Seeing is believing: how to find cheap glasses online

With around 77% of women and 68% of men wearing prescription glasses or contact lenses in the UK (Statista, 2020), finding a way to get cheap specs is a priority for many of us during a cost of living crisis.

While they’re an essential purchase for a huge number of us, buying a new pair of glasses doesn’t have to cost you a fortune. And it doesn’t mean you can’t have the latest styles either.

In this guide, we’ll explain the benefits of ordering glasses online and give you plenty of tips and tricks to reduce the cost of your next pair. We’ll cover all the different types of prescription lenses and coatings to help you work out which areas you can save money in.

We’ll also give you a rundown of the 10 cheapest online glasses retailers we found, taking into consideration the cost of frames, lenses and delivery, as well as other factors like customer reviews.

Is it cheaper to buy glasses online?

As a general rule, yes, it’s cheaper to buy glasses online than in store. This is because online-only retailers have fewer overhead costs. They don’t have to pay for the rent and upkeep of any brick-and-mortar stores, for example.

Buying glasses online can also be easier than visiting a physical branch because you can do everything from the comfort of your home. Even better, if you choose a company offering free home try-ons, you can be sure your chosen frames are right for you before you purchase them.

How to buy glasses online at affordable prices

Let’s face it, buying glasses can be an expensive game, particularly if you need a strong or complex prescription.

There’s been a boom in the number of online retailers offering cheap specs in recent years. You’ll find every frame shape you can imagine, including square, cat eye, round and rimless frames.

With so many stylish but affordable styles to choose from, opting for cheaper glasses doesn’t have to mean you hate what you see when you look in the mirror.

There are lots of tricks you can use to find cheap glasses online without compromising on quality. But the first thing to do, before you even look at frames, is to make sure your prescription is up to date.

Save money on your prescription

You should make sure you have an up-to-date prescription before buying a new pair of glasses.

If you’ve had an eye test within the last two years, your current prescription might still be valid. However, if you’ve noticed any changes to your eyesight, you’ll need to book an eye test to check your prescription hasn’t changed.

If it’s been longer than two years since your last trip to the optician, your vision might have changed. Don’t waste money on lenses that have the wrong prescription; get your eyes checked before you buy.

Find out if you can get an NHS-funded eye test

The NHS pay for eye tests for many groups of people in the UK. It’s worth checking to see if you fall into one of the eligible groups, as you may be entitled to a free NHS-funded eye test. Eligible groups include:

• Children under 16
• 16–18 year-olds in full-time education
• Adults over 60
• Adults over 40 who have an immediate family member diagnosed with glaucoma
• Anyone diagnosed with glaucoma or diabetes
• Anyone who has been advised by an eye doctor (ophthalmologist) that they’re at risk of glaucoma
• Anyone registered as blind or partially sighted
• Prisoners and people on leave from prison
• Anyone eligible for an NHS complex lens voucher (you may be eligible for this if your lenses have a strength of either -10/+10 or more, or if you require prism-controlled bifocal lenses)

You may also be entitled to an NHS-funded eye test if you or your partner (or your guardian, if you’re under 20) receive certain types of income support. You can find out more about who is eligible on the NHS website.

See if your employer will fund your eye test

Many employers in the UK are happy to fund eye tests either themselves or through an employee benefits scheme. You may be limited as to where you can go for your eye test and you’ll probably only be entitled to one free eye test every two years.

Some companies offer employees free or discounted glasses from certain retailers too. It’s definitely worth asking your boss to see if there are any benefits like this that you’re entitled to.

Check if your optician offers free eye tests

Some opticians offer returning customers free eye tests every year or two years if they’re part of a monthly scheme (such as a contact lens subscription). You might also be offered a free eye test as part of a promotion, whether that’s via a letter through your door or an email.

Others may offer free eye tests for new customers, as an incentive to switch opticians. This will vary between opticians but it’s worth doing some research to see if anywhere offers this. You may need to pay a visit to your nearest branch if you can’t find your answer online.

Get a free eye test with your contact lens plan

If you have a contact lens subscription through your optician, they’ll probably offer free eye tests and eye health check-ups every year or two years. It’s in your optician’s interest to supply you with contact lenses that are the correct prescription, as incorrect prescriptions can cause eye strain.

As a result, many opticians have consistent check-ups as a requirement for all contact lens customers, so this is a great way to get regular eye tests for free.

Understanding different lens options

Once you’ve got your up-to-date prescription and you’re ready to buy your new glasses, you’ll need to make sure you’re clued up on the different types of lenses and lens coatings. 

The lens type you need will be dictated by your eyesight requirements. There isn’t really scope for flexibility when it comes to whether you need single-vision, bifocal or varifocal glasses. If you cut corners here, your new glasses might not give you the visual correction you need. Your optician will advise you on your lens options based on your prescription.

Have a read of the different types of prescription lenses so you’re clear on what each lens does.

Understanding different lens coating options and other extras

There are lots of different types of coating that can be applied to your lenses to help protect both your eye health and the lenses themselves. Some of these coatings are recommended but not all of them are necessary.

If you can avoid paying extra for coatings you don’t need, such as blue light blocking and anti-fog filters, this will save you money. Have a read of the coating types and other extras below and consider which of these are absolutely essential.

Quick tips for saving money on your glasses

Buying cheap glasses online can be easy if you keep in mind the following things.

 Skip the add-ons you don’t need

As you’ll have seen from the diagrams above, there are lots of different coatings, filters and treatments that can be added to your lenses to improve your viewing experience.

At the very least, you should consider getting UV protection and scratch-resistance coatings because these will help protect both your glasses lenses and your eye health. You might want to consider extra coatings, such as adding a blue light filter, but these aren’t essential for most people trying to keep costs down.

 Check if you qualify for NHS optical vouchers

As well as getting a free NHS-funded eye test if you fit within the criteria, you may also be entitled to optical vouchers to go towards the cost of a pair of glasses.

There are 10 different optical voucher values, ranging from £41.70 to £229.70. The amount you’ll be entitled to will depend on the strength of the lenses you require. These optical vouchers can be used on contact lenses too. Visit the NHS website to see if you’re eligible.

 Be aware of your rights when buying online

If your glasses are damaged or defective when they arrive, you’ll be entitled to a refund or replacement, as per your statutory consumer rights. But what happens if you just change your mind?

The simple answer is it depends on the company. Each online glasses retailer will have its own returns and exchanges policy, so you should always read up on this before making a purchase.

Some companies allow you to return glasses on a no-quibble basis, meaning you’ll be entitled to a refund or exchange even if they aren’t damaged, such as if you decide the glasses frames you’ve bought don’t suit your face shape. Whether you have to pay the return shipping fee yourself will also vary between different online retailers.

Some companies might not allow any returns or exchanges for items that aren’t damaged, whereas others happily refund frames but not prescription lenses.

There are things you can do to limit the chances of needing to return a pair of prescription glasses. Some companies offer home trials so you can physically try on the frames and see how they look on your face before you commit to buying your own pair. Places without this option might have an online equivalent, such as a virtual mirror function on their website.

 Know your dimensions

In order for your glasses to fit properly, you’ll need to know some face measurements, including your face width, nose bridge width and pupillary distance.

Your pupillary distance, or PD, is the distance in millimetres between the centre of both of your pupils. It’s important to have an accurate measurement so your glasses sit comfortably on your face and your lenses are in the right position for your eyes.

Some opticians will measure PD and include it in your prescription, but this isn’t very common.

You can measure your PD by looking in a mirror and using a ruler, or by getting someone else to measure it for you. If you’re struggling, you can measure your PD online with Specsavers’ virtual tool and step-by-step guide.

 Always look for voucher codes, discounts and cashback

It’s always worth doing a quick Google search to see if there are any discounts offered by your chosen eyewear retailer. Some companies offer student discounts through sites like UNiDAYS and Student Beans and some offer Blue Light discounts, so you can save money if you qualify for any of those schemes.

At TopCashback, we offer our members the chance to earn money back when they shop with selected retailers via our site, including SmartBuyGlasses and Glasses Direct. We’re always adding to our list of eye care brands, so keep an eye out for further special deals on high street and designer glasses, prescription sunglasses and contact lenses.

Our top 10 places to buy cheap glasses online

To find the best value online prescription glasses to suit your needs, you’ll need to compare a few different providers. It’s important to weigh up all the different factors, including the cost of the frames and lenses themselves, as well as delivery costs and return policies.

Luckily for you, we’re here to help you make sense of what’s on offer. We’ve compared the cheapest glasses options offered by a wide range of websites and identified our top 10 companies with the lowest overall prices. We’ve ordered these companies by the affordability of the cheapest pair of frames they offer, with the cheapest lenses available.

Because we’re looking for the cheapest online glasses for each brand, we haven’t factored in the price of any designer frames. And as we’re after the cheapest lenses too, we didn’t look at bifocal or varifocal lenses, only single-vision prescription lenses.

However, we can’t assume the overall cheapest company will give you the best value for money. Because of this, we’ve also taken a range of other factors into consideration, from customer reviews to home trial options. In case you were wondering, all of the companies in our top 10 have a Trustpilot rating of at least 4.2 out of 5.

Make sure you read each brand’s summary section to weigh up their pros and cons and don’t just go for the cheapest price you see. All prices below are correct at the time of writing (January 2024).

* Total price when factoring in anti-scratch lens coating: £14.85

Goggles4U offer the cheapest overall price we found for glasses with no frills, although there were only two styles available at this price. Their lenses are free but come with no anti-scratch or anti-glare coating.

You’ll have to add £3.95 to the total price if you want to add this (and we recommend you do as your lenses will be vulnerable to damage otherwise). So, if you’re looking for the most basic glasses, Goggles4U have your cheapest option, but the quality and choice of styles will be very limited.

* Total price when factoring in anti-scratch lens coating: £19.99

SmartBuyGlasses are another great option for cheap specs. Like Goggles4U, their free lenses don’t come with anti-scratch or anti-reflect coating; it will cost you £9 to add this to your order.

However, they do offer a 10% discount for students and also have a large number of styles available to choose from at their lowest price point.

3. Selectspecs

Selectspecs have a few limited frame colours and styles of glasses available at the low price of £6. Lenses start from £8, which includes anti-scratch coating.

They also offer a selection of next-day express glasses. We saw frames available for next-day delivery starting from £9 per pair, but the cost of the delivery is £19.95. Not ideal if you’re shopping on a budget, although this can be handy if you’re in need of a pair of prescription glasses in a hurry.

* Total price when factoring in anti-scratch lens coating: £19.92 (women) / £22.92 (men)

Spex4Less also don’t offer free anti-scratch or anti-reflection coating but you can add it to your glasses for £5.

However, Spex4Less only offer one style at this price point, so you won’t have any choice when it comes to frames. On the plus side, Spex4Less have the best Trustpilot rating of all the sites we looked at (4.9 with 26,930 reviews).

5. Direct Sight

Direct Sight have a decent number of men’s and women’s styles to choose from at their lowest price point, with their standard £9.50 lenses including free anti-scratch coating. They also offer 15% off when you order two or more pairs of prescription glasses or lenses.

Their next-day express service means you can have your glasses delivered in almost no time at all. This can be a convenient way to get your glasses more quickly, but you’ll need to order before 12pm and it’ll also cost you £19, which is quite steep. 

6. Firmoo

Firmoo are a great online glasses retailer to consider if you’re looking for trendy specs at a reasonable price. Their single-vision lenses are free and these come with anti-scratch coating too.

While they rank in sixth place when it comes to the total price of a pair of glasses, including lenses and delivery, they have a wide range of men’s and women’s glasses to choose from at their lowest price point. This means you’re more likely to find a pair of frames to suit you for a great price.

7. Low Cost Glasses

As Low Cost Glasses include an anti-scratch coating on their £15.95 single-vision lenses.

However, if you’re unhappy with your order, Low Cost Glasses will only refund the cost of the frames. They’ll give you a refund for the lenses in the form of store credit, which means you’ll lose money if you choose not to buy another pair from them.

8. Glasses2You

The cheapest frames we saw at Glasses2You were £19.99, but we only saw three styles at this price. Their lenses start from £5, which includes anti-scratch coating.

Glasses2You have a fantastic Trustpilot rating (4.8 with 11,625 reviews). So, while you’ll pay a slightly higher price than you would at some other eyewear brands, you can expect friendly and reliable support from their customer service team.

Glasses Direct offer free home trials where you can try out up to four frames, so the likelihood of you having to return your glasses is reduced. This will save you time, effort and money spent on postage. Their standard lenses start from £14 and come with anti-scratch coating included.

Glasses Direct also run a charity initiative called Buy One, Give One, where they donate $1 to Vision For Life for every order they receive. You can save money while doing good… what’s not to like?

10. Perfect Glasses

Perfect Glasses have a limited number of frames available at their lowest price of £29. While this is pricier than some of the companies mentioned above, this does include the cost of your single-vision lenses and anti-scratch coating.

Some of their frames have a 72-hour dispatch guarantee, which comes at no extra cost to the customer. They also offer no-quibble returns within 90 days.

Looking ahead…

Hopefully, you now feel confident that you can find the right prescription glasses online at a price that works for you.

Whether you need single-vision corrective lenses, varifocals or just a simple pair of reading glasses, there’s no reason why you should have to pay an extortionate price.

Understanding your prescription and being clued up on what you actually need from your glasses will make it much easier for you to find the perfect pair at a reasonable cost. And don’t forget all the different types of lenses as well as your coating options, which range from essential (such as UV protection) to completely optional (like blue light block lenses).

There are often a few areas where you can cut back your spending without having to settle for frames that don’t suit you or lenses that aren’t the highest quality. Why not have a look at a few of the brands covered in this guide and see if you can find your next bargain pair of glasses today?