Quick Guide to Buying Quality Reading Glasses

If you're contemplating buying reading glasses and want to get in on the eyewear trend, then you may be wondering if they're as effective when purchased online or over the counter, versus buying them at the doctor’s office. If there's potential that you'll only keep your glasses for a year or two until your style or vision changes, it makes sense to save some money on them. Here are some important details you should know about reading glasses to help you make your decision.

Price Alone Doesn't Dictate Quality

When you purchase traditional reading glasses online, over the counter or by prescription, the lenses are the same and the same strengths are available. The type of frames and the brand name are what dictates the price point of glasses, not their quality from a vision perspective. Designer reading glasses from your eye doctor tend to be more expensive, but it's not necessary to go that route.

In most circumstances prescription readers won't improve your vision any more than over the counter ones. An Optometrist can tell you how big your lenses should be after completing routine vision tests, along with the strength and measurements you need. You can also use at home tests, like the Diopter Chart to get an idea of which strength to purchase. Whether your glasses are made by a high-end fashion designer or not, as long as you buy the right strength the benefits to your vision will be the same.

Another benefit to buying reading glasses online is that there are a lot more style options to choose from. I Heart Eyewear offers hundreds of frame styles so you’ll be able to easily attain the styles that are trending in eyewear fashion.

Choosing Your Eyeglass Frames

Once you've decided to buy reading glasses online, the fun begins with choosing from the popular and stylish frame types.

Plastic frames - these glasses come with a nerdy, intelligent feeling about them and suit both men and women. You can buy plastic reading glasses or bifocal sunglasses in solid black, bold colors or even patterns. Below are our oversized Sonoma Reading Glasses in Lt. Grey (also available in Dk. Grey).

Rimless glasses - the frames on these glasses are minimalist and subtle. If you don't want to worry about matching or ensuring that your reading glasses go with your outfit, then these will always fit the criteria. If you’re looking for rimless readers, consider our Gabriel Reading Glasses!

Bamboo glasses - these are much more contemporary and on-trend this year, popular with eco-friendly consumers. We have several styles of bamboo reading glasses, but our most popular is our Berkeley Reading Glasses which are available in tortoise or black/clear (shown below).

Shop I Heart Eyewear for Stylish Quality Reading Glasses

If you’re ready to start shopping trendy, quality reading glasses, browse our online catalog today! You can sort by type, shape/style, and even color/pattern. If you aren’t sure which strength is right for you, print out our reading eye chart here. With hundreds of styles to choose from, all at budget-friendly prices, you’ll find it difficult to settle on just one pair.