Global Eyeglasses Review — Eyeglasses Comparison (2012)

Global Eyeglasses is a web-based, direct retailer of prescription and non-prescription eyeglasses.  This review will detail the products and services offered by the company, and provide information to prospective customers who may be considering a purchase from their website.  When you visit the official website (they also provide a Blog Site), you will be presented with an appealing array of products and services: 

• 100% precision and quality guarantee
• Lenses by industry leaders such as Essilor, Rodenstock, and Zeiss;

• Low prices - Save up to and even over 70% of Retail Price;

• Easy, Step-by-step ordering process;

• Return Policy on most products;

• Fast shipping; usually within one week;

• Over 6500 frames to select from;

• And, Designer Frames are available.

The primary advantage of buying from Global Eyeglasses is the very low prices they offer, especially on single vision glasses, starting at $6.95.  Some examples of other advantages are:

• bifocals at $20.95 and up

• progressives for $35.95 and up; plus

• limited-time-only Buy One / Get One Free

• secure payment by PayPal, as well as Visa, American Express, MasterCard, or Discover

I was also impressed with the Virtual Mirror, and thought this to be an innovative and fairly user-friendly tool.  And, finally, the testimonials do vouch for there being satisfied customers who have purchased from Global Eyeglasses.  Most of these stated the fast shipping time and their satisfaction with the look of the glasses.  Here are just a few comments:

Very convenient, quick service and delivery. Have recommended your site and services to several friends. I will be back! -- P. Knudson, Ontario Canada

Excellent delivery time. Glasses are very good and comfortable to wear. --  D. Bunyan, Reading, Berkshire

I received my new glasses. The prescription is perfect and they look great. Thank you again for your prompt and efficient service. My friends can't believe it was so easy. -- R. E. McGuire, MA, USA

There is certainly competition in the on-line market for eyeglasses.  One such company is Clearly Contacts.   This company offers a few more benefits, but frames begin at a slightly higher cost than Global Eyeglasses.  What I liked about Cleary Contacts was

• a terrifc guide for frame size and lens index selection, showing minimum requirements
• all lens coatings are included with every pair (scratch-reistant, anti-glare, and UV)
• free shipping on orders over $129
• FREE RETURN SHIPPING
• a better guide for measuring PD (although I still strongly recommend this be done by a professional)

I went through the whole ordering process online (except the actual purchase), and the total cost (including S&H and all coatings) was $327.00 . . . which is about half of what I would pay at a retail shop for the same thing.

Another leading competitor is EyeBuyDirect.com, who claim to be the "The #1 Online Eyeglasses Shop." This company does appear to get you into a pair of glasses for less money than any other on-line site I visited.  The selection for single vision frames is compareable to that of Global Eyeglasses, but for my prescription and eye size, in a progressive lens, there was exactly one frame to choose from - that's it - one.  The cost for these would have been $162. 59 (includes Free S & H for orders of $99 or more.)

As an aside, I found it rather interesting that the return policies for both Global Eyeglasses and EyeBuyDirect are identical. . . word for word, paragraph by paragraph. . . identical.  Check it out:

http://www.eyebuydirect.com/eyeglasses-refund-policy.php

http://www.globaleyeglasses.com/shippingreturn.php

Who Needs This Product?

Approximately three out of four adults in America need some form of vision correction, whether it be for reading, driving, or because of astigmatism (or other vision problem); and it is estimated that 64% of adults in America wear eyeglasses (as opposed to contact lenses).  That's a lot of eyeglasses! Clearly, this need creates a massive potential market for sales, and plenty of room for a company to find a niche.  The newest niche marketing of eyeglasses is discounted internet sales. 

Global Eyeglasses has discovered this need.  After visiting their site, I believe their product would be appealing to:

• people with lower income or limited disposable income,

• students,

• people with young families,

• families where more than one person needs glasses.

• anyone who prefers to shop online 

At first glance, this company offers a very legitamate, affordable product to people who want to save  a considerable amount of money on eyeglasses.  After more research of their websites, products, and services, however, I believe it potentially could be a risky purchase for certain customers.  First, I must confess that because I do have training and experience in eye health, conditions and diseases, and I strongly believe that a person's vision is paramount to their daily functioning and happiness, I may appear to have some bias in this area.  However, I am not currently employed in any sales of eyeglasses or vision correction; my employment in the industry is strictly in a clinical setting.  But, I do have experience and training in fitting and dispensing eyeglasses, and in the proper selection of frames and lenses.  Therefore, my assertions that a purchase from Global Eyeglasses could be risky is based on this knowledge.  These are my detailed findings. . .

My Experience Visiting GlobalEyeglasses.com

I approached the website as if I was a customer wanting to purchase a pair of glasses (I wear both glasses and contacts).  When the home page of Global Eyeglasses was brought up, I was impressed with the layout, ease of navigation, and the big orange button that says "Risk Free Purchase".  So I clicked on it, hoping to read about the return policy, etc., (because this is what is really important to me if I don't like my glasses or if they aren't up to snuff). . . but it was not a link.  I scrolled down to find more info, and found this blurb:

"We follow customer-centric practices, 24/7 customer service, multiple payment options, and 90 days return/exchange or money back guarantee. We Guarantee Satisfaction!" - and -  "90 days money back guarantee – if you get any quality issue, you can return/exchange your eyeglasses within 90 days."  I wanted to know more.  I finally found a link to the policy, and here it is:

Refund Terms and Conditions:  "In case you are not completely satisfied with your eyeglasses you may return them to us and avail of either a One-Time replacement OR a refund (shipping costs NOT included)."

  This policy is only valid if and when:

• Returns are made within 15 business days of receiving the frames.

• Customer contacts Customer Service WITHIN 10 business days of receiving their eyeglasses.

• There is a $10 restocking fee on progressive, bifocal and trifocal orders

• Designer Frames (branded), Sunglasses, Sport frames, and Accessories are not included in the return and refund policy

• Quality problems (broken temple, etc.) must be received within 30 days for full refund.

• Quality problems received between 30 and 90 days will be issued full refund on frame, and 50% refund on the lenses.

Okay.  So, in the world of eyeglasses, most retail companies offer a minimum 1 year gaurantee against manufacturer defect and breakage (not due to misuse.)  By comparison,  this policy isn't exacly great; but, it is available - just don't be tardy!  I was, however, disappointed to see that the designer brands were not included in the policy.  So if you want the brand name, be prepared to own it - regardless.

Step 2 in my shopping endeavor was to actually select a frame and lenses. 

This was the fun part, and the website is actually very well organized and helpful.  The tools they offered made the selection fairly quick:

• by price

• by gender, and by child or adult,

• by frame size (pull down menu in wide range)

• by lens

• by material

• and a separate button if you want Designer Label frames

My favorite tool was the Virtual Mirror; this allows a customer to easily download a photo of themselves to"try on" a frame so they can see what it would look like, or to alternately open up the web cam to take a snapshot of yourself. For best results, the photo should be a frontal view.  The virtual mirror does have a zoom tool to help size both the frame and photo to fit each other.

Selecting the appropriate lenses (single vision, progressive, bifocal, computer, and trifocal) was simple; but by choosing a progressive lens, my choice of frames was narrowed considerably. . . which is a good thing, actually.  When dealing with progressives, the lens needs to be deeper to fit all the different focal lengths into it; by selecting a progressive lens, the inappropriate frames are automatically elliminated.  What I found lacking was the information regarding two important considerations:

• the lens material (do you know the difference between a 1.5 index lens and a 1.74 index lens?);

• and the measurement for segment height (a.k.a. seg height - the demarcation between distance and near focal lengths).  Their calulation for seg height is a pre-set, standard percentage of 60% for distance, and 40% for near. 

Many people lack the knowledge regarding these important considerations, and, although there are some recommendations for choosing the appropriate lens, the importance isn't emphasized; you have to search for it, and you really should have some previous understanding in order to make a proper decision.

When it came time to enter my prescription, there were options available to enter it yourself, enter it online, fax it, or upload a previous record.  These are all great options, and more than I actually expected.  However, the very frighteneing thing that was suggested was, if the PD (pupillary distance) was unknown, you could choose to go with the standard PD of 63 mm, or measure it yourself.  Standard? This is not a Spandex moo-moo!  Each person has a PD, and it is what it is.  It is certainly not one-size-fits-all.  Mine is 59.  If I measured it inacurately or went with the "standard" 63mm, my vision would be very distorted.  (A prism effect is induced when the optical center of the lens is out of allignment with the person's pupil center, causing unwanted abberation and distortion.)

Thankfully, I knew what my eye size, bridge width, temple length, PD and seg height should be.  Now, how many people reading this just understood those terms and their importance?  Please understand I am not trying to boast or infer you should know this.  My point is , the importance of these measurements cannot be taken lightly if you are to have glasses that give you the best vision, and which don't lead to frustration, eye strain and headaches.  This is my main concern with ordering glasses in this manner:  Why is there even the option given to have measurements estimated or taken by someone other than a professional?  Your vision could be compromised!

Overall, I was somewhat disappointed in the frame selection - they seemed a little dated.  I did locate a few frames that I liked, but were not the correct size for my PD and for progressive lenses; my options were actually very limited.  In the end, I found only one frame that I liked and which also fit all the parameters for my specific needs, and the total cost was $337.85 (with anti-glare and UV coatings added, plus $9.99 S & H).