I was skeptical about buying glasses online. How could I possibly choose frames without trying them on? What if they didn't fit? What if they looked terrible? But after spending hours in optical shops and feeling overwhelmed by limited selections and high prices, I decided to give online shopping a try. That decision led to both successes and failures, and I learned valuable lessons about buying eyeglasses for oval face shapes online.
Let me share my complete experience—the good, the bad, and the lessons learned—so you can avoid my mistakes and make smart decisions when shopping for glasses online.
My local optical shops had limited frame selections, especially in styles I liked. The prices were also significantly higher than what I saw online—often 2-3 times more expensive for similar frames. I'd spent hours visiting different shops, trying on dozens of frames, and never finding exactly what I wanted.
Online retailers offered thousands of frame options at much lower prices. Many sites had virtual try-on features, detailed measurements, and generous return policies. The convenience of shopping from home was also appealing—I could browse at my own pace without feeling pressured by sales staff.
The tipping point came when I found frames online that I loved for $80, while similar frames at my local shop cost $250. Even with the risk of them not fitting perfectly, the price difference was too significant to ignore.
For my first online glasses purchase, I chose a well-known retailer with good reviews and a solid return policy. I spent hours researching frame measurements, reading reviews, and using their virtual try-on tool. I selected rectangular frames in tortoiseshell that seemed perfect for my oval face based on the measurements.
When the glasses arrived two weeks later, I was nervous. The moment I opened the box and tried them on, I felt relieved—they actually looked good! The shape was flattering, the color worked with my skin tone, and the quality seemed decent for the price.
However, the fit wasn't perfect. The frames were slightly wider than ideal, extending just a bit beyond my temples. The nose pads needed adjustment, and the temples felt loose. These weren't deal-breakers, but they highlighted the main challenge of buying glasses online: you can't try them on before purchasing.
I took the glasses to a local optician for adjustment, which cost $20. After the adjustment, they fit much better and became one of my regular pairs. Overall, my first online purchase was successful, but it taught me that online glasses often require professional adjustment to fit perfectly.
The key to successful online glasses shopping is understanding frame measurements. This was the most important lesson I learned, and it made all my subsequent purchases more successful.
Every pair of glasses has three measurements printed inside the temple: lens width, bridge width, and temple length. For example, "52-18-140" means 52mm lens width, 18mm bridge width, and 140mm temple length.
I measured my best-fitting glasses and discovered my ideal measurements: 50-52mm lens width, 16-18mm bridge width, and 140-145mm temple length. Having these numbers made online shopping much easier—I could immediately eliminate frames that wouldn't fit.
I also learned to calculate total frame width by adding: (lens width × 2) + bridge width. For my face, frames with a total width of 130-140mm work best. This calculation helped me avoid frames that were too wide or too narrow.