Explore your options to keep costs in focus when buying new glasses

Schultz said the options at his eye doctor’s office fell short, so he asked for a printed copy of his prescription and brought it to Warby Parker.

“I don’t really like the whole process of it because it’s hard to find something that you like,” Schultz said.

Elizabeth Firestone, another customer at the Warby Parker, said the retailer’s app allowed her to virtually try on pairs. In the store, she said, staff helped her make adjustments.

McCormick said she isn’t willing to purchase glasses online because she wants to see how they look first. Susswein, though, has bought glasses both at the doctor’s office and online, she said. She said the retailer options — alongside wholesalers like Costco ― offer affordable prices, and people have used websites more for the prescription purchases since the pandemic.

To find a pair that looks good, McCormick said consumers should find a shop with workers willing to be transparent.

“Go to a place that has helpful staff that is honest,” McCormick said, “that will tell you, ‘They do not look good on you’ or ‘They do.’”