Glasses Fitting Guide Part 2: Physical Store or Online Shopping?

In some eyeglass stores, salespeople may refer to sub-brands of Essilor as “Essilor lenses” (same with Zeiss), but I find this inaccurate. The market positioning of these lenses is different, and so is their quality (otherwise, who would buy high-end products?), so please be sure to carefully discern. This article is the second in the “Glasses Fitting Guide” series. If you haven’t read the first part, please click here.

Friendly reminder: When “Essilor” is mentioned in my series of articles, it refers only to the brand “Essilor”, and does not include other sub-brands under the “Essilor Group”. Similarly, “Zeiss” in my articles refers solely to the brand “Zeiss”, and does not include other sub-brands under the “Zeiss company”.

Introduction

If the first article was about what optical fitting is, then this article will primarily discuss how to go about it. I must emphasize again that this article is based on my many years of experience in optical fitting, some of which may be from years ago, so they might not be entirely accurate. Please bear with me.

The article mainly refers to my eyeglass fitting experience in the last one or two years, integrates various views on the Internet, and finally draws some conclusions. I will also give suggestions at the end of each part.

Optometry

As emphasized in the initial article, optometry forms the bedrock of the entire process of fitting glasses. I’ll begin by sharing my personal experiences before offering some advice.

Optometry procedures must be carried out in person, considering they involve a medical process. It’s imperative to take charge of your own health.

My focus will be on the experiences of the last three optometry tests I underwent. These three tests were conducted on the same day, making them viable for comparison and validation. Upon cross-checking, the prescriptions from these three tests were remarkably similar. Minor variances, particularly in the axis positions, are perfectly commonplace.

1.1 Eye Hospital

I first went to an eye hospital (a public one) for an eye examination. Since I have high myopia, I also conducted some tests for my eyes. If you only need an eye examination, there’s no need to spend more money.

Let’s talk about the most important part – the optometrist. The one who conducted my examination was a young woman. I noticed some certification reference books and medical textbooks by her side, and from my judgment, these books should be undergraduate or graduate textbooks. I assume the optometrist probably graduated not long ago (she might even be an intern). So, from the perspective of the optometrist’s experience mentioned in the first article, her experience is obviously not rich enough.

The overall eye examination experience was fairly good. The optometrist first measured the degree of the glasses I was currently using (which could be considered basic medical history taking), and then proceeded to conduct the eye examination based on this degree. The equipment used next was a comprehensive eye examination device that most major hospitals have. I won’t go into detail about the eye examination process, as I believe any formal hospital with a dedicated optometrist will follow a standard procedure.

The duration of my eye examination at the eye hospital was about 15 minutes. The final data given included seven parameters: the degree of myopia and astigmatism in each eye, the axis, and the reference pupillary distance (not separated for each eye). I would like to mention the reference pupillary distance specifically here. After careful questioning, the optometrist did not measure my pupillary distance multiple times with a pupillometer but still used the pupillary distance from the computer eye examination device.

Regarding the completeness of the eye examination data, I am not quite satisfied with the eye hospital. As for the accuracy of the data, I basically agree (mainly because the pupillary distance was not measured multiple times separately).

1.2 Optician Store

After a complete eye examination at the eye hospital, I went to this store. Since I had a rapid pupil dilation done at the ophthalmology hospital for the examination, it was necessary to repeatedly confirm some parameters during the optometry, which ultimately led to a slightly longer overall time for the examination. Based on my personal experience, the main side effect of rapid dilation is photophobia (light sensitivity), which does not have a significant impact on the results of the optometry test.

This optical shop is quite large and has a set optometry procedure. The optometrist this time was also a young lady. But based on my inquiry, she had been in this profession for many years, at least not a recent graduate. She told me that the highest degree she had ever examined was for an old man who had almost 3000 degrees. Even with glasses, he couldn’t see the largest E clearly and only had a light sensation. (I sincerely hope none of you will ever be like this, it’s painful.)

I spent a total of 2 hours for optometry in the optical shop, the reasons for the long time are as follows:

1. I am highly myopic, and the parameters needed to be repeatedly confirmed during optometry;
2. The photophobia caused by rapid pupil dilation led me to rest after a while.
3. There were only a few customers in the shop in the afternoon (after all, it was a workday), and the optometrist was willing to patiently test and wait for me. (So choosing a suitable time is also important, the service during the busy time will definitely not be as good as the downtime.)

Overall, I was satisfied with the optometry experience. During the whole process, the optometrist won’t actively recommend any glasses products to you, which is usually not achievable in ordinary optical shops. The optometry data given was very complete.

1.3 Jin’s Optical Shop

There weren’t many people in the shop at the time, and a regular clerk probably couldn’t handle the optometry for my high myopia, so she let the store manager perform my optometry. After talking with this store manager, I can confirm that she has been in this profession of optometry and glasses fitting for a while, but I can’t judge her actual skill level.

The overall optometry process was relatively short, it ended in about 10 minutes. In the end, the clerk didn’t give a detailed sheet, just wrote it on paper and specifically marked it “only for Jin’s glasses”.

One thing to note is that optometry at Jin’s is FREE. I am satisfied with the completeness of Jin’s data, and the accuracy of the data is also acceptable.

1.4 Optometry Recommendations and Summary

If you read the first article carefully, you will find that what I value most is the experience of the optometrist. From the above experiences, the experience of the optometrist indeed is a very meaningful reference.

So where can we find such a reliable optometrist? Let me first state my viewpoint: Optometry is a medical act and theoretically should not be free.

Why? Optometry requires instruments and optometrists, all of which cost money. Optical shops are basically “I’ll give you free optometry if you fit glasses here”. Actually, the cost of optometry is also included in the money for glasses fitting.

Optometry is the most important thing for glasses fitting. Accurate optometry data requires the following points, all of which are indispensable:

• A complete set of scientific optometry instruments;
• An experienced optometrist;
• A responsible optometrist.

So how to ensure that you can get accurate optometry data? Based on the above three points, I provide three suggestions:

1. Find a regular eye hospital or a large optical shop (preferably a chain store);
2.  Find a reputable shop with good word-of-mouth in your city. You can screen it through online channels first, then visit in person to get a sense. You can also have a conversation with the optometrist;
3. If you want to get more accurate optometry data, you can go to several different shops, and get multiple sets of optometry data, so you can compare them. If there is one irresponsible optometrist, you’ll be able to spot the issue quickly.

Glasses Fitting

Fitting glasses are significantly more complex compared to optometry. From a non-professional standpoint, I can only offer some advice here, most of which is related to product prices. The actual operation of fitting glasses will depend on your interpretation of this article.

2.1 Lenses and Frames

Glasses fitting essentially involves two parts: lenses and frames. I will give a brief introduction to their current situation here.

2.1.1 Lenses

I discussed the basic categories of lenses in the first article, so here I’ll mainly talk about pricing.

The overall price in the lens industry is relatively high (I will explain this later), so the prices you see in the stores are quite high. If your prescription is high, the cost doubles directly, and if you want a “digital lens”, it doubles yet again.

Here are some basic facts you need to understand:

• Low refractive index lenses (1.56, 1.60) are the most widely used. These are produced in large quantities by manufacturers and have lower costs, which means larger discounts might be possible through certain channels. During some promotions, the price of some genuine products may even drop to the store’s cost price.
• High refractive index lenses (1.67, 1.74) are less commonly used (especially 1.74). These are produced in smaller quantities, and their costs are relatively higher (but not as much as the retail price, which doubles directly). The discounts available through various channels are relatively smaller, making it hard to buy at low costs.

2.1.2 Frames

Personally, I don’t know much about frames because there are so many brands! After reading the first article, you may have a deeper understanding of what I said: “Let me emphasize that you don’t need to worry too much about whether the frame brand is an international or domestic brand. Currently, most of the frames worldwide are made in China, differing mainly in their places of production and contract manufacturers.”

2.2 In-store Fitting or Online Shopping?

Most people opt for in-store fitting, and if your prescription isn’t too high, I also recommend going to a physical store.

Here are some characteristics that I believe an ideal place for glasses fitting should have (in order of priority):

1. Sufficient qualifications (necessary credentials);
2. Authorization from the brand (preferably official authorization from major brands, e.g., Zeiss or Essilor for lenses, Charmant or Silhouette for frames);
3. Convenient after-sales service;
4. A long store history or a large company scale;
5. A good reputation.

In the following sections, I will provide my opinions based on the above five points. If you want to reference this article, I hope these points can inspire you as well.

2.2.1 In-Store Fitting

In this section, I will focus on some knowledge about in-store glasses fitting and provide some opinions about pricing.

You need to find a physical store that you can trust! But how to find such a store? I will provide a simple approach here:

1. Visit the Essilor official website, click this link;
2. Enter your location on the web page, then you should see a few eyewear stores;
3. Check which stores offer online purchasing or which ones have their own official websites;
4. Ask around about the reputation of these stores (you can also search online);
5. Choose a store you think is trustworthy;
6. Set off and get your glasses fitted!

Once you arrive at the physical store, the next steps are optometry, choosing lenses, and choosing frames. If you have finished reading the first article and this one, you should already have an accurate optometry reading and have picked out the lenses you want. All that’s left is to pay.

2.2.2 Online Shopping

With the gradual development of the physical economy and the digital economy, getting glasses online after in-person optometry has become a choice for many myopic patients (after all, many prices online are truly tempting). Below are some reasons why some people don’t support online glasses fitting:

1. Whether the online store really has qualifications (many people do not consider this);
2. Whether the online store is authorized by certain big brands (many online stores get their goods from some agents);
3. Whether the online store will give you genuine goods (sometimes they substitute a 1.60 lens for a 1.67 low-degree lens, and even professionals may not be able to distinguish);
4. If after-sales service is needed, the maintenance cost of online shopping is higher (you need to send a courier, and if there are problems during the courier process, it becomes more troublesome);
5. Online shopping cannot adjust and maintain in person, and the cost of communication is higher;
6. Everything online is virtual, and you don’t know what kind of person is on the other end!

However, please note that the above points may also occur in physical stores.

If you select a physical store according to my recommendations, and also carefully read my series of articles and put them into practice, I believe you can get a pair of glasses with high-cost performance. But I cannot make any guarantees for online shopping, after all, the internet is virtual, and glasses are not like other goods. Each pair of glasses is a unique customized product.

2.2.3 Online Shopping Suggestions for Regular Myopic Population

Of course, not every place has good physical stores, so I will also provide some suggestions for those who have no choice but to shop online:

1. Always go to the official online stores and self-operated stores;
2. You must find a reliable place to get your eyes tested (see the first part of this article);
3. Compare prices through various channels by yourself. If possible, the low prices that appear during major promotions such as Black Friday are basically the lowest.

2.3 Points to Note When Fitting Glasses

The two parts above have already explained the differences between physical stores and online shopping and also provided my own opinions. So, let me talk about the points to note when fitting glasses:

• Myopia patients must check their vision regularly. If conditions permit, be sure to go to a regular ophthalmic hospital for regular eye examinations (especially for those with high myopia);
• You must get accurate optometry. If a store can’t do optometry properly, there’s a high probability that they can’t do glasses fitting well either;
• When fitting glasses, be sure to have confidence and don’t be fooled by salespeople;
• Pay attention that the width of the frame and the pupil distance cannot be too different. Ideally, the center of the frame should match your pupil distance, so that the center of the lens is right in the middle of the frame. You can judge whether it is accurate through trial wearing (if you really like a certain frame, you can of course disregard this);
• Pupil distance is also a very important parameter for fitting glasses, be sure to measure it multiple times;
• Glasses need to be cared for in daily use, if discomfort occurs, they must be adjusted.

Of course, the most important thing when choosing a frame is your aesthetic preference. If you really like a certain frame, you can ignore these. After all, as long as it’s a regular manufacturer, the parameters of the glasses frame are suitable for most people.

Conclusion

The purpose of this series of articles is to remind everyone not to forget that the purpose of fitting glasses is for the health of our eyes. We need to pay attention to the glasses fitting process and have a clear understanding of it, rather than treating glasses fitting as an ordinary commodity transaction. I hope that through these two articles I wrote, you can have a basic understanding of the eyewear industry, learn how to select glasses, and how to buy glasses.