Discover How Shopping for Prescription Eyewear from GlassesUSA Can Save You Money

If you’re looking for eyeglass or sunglass frames for men, women, or children from a well-known, premium designer brand (like Ray-Ban, Oakley, Versace, Tom Ford, Burberry, Coach, Ralph Lauren, Nike, or Emporio Armani), but don’t want to pay anywhere near full price for the frames, I’ve discovered that GlassesUSA is a great place to shop online.

As a life-long prescription eyeglass wearer, I have shopped for eyewear from my local ophthalmologist, chain eyeglass retailers (like Lenscrafters), and from numerous online sellers. I’ve discovered that if you want to pay top-dollar for your prescription eyewear, your ophthalmologist or optometrist’s office, or a retail eyeglass store is where you should shop. But if you’d like to save money on prescription eyewear, you definitely want to shop for eyewear online.

There are so many online-based prescription eyewear companies to choose from. I’m a huge fan of Warby Parker’s selection, quality and customer service. However, this company only offers its own line of frames with customized lenses made at its own labs. Zenni Optical is known for its ultra-low cost frames and prescription lenses (starting at $6.95 for a complete pair with basic single vision lenses), but spending at least $150 to $200 is necessary to get a quality pair of prescription glasses that doesn’t fall into the you-get-what-you-pay-for category.

As you’re about to discover, at GlassesUSA, not only can you find designer eyeglass frames that perfectly fit your face, style, and personality, but adding fully customized prescription lenses is a very fast and easy process — especially when you take the free GlassesUSA Perfect Match AI quiz, and then take advantage of the website’s virtual try-on feature.

Over the years, I’ve shopped at GlassesUSA numerous times, and have always had a wonderful experience. I love that orders are backed by a 45-day, no-questions-asked, money-back guarantee. If you don’t like the glasses you order, the prescription isn’t correct, or for whatever reason the glasses don’t meet your expectations, a full refund is offered. 

Keep reading to learn all about what GlassesUSA offers, and why this is a great option when it comes to shopping for prescription eyeglasses or sunglasses (and they offer brand name contact lenses, too). Or, if you want to learn more about Warby Parker or Zenni Optical, check out my reviews of these companies and their eyewear offerings.

---

Labor Day 2025 Deals

Between August 21st and September 1st, GlassesUSA is offering a handful of extra discounts.

• Get 30 percent off and free shipping on Ray-Ban, Oakley, and Costa Del Mar eyeglass frames when you use code LABOR30 at checkout.

• Save 20 percent on Ray-Ban, Oakley, or Costa Del Mar sunglasses, and get free shipping if you use code SUN20 at checkout.

• On other eyeglasses with basic Rx lenses, save 40% and get free shipping when you use code LABOR40 at checkout.
  

---

Who Should Shop for Prescription Eyewear from GlassesUSA?

Anyone who wears prescription eyewear can benefit from shopping online at GlassesUSA in a number of ways. First, the frame selection is much larger than what you’d find at your local eye doctor’s office, or a retail eyeglass store (like Lenscrafters). Second, GlassesUSA offers many custom lens options and lens coatings. And third, virtually all brand name designer frames are heavily discounted, plus there are discounts offered on prescription lenses.

Because GlassesUSA offers eyewear for men, women, and children, as well as sports glasses and safety glasses, anyone shopping for prescription eyewear (who already has a valid eyeglass prescription) can find exactly what they want and need.

The GlassesUSA website makes finding frames that look great and fit perfectly a fast and easy process, and then offers countless ways to customize a lens package to meet specific vision needs and preferences. This includes choosing between single vision, bifocal, reader, or progressive lenses, and then adding only the lens coatings and add-ons you want or need.

What GlassesUSA Offers

GlassesUSA offers thousands of designer eyeglass (and sunglass) frames to choose from, and then allows you to fully customize your prescription lenses by choosing the lens material, lens features, and lens coatings that best meet your needs, budget and lifestyle. Not only do you get a vast selection, prices are often deeply discounted. 

You can pay out-of-pocket for your glasses, use your vision insurance, or pay using your HSA/FSA spending account. What I’ve discovered is that GlassesUSA offers lots of options and plenty of ways to save money while still being able to perfectly meet the vision needs of yourself and your family members. In addition to the selection and pricing, what I like best about GlassesUSA is the company’s discounted pricing.

Ordering Prescription Glasses From GlassesUSA Is so Easy

One of my favorite things about shopping for eyewear from GlassesUSA is that the website walks you through the process of first choosing your frames, and then selecting the lens package that works best for your vision needs and budget.

I quickly discovered by going through this online shopping process several times that the prices displayed are typically not what you pay. GlassesUSA offers all sorts of discounts on frames, lenses, and complete sets of eyeglasses (frames and lenses). That said, whatever you choose starts out very competitively priced, but where things start adding up quickly is when you upgrade the prescription lens material, add special lens features, and choose extra lens coatings.

it’s important to understand exactly what your needs are, and then pick and choose the options based on your wants and budget. If you opt for designer frames with progressive lenses, upgrade the lens material, add transitions so the clear lenses automatically darken when exposed to sunlight, and then choose one or more lens coatings, your final price can wind up being equivalent to what you’d pay from traditional retail stores or other online prescription eyewear companies.

However, even if you do opt for a bunch of upgrades and extras, there are still ways to save money. What you need to know is outlined shortly.

Step-by-Step Guide to Ordering Prescription Eyewear Online from Glasses USA

The prescription eyewear shopping process begins by finding a pair of frames you love and that nicely fit your face. To kick off this process, click on the Eyeglasses option near the top-left corner of the browser window. Narrow down your search using filters based on brand, your gender, frame shape, frame size, frame features, frame color, frame material, or price.

When you find frames that look appealing, click on the listing to see more details about them. From the screen shown above, you can often choose a frame size and color option, plus see details about the frame’s measurements, customer reviews, lenses and coating options, and more. 

To see how the frames look on your face, click on the Live Try-On button. Alternatively, click on the Choose Lenses option to begin the eyewear customization and ordering process. 

The virtual try-on feature relies on the camera (webcam) built into your computer or mobile device. With the camera turned on, the GlassesUSA website digitally superimposes a virtual version of the selected eyeglass frames on your face using augmented reality. 

The next step involves choosing the lens type you want to order for the selected frames. In most cases, your options include Single Vision, Readers, Progressive, Bifocal, or Non-prescription. Keep in mind, basic single vision or reader lenses are free with the purchase of the selected frame. Other options require an additional fee.

Based on the selected lens type, additional options may be offered. For example, if you choose progressive lenses (shown above), you can choose between Standard or Office lenses.

Standard progressive lenses provide a clear view for all fields of vision, while Office progressives focus more on the near and immediate distance. Office progressives cannot be used for driving or clearly seeing anything that’s far away.

GlassesUSA provides several ways to share your eyeglass prescription information. To order prescription eyewear from GlassesUSA or any company, you need a valid prescription that was issued by an eye doctor, ophthalmologist, or optometrist within the past 12 months. 

Options for sharing your prescription with GlassesUSA (as shown above) include using a prescription that’s already been submitted to GlassesUSA, filling out the prescription details on the website, uploading an image of your printed prescription (the option I recommend), or sending the prescription later (but before your order can be processed).

Since manually entering your prescription information requires typing relevant numbers in the correct fields, I don’t recommend this option. If you accidentally type just one number incorrectly, or enter something into the wrong field, the glasses you are ordering won’t be made correctly and will not work properly. To ensure accuracy, choose the upload image of your printed prescription option.

Value lenses for single vision prescriptions are included with your eyeglass frame order. These are 1.5 index lenses with a UV and anti-reflection coating. No matter what type of lenses you need (single vision, bifocals, progressives, etc.), GlassesUSA offers the option to upgrade the lenses with one of three options.

This decision impacts the lens material used, as well as the lens thickness and which coatings are included. Notice that each lens upgrade has a price associated with it. This price gets added to the total for the eyewear being ordered.

In the past, I have always ordered the Super (1.67 index super thin) lenses and have been very pleased with their quality and optical clarity. There is a $68 upgrade fee for these lenses, however. 

GlassesUSA is all about giving you plenty of customization options when ordering prescription eyewear. From the menu shown above, choose between clear lenses, blue light lenses (which reduce eye strain when working in front of a computer monitor, mobile device screen, or TV), Transitions (or photochromic) lenses, or sunglass lenses.

Transition lenses are a specific brand of lenses that automatically darken when exposed to sunlight and then lighten when worn indoors or at night. Photochromic lenses serve the same purpose, but rely on GlassesUSA’s own brand of lenses. This option starts at $69.50, but goes up based on which lens option you then select. When you have Transitions/photochromic lenses, there’s no need for separate prescription sunglasses.

Transitions, as a brand, offers several versions of its popular lenses. Learn about the differences here. As you can see from the menu above, you can also choose what color the lenses turn when they darken. The above menu only appears if you select the Transitions/photochromic lens option.

Before placing your prescription eyewear order, you have the option of adding a super hydrophobic coating and blue light lens coating to your lenses. I recommend the super hydrophobic coating because it greatly reduces fingerprint and dirt smudges on the lenses, plus causes water to bead up and slide off the lenses. Both provide clearer vision and reduce the frequency cleaning is necessary. 

Meanwhile, if you spend a lot of time in front of a computer, digital device, or television screen, a blue light filter blocks some of the potentially harmful blue light. Over time, this reduces eye strain caused by staring at a screen. From the menu above, choose either or both options, but be sure to pay attention to their respective add-on fees.

The final decision relates to purchasing an optional enhanced coverage plan for your new glasses. Choose a one year ($12) or two year ($22) duration.

With this coverage, GlassesUSA will repair or replace your glasses (and lenses) as a result of accidental damage or wear and tear. The company will also remake your glasses for free if your prescription changes during the coverage period. Unfortunately, this coverage does not include replacement of lost or stolen glasses.

After reviewing your order from the Review Your Selection screen (shown above), click on the Add to Cart or Buy Now button. If you notice an error, click on the Back option. After providing your payment details, shipping address, and billing address, your glasses will be made to your specifications and shipped to you within three to six business days. 

How long your glasses will take to arrive at your door once they’re shipping depends on which shipping option you choose at checkout. Standard shipping (7 to 10 days) is free. Expedited shipping (5 to 7 days) costs $9.95, while Express shipping (3 to 5 days) costs an additional $12.95.

Ways to Save Additional Money Shopping Online at GlassesUSA

GlassesUSA is all about sales, online coupons, and promotions. As a result, you will almost never have to pay full price for your prescription eyewear. At the very top of the GlassesUSA home page, at least one current promotion or active promo code (for use at checkout) is listed.

Be sure to read the fine print associated with these offers carefully. Some discounts apply only to the purchase price of the frames themselves, others apply to lenses, and some discounts relate to a complete pair of glasses (frame and lenses). Beyond the promo codes listed on the company’s own website, consider doing an online search to find more. Within the Search field of your favorite search engine (Google, Yahoo!, etc.), enter “GlassesUSA promo code” or “GlassesUSA coupon code.”

Another way to save some cash when shopping at GlassesUSA is to click on the red Sale option located near the top-center of the browser window. Special discounts are also offered to students, first responders, nurses, medical providers, teachers, military members, hospital workers, senior citizens, and government employees. This discount includes an additional $20 off alongside any other promotions.

Before starting your online shopping for glasses from GlassesUSA, visit the website’s Coupon page for a listing of all current promotions.

My Final Thoughts: Are Prescription Glasses from GlassesUSA Worth It?

I’m a fan of GlassesUSA because the company offers a vast selection of frames, plenty of lens customization options, a generous return policy, and many opportunities to save money. In general, the company offers high-quality frames and lenses, but this becomes more obvious when you upgrade to better quality lenses.

I found the company is all about providing lots of options and up-sells when shopping for glasses. In fact, you may discover too many options and opportunities to upgrade your purchase. These add-on fees can definitely add up, so only choose what you actually need, especially if you’re shopping on a budget. 

Overall, GlassesUSA offers a convenient way to shop for quality prescription eyewear, especially if you’re seeking brand name designer frames in conjunction with highly customized lenses. The company’s pricing is competitive, but it’s easy to keep adding lens upgrades, each of which increases the total price of your glasses.