I know my prescription. I know my inter pupil distance. What experiences have you had? Any pitfalls I need to look out for?

Cheers, Ambrose

Well, they might fit badly, need adjusting and look terrible.
If you have a high or complex prescription the vertical centration is also important.

I wear varifocals and wouldn’t buy online as I want someone doing all the measurements. I’ve bought single vision cycling glasses (with insert), though.

I’ve used Ciliary Blue a number of times, it’s been fine every time.

My last 3 pairs have been bought online with no troubles. I measured my IPD with a ruler, it was fine. I am short-sighted and have moderate astigmatism in both eyes. Just enough of a prescription to make thinner lenses a necessity so watch out for the extra cost if that applies to you. Cheapest I’ve ever had was £30 delivered for no-names that lasted years, most expensive was £120 for Oakleys.

I always by mine online these days.
I can highly recommend spex4less. They do a no quibble money back thing which means you can send anything back for a refund if you don’t like it, which is pretty damn good considering that’s something that’s been to an individual’s prescription.

For some reason, I’ve repeatedly had lenses made to a given prescription and not got on with them. This isn’t an online vs bricks-and-mortar thing; I’ve ordered two pairs from a high street retailer before and one have been great and the other I can’t get on with at all. Overall I’ve had three prescriptions and maybe ten sets of lenses, and only about two pairs of lenses have really felt just right, despite everything having been tested multiple times to make sure they’re an optical match for the prescription.

Buying lenses online is fine if you’re confident that you get on with any lenses made to your prescription. Buying frames online, again, is fine if you’re confident that you’re going to get on with the frames.

Last time I had an eye test I had some frames reglazed online to the new prescription (which was significantly different to my old one) and the result was way off, but I’ve got no real recourse here because I went elsewhere for lenses. Personally, I’m now contemplating forking out for yet another eye test so that I can buy lenses or glasses from the same place and put my foot down if they’re not bang on.

YMMV, I think my eyes are just weirdly fussy.