Specs

This one goes out to all my glasses wearing friends. I’ve been wearing glasses all day, every day since I was in first grade and couldn’t read the chalkboard from my desk. They are a huge part of my identity; so much so that my phone doesn’t recognize me without them. :)

Taking a page out of Elton John’s book, I decided that it was time to up my eyewear game and try some different styles for my frames. I am only sans glasses when I sleep; I wanted different options without dropping a ton of money. Every time I’ve gotten new frames and lenses from a local source, I’ve dropped $150-$300 out of pocket. Even options like Warby Parker (a store I love) averages $100-$200 per pair. That made having multiple pairs prohibitive, especially when my prescription changes a little every year or two. I tried two retailers known for affordable eyewear. I thought I’d stop in and share some thoughts.

Note: this is not an ad, paid endorsement and there aren’t any affiliate links in this post. Just the facts.

Zenni Optical

Website: zennioptical.com

These live on my desk, under my monitor. I only purchased one pair from Zenni because, even though they’re affordable compared to your local doc’s office, they were pricier than other options. I bought the Browline Glasses 195425 Tortoiseshell. The frame was only $15.95, but I spent an additional ~$75 on lens upgrades (added blue light blocking, coatings, etc). These are my work/computer glasses, so I wanted to do the most to protect my eyes from strain and fatigue. I didn’t mind paying more since they had a specific function. In total I spent $99 on these with tax and shipping.

I’ve used these daily for about four months now and they’re great. The frames are holding up great and I do notice a notice in eye fatigue after switching to lenses more focused for screen work. I’m not exhausted at the end of the day. I’d recommend these for sure.

EyeBuyDirect

Website: eyebuydirect.com

Guys, this is where I get excited. A friend recommended EBD and I am a stan. On my first order with them, I got 5 pairs of glasses (with prescription lenses) for $88.18 with tax and shipping. That’s about $17 a pair, which is insanity.

I’ve been living with the EBD glasses for four months as well, and they’ve held up perfectly. I am more careful with them because I didn’t add any coatings or protection to the lens (I couldn’t justify spending $20 per pair on glasses that cost $17). I also mainly ordered plastic frames because they hide the thickness of my lenses better than thin metal frames would (you can upgrade to thinner poly lenses; I chose not to). All of the pairs I ordered from EBD are sturdy, holding up great and look like I spent $100 or more at another retailer. All have gotten compliments.

Warning: a lot of douchey selfies ahead, where I’m making awkward faces because that’s how I roll, y’all.

The frame below is Chilling in Tortoise and this is the set you see me in most often.

And here we have Peninsula in Red Floral (there’s a subtle flower pattern on them that looks similar to tortoise until you get closer).

I don’t have any recent pictures of the following pairs, but these are the rest of my frames from EyeBuyDirect.

The pair below is Central in light brown.

Bright Side in Clear White is hanging out below. Word of caution: these skew pink when on your face because they pick up on your skin tone. This doesn’t bother me at all, but wanted to add that disclaimer.

And then we have Juno in Matte Green.

Summary

I would recommend Zenni and EyeBuyDirect without any hesitation (and I have a bunch). Both offer affordable, well-made eyewear on a budget. If you’re an every day glasses wearer like me, you’ll love having options to choose from without breaking the bank.

It was a crazy trip looking back at pics of the past few months trying to find pictures of the frames in use. They arrived right about the time I started seeing results from the lifestyle changes I’ve made. The left picture was taken in August and the right one was taken in October.