Eyeglasses Stores Buying Guide

In a Consumer Reports’ fall 2025 survey, the eyeglass and contact lens stores that topped our ratings received high marks for overall satisfaction. Results were based on 58,435 members who, collectively, reported on eyeglass purchases at 43 retailers.

We asked respondents to tell us about a variety of attributes, including product quality, price, selection, fitting, customer service and follow-up service, and more. Out of all the attributes we asked about, product quality was the biggest predictor of a respondent’s overall satisfaction with a retailer. That makes sense; after all, your glasses need to do their job of correcting your vision, holding up to daily use, and fitting, feeling, and looking good on your face.

Still, there are plenty of trade-offs to make. For example, online retailers that got high marks for the price of their glasses also tended to get poorer scores for their service, especially follow-up service. And in many cases, retailers that got high marks for service, fitting, and follow-up, including independent retailers and private doctors, also tended to cost more.

And some of the retailers with the highest Overall Scores may not be widely accessible. Our top scorer was Costco Optical, which is only open to Costco members, and our third highest scorer was Vista Optical, which mainly operates on military bases. (Our second-highest scorer, however, was a more accessible option: Payne Glasses, an independent online retailer.)

The takeaway is that when you’re figuring out where to get eyewear, the option that works best for you is the one that meets your individual needs the best. Our ratings highlight exactly what survey respondents reported each vendor provided—or didn’t. Here are some considerations that may come into play when you’re looking for an eyewear store.
 

Whether they’re buying online or at a walk-in store, many CR members told us that cost is one of their chief considerations when choosing an eyewear retailer. The median price respondents paid after insurance for a pair of glasses was $213, but there’s a lot of variance when it comes to eyeglasses. The cheapest stores in our ratings sold glasses for a median of $101, while the priciest had a median of more than $300. And a small percentage of respondents reported they paid as much as $1,000 or more for a pair of frames.

One cost-saving possibility: Look online. People who found their glasses there paid a median of $125 after insurance, while those buying in-store paid $220.

If it’s important to you to get help and information from your eyewear retailer and you don’t mind paying more for a new pair of glasses, it may be worth it to buy from an independent local optical shop or a private doctor’s office, where you’re more likely to get exceptional personal attention. Some chains also score well on service and follow-up.

For both online and in-person shoppers, convenience was a top reason for choosing a glasses retailer. With brick-and-mortar retailers, convenience comes in the form of being able to purchase your glasses at the same place that you get your eye exam. And of course, you can shop online right from your own home, visiting multiple online storefronts and sifting through a wide variety of frames.

Online retailers are hard to beat when it comes to price. But a key advantage of buying glasses at a brick-and-mortar store (whether an independent store, a doctor’s office, a chain store, or a big-box retailer) is that you can try on frames and see how they look and fit on your face. An eye doctor or optician can also advise you on frames that may work better for your prescription. For example, if you’d like progressive or other multifocal lenses, a narrow frame might not accommodate your prescription. Rimless, semi-rimless, or delicate frames may be problematic if you have a strong prescription that requires thicker lenses.

Experts generally recommend that if you have more complicated vision needs—for example, you have astigmatism, your vision needs a greater degree of correction, or you need bifocals or progressive lenses—you may want to consider shopping in person. That enables the optician to take precise measurements that ensure your lenses are made properly. Progressive lenses in particular require measurements that can only be taken while your chosen frames are on your face. 

Still, it’s worth knowing that in CR’s survey, plenty of members reported that they did buy progressive lenses online. Our survey didn’t find any major differences in satisfaction between progressive lens users who shopped online and those who shopped in person. Online retailers generally use frame shapes and lens measurements designed to fit most consumers, so most shoppers (though not all) are likely to get a good fit.

If you look for frames at your doctor’s office and don’t find anything that you like or think is reasonably priced, try some walk-in stores. Many brands and frames are available from multiple retailers, so write down the brand, model number, and size of the frames you’d consider buying. You’ll find that information marked on the frame’s temples (the pieces that connect the glasses to your ears).

Once you have a few top picks, search the web using those brands and model numbers. There’s a good chance you’ll find the frames you like at a much lower cost. If you plan to buy your lenses online as well as the frames, check the site’s lens prices, too.

If your eye examination is at Costco or Target and you spot a frame you like there, you might not need to look any further for lower prices. A Warby Parker store may be another one-stop option, especially if you only need single-vision lenses, because those are included in the prices of their frames.

Your pupillary distance (the distance between the center of each of your pupils) is an important measurement for getting glasses that fit correctly. If you’re buying glasses online, make sure to ask your provider to measure your PD (unless you already know it). Online vendors will need that information to create your glasses properly. There are some online tools for this, but a professional can do the job more accurately. Once you have it measured professionally once, you don’t need to do it again, since this measurement doesn’t change in adulthood.

Once you’re shopping online, don’t rely on virtual “try on” features to check whether a pair will fit; these are mainly for evaluating style. If you have a pair of glasses you love that fits you well, try finding a pair that has measurements similar to that pair. You can usually find these in a series of three numbers on the inside of the temple, which correspond to the lens width, nose bridge width, and temple length.

After you get your new glasses, alert the retailer immediately to any problems you notice with the frames or lenses. Some retailers will let you exchange frames that you find you don’t like for little or no cost, even if you ordered prescription lenses. If you find defects or just don’t like your glasses, be aware that warranties and store policies vary, so there may be time limits involved.

If you find a great deal, consider buying a second pair of glasses. That way, if your primary pair is lost or broken, you won’t have to run to an expensive shop to have a replacement made right away.