDirect.com has some of the highest standards in the eyewear industry. We back up our quality-first philosophy by:

• Inspecting your frames for defects before sending them to our lab
• Making sure the eyeglass frames that come from the manufacturer match the eyeglass frames you ordered
• Double-checking your eyeglass prescription again at the lab site
• Confirming that your eyeglass lenses are correct at each step of the creation process
• Reviewing your frames one more time once the eyeglass lenses are added to check for cleanliness, proper lens fit, and scratches

All of the online glasses we carry come with a 12-month manufacturer warranty. What does this mean to you, the eyeglass wearer? If an eyeglass nasal pad prong breaks or an eyeglass lens coating peels, FramesDirect.com will repair or replace your eyeglass frames or lenses for free under the warranty.

Shopping for Prescription Glasses Frames

Today, shopping for eyeglasses online is easier than ever at FramesDirect.com. The first step is to determine your spectacles frame size, which has three components: eye size, bridge size, and temple size. Our Frame Size Guide offers several ways to figure out your frame size, including using your current pair of glasses or sending us a picture of your face to have your size measured for you. Poor fit is the number one reason that people return online glasses orders, so be sure you know what size you need before you start adding items to your cart.

Once you know your eye glasses size, you can start to consider style. The FramesDirect.com filters on the left-hand side of the eyeglasses page let you filter frames by styles, such as classic, cool/trendy, hipster, nerdy, retro/vintage, sporty, or unique. If you need further help narrowing down your glasses choices, we suggest reviewing our Face Shape Guide to determine which style of frames will work best with your face. To help you make your final decision, you can try on eyeglasses virtually by uploading a photo of your face to the FramesDirect.com Virtual Try-On tool.

After you've selected the frames you want, sending us your prescription information is quick and easy. If you don't feel comfortable entering your glasses prescription information yourself, you can simply send us a fax, scan, or picture (yes, camera phone pictures are fine) of your eyeglasses prescription. From there, our trained customer service representatives – who are also certified opticians – will enter your prescription information for you.

Glasses Prescriptions & Lens Materials

Different eyes call for different eyeglass prescriptions, and for either single-vision lenses or multi-focal lenses, which includes bi-focals, tri-focals, and progressive eyeglass lenses.

The lens material can also vary in eyeglasses. Plastic lenses are the most common and the least expensive. These eyeglass lenses can be used by people who need eyeglasses with light prescriptions, which range from no correction to +/-1.75.

Polycarbonate is a type of impact-resistant lens material. It is suggested for children, athletes, and people who engage in very active sports, such as skiing or snowboarding. This is the best choice for eyeglass prescriptions up to +/- 4.00.

Finally, High Index 1.67 is the thinnest and lightest of all the eyeglass lens materials. High index lenses are for people with stronger eyeglass prescriptions, and people who want thinner lenses for both style and comfort.

Eyeglass Lens Technology Advances

Recently, there have been many advances in eyeglass and lens technology that allow spectacles wearers to have both better sight and better-looking eyeglasses. Photochromatic lenses let you move seamlessly between indoor and outdoor use with the same pair of eyeglasses. New anti-reflective lens coatings are available that offer polarization against glare and also shield your eyes from UV rays. Progressive lenses offer seamless transitions to prescription eyeglass wearers from near to far vision.

A Need for Prescription Glasses

When you think about eyeglasses, what comes to mind? Librarians? Einstein? Benjamin Franklin? This amazing invention, eyeglasses, has helped so many to achieve a better, safer, more productive life, but its birth was a long and rocky one.

Before eyeglasses were invented, imagine the frustration of being nearsighted or farsighted. As anyone who wakes up to a blurry world and gratefully puts his or her eyeglasses on knows, there is nothing more frightening than not being able to see. Squinting your way through the day, unable to drive or read, not recognizing a friend waving in the distance -- a typical life before eyeglasses. Let's take a moment to discover how this important invention came about.

Modern Eyeglass Frames Choices

At FramesDirect.com, you can find a wide variety of eyeglass styles, including cat-eye frames, aviators, wayfarers, as well as semi-rimless and rimless frames. The glasses come in traditional colors such as black, brown, and tortoise shell, but also modern colors like turquoise and cerulean and canary yellow. You can also choose from single- or double-bridge eyeglasses.

Even the frame material for eyeglasses is modern at FramesDirect.com. Aside from the traditional metal/titanium and plastic/acetate frame materials, plastic, eco-friendly glasses frame materials are now available, including plastics made from sustainable sources, like oil from castor beans. Natural castor bean oil is used in place of crude oil, so eco-friendly eyeglass frames are made with renewable resources and not fossil fuels. But don’t worry; the eco-friendly plastic frames are as good-looking, long-lasting, and strong as regular plastic.

Easy to Order Prescription Eyeglasses

FramesDirect.com carries the biggest and best selection of the designer eyewear available online. It's easy to order prescription eye glasses from FramesDirect.com. You can search through hundreds of the top eyeglass styles online to find the perfect eyewear for your face and your personality.

If you're not 100% satisfied with your eyeglasses, FramesDirect.com offers a 30-day exchange and return policy from the day you receive your order. Additionally, our price-match guarantee will ease your mind that you are getting the best eyeglasses at the best price.

We are an authorized dealer for all of our premium brands, which means we only carry authentic eyeglasses brands and styles. Furthermore, as the leading prescription lens experts, we offer a 100% prescription lens accuracy guarantee. Finally, FramesDirect.com offers free domestic shipping on all prescription glasses orders.

Still have questions about ordering prescription glasses online?

• What size eyeglasses do I need?
• What are the best glasses for my face shape?
• Which frame material would work best for me?
• What type of prescription lenses do I need?
• Which add-ons should I choose for my lenses?
• How do I enter my prescription information online?
• Can you accommodate my special eyeglasses request?

Don't hesitate to call 1-800-248-9427 to have one of the FramesDirect.com certified opticians help you with placing your eyeglass order.