How I Found Great Glasses Online for Just $33

Shopping around for new eyeglasses helped me save hundreds of dollars. Here's how different stores stacked up.

Catherine Roberts, Consumer Reports Senior Health & Food Reporter.

By Catherine Roberts
Senior Health & Food Reporter

September 7, 2023

Eye glasses with a dollar sign and a check mark. — After reviewing several options, I decided on these coral frames.

Last fall I updated my glasses prescription for the first time in several years, and I bought a translucent lilac pair of glasses that I love. But lately, I’ve been feeling like it’s time for a newer, more adventurous pair of specs. Plus, I didn’t have a backup pair with my new prescription.

Here’s what I had in mind when I started out my search:

Bright, bold frames—possibly in a fire-engine red.
Single-vision lenses.
Standard polycarbonate or lower-end high-index lenses. I generally tried to go with the minimum lens index each retailer recommended for my prescription, which is on the high side. (Learn more about lens materials and coatings.)
Anti-reflective (AR), UV-protective, and scratch-resistant (SR) coatings.
Frame sizing similar to my current pair, to increase my chances of a good fit. Because I know the measurements of my current frames, I was planning to check the dimensions of any frames I found online and rule out ones that weren’t within a millimeter or two of my current size.

Shopping Around

Finding fire-engine red glasses was harder than I expected, even online. The ones I liked best were a pair of Tory Burch cat-eye-shaped frames I found on GlassesUSA.com. But the total price ($193) was still a bit higher than I wanted to pay for glasses I was buying online.

I loved a two-toned pair of frames I found at Target, and I even visited a Target Optical store in person to try them on to make sure they’d be a good fit. But although the frames themselves were a fairly reasonable $140, the minimum lens index offered via Target’s online store would have cost me an additional $290. So I had to let those go, too.

I priced an inexpensive pair of purple frames that looked a lot like the ones I found at my local shop on Eyebuydirect.com, though I wasn’t sure that the color of purple would be exactly what I wanted once I saw them in person.

I was also intrigued by a pair of bubblegum pink glasses in a funky shape I found on Costco’s website. But because I’m not a member of Costco, I would have to pay $60 extra to buy a membership.

Finally, I found big, bold, square-shaped red frames from Zenni for just $33 in total. I initially thought I’d get the frames in the red color, but they were also available in a translucent coral that I couldn’t resist. I decided that $33 was the perfect price to pay for a backup pair of glasses in a slightly ridiculous color, so I went with the Zennis. They fit great when they arrived, and I have received a lot of compliments on them so far.

The best part? I ended up paying less than a tenth of the price of the glasses I was originally interested in. For more on how CR members rated different online and in-person glasses retailers, see our ratings.

Target Optical, $430

With these $140 Ralph Lauren frames, the only 1.67 index lenses offered for my Rx cost $290. AR, SR, and UV coatings were included.

GlassesUSA, $193

For the Tory Burch frames, the price was $105. UV protection, SR, and AR came with the $88 Platinum package 1.61 index lenses.

Costco Optical, $180

These Lillian frames were $60, and 1.6 index lenses with UV, SR, and AR cost $60. I’m not a Costco member, so I’d also spend $60 to join.

Eyebuydirect, $72

These grape-colored frames cost $39. I also priced 1.6 index lenses, $28, and UV protection, $5. SR and AR treatments were included.

ZENNI optical, $33

These coral frames cost just $7. The 1.61 index lenses added $21 to my tab, and AR was $5. UV and SR were included.

Editor’s Note: A version of this article also appeared in the October 2023 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.

Catherine Roberts

Catherine Roberts is a health and science journalist at Consumer Reports. She has been at CR since 2016, covering infectious diseases, bugs and bug sprays, consumer medical devices like hearing aids and blood pressure monitors, health privacy, and more. As a civilian, her passions include bike rides, horror films and fiction, and research rabbit holes. Follow her on X: @catharob.