Thinking about getting your glasses on the internet?  Here’s some important information for you to consider:

Consumers turn to the Internet for convenience — to save money or time — but patients need to be aware that the perception of saving could cost more in the long run.  There is a lot of misleading information about online eyeglass purchases.  Typically, media stories about online consumer cost-savings, like the one seen recently on “The Today Show,” for example, don’t tell the whole story.  Optometrists know that without knowledgeable personal attention, patients run the risk of purchasing eyeglasses online that arrive with the wrong fit and often an unsafe prescription.  Ultimately, patients can spend a lot more time and money correcting order mistakes than if had they simply visited their local optometrist in the first place.

The American Optometric Association (AOA) constantly works to educates the media and the public about eye care concerns.  They have published a brochure that you can download here to help inform you about purchasing prescription glasses online.  The brochure provides statistics from an AOA study published in 2011 with the Optical Laboratories Association and The Vision Council that reveals the drawbacks of online orders.  You can read the full study at this link.

Pertinent highlights of the study:
Of 200 glasses ordered online, only 154 pairs were received;
44.8 percent had incorrect prescriptions or safety issues;
29 percent had at least one lens fail to meet required prescription;
23 percent of adult lenses failed impact testing; and,
29 percent of children’s lenses failed impact testing.

We want you to be informed.  At Adamstown Eye Care we are here to provide you with a clear view of the world and we want you to see the full picture of what may happen if you decide to order your eyeglasses alone on the Internet.