Buying glasses online: a 12-point checklist

Before you browse

1. A prescription that is current and complete

Dated within the last one to two years, both eyes, cylinder always paired with an axis, ADD present if you want reading or progressive lenses. If anything has changed in your vision since the test, get a new one first; lenses are rarely returnable once cut. Our guide to reading a prescription explains each box.

2. Your pupillary distance

Measured twice at home, or read from your current glasses by an optician. Have the single figure and, if you can, the dual values; progressive orders need the dual values. Guide 2 shows three ways to measure it.

3. The numbers from a pair you already own

Inside one temple arm of most glasses you will find three numbers, for example 52-18-140: lens width, bridge width and temple length in millimetres. If your current pair fits well, look for frames within 2 mm on lens width and 1 to 2 mm on bridge. A frame that fits badly fails even with perfect lenses.

Choosing the frame

4. Fit, not just shape

Look at the total width (lens width twice, plus bridge, plus the rims), which should match the width of your face at the temples. Check the bridge style: adjustable nose pads suit lower or narrower bridges, keyhole or saddle bridges suit higher ones. Listed weights help too; anything over about 30 g in a full-rim acetate will be felt by the end of the day.

5. Material for the climate

Titanium, stainless steel and quality acetate hold their shape in Gulf heat; cheap acetates lose their adjustment in a hot car. TR90 and similar nylon frames are light and resilient for sport and children, and silicone nose pads grip better than hard plastic when you sweat.

Choosing the lenses

6. Lens type

Single vision for distance or for reading, progressive if you need both and want one pair, occupational or office lenses if most of your day is between 40 cm and 2 m. Each needs a different set of prescription values; make sure the form asks for the ones you have.

7. Index chosen for your strongest power

Up to ±2.00, standard or 1.56; ±2.00 to ±4.00, 1.60; ±4.00 to ±6.00, 1.67; stronger, 1.74 in a small frame. Rimless frames need Trivex, polycarbonate or 1.60 and above. Guide 3 covers index, materials and coatings in detail.

8. Coatings that are actually included

Hard coat, anti-reflective and UV400 are the three to insist on; a hydrophobic top coat is worth having. Read the package description for the words, not the tier name. A lens package with no anti-reflective coating on a 1.67 lens is a false economy.

Checking the seller

9. Authenticity

For branded frames, buy from an authorised retailer or the brand’s own store. Look for the model code on the product page matching the code printed inside the temple, the brand’s own case and cleaning cloth, and a price in line with the brand’s other stockists.

10. Warranty and after-sales

Frames should carry a manufacturer’s or retailer’s warranty, commonly one year, covering defects rather than accidents. Ask whether the seller will adjust the fit after delivery; a retailer with a physical shop can do it in minutes, while a pure online seller usually cannot. Lifetime adjustments are a meaningful promise when a shop makes it.

11. Return and exchange terms

Read them before paying. Plain frames are usually returnable within a set period; prescription lenses are made to order and are often excluded unless the seller made an error. Check who pays return shipping and whether a remake for a prescription typed wrongly by you is charged.

Trying it on

12. Try-on options

Virtual try-on answers the shape question in a minute from a phone camera. Home try-on answers the fit question properly. Several UAE retailers now send a shortlist of frames to your door; Optic One’s home try-on service, for example, delivers up to five frames anywhere in the UAE against a refundable deposit, gives you two days to decide, and charges nothing if you buy with prescription lenses. If a seller offers neither option and the frame is expensive, order the frame first and add lenses once it fits.

Also: the invoice you will need

When the parcel arrives

• Check the numbers inside the temple against your order, and tilt the lenses under a lamp: an anti-reflective coating shows a faint green or blue reflection.
• Wear them for an hour. Mild adaptation is normal; dizziness, double vision or one eye clearly sharper is not, and an optician can verify the powers on a focimeter in a minute.
• Confirm the fit: no pinching at the nose, no pressure behind the ears, frames level. Minor adjustments are normal and any optical shop can do them.

The checklist in one place