The prescription for your glasses is typically only valid for a year or two. If it’s time to replace your current lenses, you can skip the in-person visit for a more convenient option. It’s never easier to replace your prescription lenses, you can even do your eye exam online. I’ve had prescription lenses replaced in 15 pairs of glasses, so from experience, I know that doing this process online can be cheap, easy and fast. If you have frames you love but lenses that are scratched or an old prescription, online services can help with shipping kits or pre-paid labels that allow you to mail in your glasses, get the lenses replaced and have them sent back.
Depending on your prescription and the shipping, you can get replacement prescription lenses in a few days. To help you find the best online retailer, we tested different services by ordering midrange lenses, sometimes multiple times. We evaluated for lens quality, price, user-friendliness and turnaround time.
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As its name implies, Overnight Glasses can make you a new set of prescription glasses quickly — and really quickly if you’re willing to pay extra for a new pair of glasses. If you buy a frame/lens package, fast three- to four-day service is available for $9. (It takes slightly longer for progressive lens and bifocal lens types.) The quality of the lenses I got was as good as that from other replacement lens sites, so there’s no sacrifice of prescription eyewear quality for speed.
As for new lenses for your current frame, you ship your frames to Overnight Glasses and it’ll replace your lenses with new ones in 48 hours. The service can do polarized, blue light, transitions and many other types, although progressives take an additional two days (so 72 hours total from the time your frames are received).
If you’re looking for a truly overnight option, the emergency, 24-hour rush service costs an additional $60 for single vision. As noted, a progressive lens order can take an additional two days, so the fastest you can get new progressive lenses is three days.
Overnight makes lenses for Bose Frames and Amazon Echo Frames audio glasses.
Notable site features: The site has a clean look and is easy to navigate. There are multiple shipping options.
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Eyeglasses.com has a huge selection of both frames and lenses and is also one of a small number of sites that offer a lens replacement service for existing frames, with prices starting at $48. As with all the other sites here, you simply choose the lens you want (that can be a little daunting because there are so many options) and you’ll get sent a prelabeled box with which to return your frames, with free shipping both ways. If you don’t know your prescription — and don’t want to change your current prescription — you can opt to have Eyeglasses.com’s technicians "read your lenses and duplicate them."
The service isn’t superspeedy in terms of turnaround time, but the lenses are high quality and the eyewear site has good online help options, including a Replacement Lenses Wizard and an online chat feature. Unlike Lensabl, which highlights its lens replacement service, Eyeglasses.com doesn’t market the options front and center.
Eyeglasses.com makes lenses for Bose Frames and Amazon Echo Frames audio glasses.
Notable site features: Eyeglasses.com says it sells only "high-quality, individually made lenses made in the USA," and the sample glasses I tried had excellent lenses that gave me a very sharp image. There’s a huge selection of lens options, and you get a "Perfect Lenses Guarantee" that allows you to send your glasses back if they don’t work for you — you can get a redo or a full refund, your choice.
Current deals and coupons: 15% off for new customers in exchange for your email address.
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It’s had shops in the New York area for a while, but ReplaceRxLenses is somewhat new to the online replacement-lens arena. My experience using this retailer was smooth, with a relatively quick turnaround time (about a week, but I was in New York). Its prices are competitive and slightly cheaper for some lens types.
The site says what differentiates it from competitors is that it doesn’t have an assembly-line format for fulfilling orders, where one worker is responsible for manufacturing the lenses, another is responsible for tracing the frame and edging the lenses to fit the frame and another might handle the final eyeglass inspection. “With us, one technician works on a customer’s order from start to finish,” a rep told me. “We believe this format results in a better end product, because there is almost no chance of information being lost or mistakes being made along the way.”
ReplaceRxLenses says it can do a replacement for prescription eyewear or replace nonprescription lenses for Bose, Amazon Echo, Snapchat Spectacles and many other audio/smart frames.
Notable site features: The site says it has experience working with frame types and lenses that some other places can’t handle. “We have plenty of experience working with sports frames, wraparound frames, vintage frames and extended range prescriptions,” a rep told me. “Many other online replacement services can only work with certain frame types and up to certain prescriptions.”
The site tries to get as much information about a customer’s frame beforehand so it can begin working on the order even before receiving the frame, which helps expedite the order. (I submitted a photo of my frame.)
Current deals and coupons: 15% off for new customers or 10% off for returning customers in exchange for your email address (leave site to see offer).
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LensDirect says it can make quality lenses for a wide array of frames — "practically any frame unless it just absolutely doesn’t make any fundamental sense like putting a +7.5 prescription on a semi rimless frame" — and has its own machine in-house that can cut the lenses anytime (other retailers have this as well). "We make lens replacement more affordable than our competitors without sacrificing quality," a rep told me.
LensDirect does now make replacement lenses for Bose and Amazon audio glasses, although it does require you to sign a waiver to work on them.
My lens replacement took about a week, and the lens quality was high. After using discount codes, the cost for lenses I got was a bit less than from some competing sites like Lensabl.
Notable site features: The site has a virtual try-on feature if you’re buying a frame and lens package. When it comes to an older audience (people who wear progressive or bifocal lenses), lens options tend to be more affordable (with discount codes applied), specifically when it comes to the 1.67 high-index lens, which is 40% thinner and lighter than a standard CR39 lens. "Even to a younger audience who wants to take a cheap eyeglass frame and get exactly the lens they need, our CR39 and Polycarbonate lenses start off more affordable even for them," a rep said.
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Can I replace lenses in glasses?
If you currently have a frame with prescription lenses, you should be able to replace those lenses with a fresh pair. Certain types of glasses that have more curved lenses — such as those found in some sports glasses — may be harder to replace. Just make sure you check with the company you’re using before sending in your frame.
Depending on the quality and type of lens you get, it can be, although it is usually cheaper to do through an online retailer. If you are just getting basic lenses, it can be quite affordable. The main reason to do it rather than buying a whole new set of glasses is if you like your frames and paid a tidy sum for them when you got them new.
Can I get prescription lenses for Bluetooth audio glasses?
If you’re wondering whether these eyewear retailers make prescription lenses for audio glasses, like the Amazon Echo Frames and Razer Anzu, most do. Only a few have officially partnered with Bose, like Lensabl and the Bose Tempo sports model. Aside from the Tempo, most other audio glasses have pretty standard frames that accept prescription glasses. You can always call and ask whether the company can make lenses for whatever audio glasses you have based on your particular prescription.
