This Website Will Totally Up Your Glasses Game

I first discovered my need for corrective lenses while behind the wheel of a driver’s ed Prius. With my hands firmly gripped at 10 and 2, I squinted to make out blurred speed limit signs and coasted through crosswalks as if they didn’t exist. At the behest of my rightfully ornery driving teacher, I scheduled an exam at the optometrist before my next session, only to discover that I was, in fact, totally in need of glasses.

The diagnosis definitely wasn’t a surprise as much as it was a fact I’d been avoiding for years. In the insular world of high school, showing up to class in glasses was still considered a serious social fumble — like wearing your sister’s prom dress or not getting a part in the play.

After finally, reluctantly picking a pair of square tortoise shell frames and braced myself for ridicule the following school day. As I cautiously walked the halls — vision clearer than ever but ego bruised at best — I shuddered as my classmates took note of my new look.

“Wow, those glasses look great on you,” a girl from history whispered across the aisle. “Cool frames,” muttered the cute guy from P.E. Suddenly aware of their lack of sarcasm, I realized right then and there that my glasses were anything but lame. Not only would I pass my driving test squint-free, I’d look cool doing it. Glasses, they were my thing. 

From that point on, my face was rarely without a pair of glasses. By the time I’d left for college, I’d culled my hard-earned babysitting dollars to amass quite the collection. But at liberal arts school, everyone wore glasses, and my frames suddenly lacked their luster next to the quirky lenses that glimmered on campus. 

“Where did you get those glasses?” I bravely asked an especially chicly spectacled classmate one day, to which she responded three words that would forever change my glasses game: EyeBuyDirect. 

Armed with a referral code from my eyewear fairy godmother, I spent the following evening hunched over my laptop, ooohing and aaahing over the scrolling selection of EyeBuyDirect’s frames. Transparent cateyes, gunmetal aviators, even oversized round sunnies … all for a small fraction of the dollars I had spent over the years on seasons-old styles at a strip mall store. 

I know what you’re probably thinking: this sounds too good to be true, and following suit with most things on the internet, you’d probably be right. Except, EyeBuyDirect is the real deal. Trust me, I just ordered my eighth pair. 

EBD’s online optical store is a far easier (and much less soul-sucking) task than visiting your standard eyewear shop. The site’s super cool Eye-Try selfie software allows you to virtually take pairs for a spin — without having to hover over a finger-printed mirror or shoo away suggestions from pushy salespeople. Once you’ve found the perfect frame (of which the selections are bountiful and totally on-trend), the site walks you through an easy to understand, step-by-step menu for choosing your lenses. Whether you’re near- or far-sighted, need glasses for reading or just to look stylish (no judgement!), simply plug in your prescription and you’re on your way.

While all their lenses have anti-scratch and anti-reflective coatings (bye bye upcharges), they offer a variety of ways to trick out your new frames from light adjusting lenses to blue light shielding digital screen protection — a feature I can’t advocate enough to anyone, poor vision or not, who spends their day in front of a computer or smartphone (who doesn’t?!).

From the moment you press "Order," EBD sends you step-by-step updates on the status of your new frames until they arrive in your mailbox, snugly packed with a soft case that doubles as a super-efficient lens cleaner and a few easy-to-use tools to ensure your glasses fit perfectly. 

If you’re not stoked with your purchase, you have two weeks to send them back for a full refund or exchange … although I have to admit, I’ve never been disappointed. 

I mean it when I say EyeBuyDirect totally changed my glasses game. Thanks to the super affordable prices starting at just $19, these days, I rock a different pair of glasses each day — sometimes even a day-to-night changeup — and EBD is definitely the reason for my glasses obsession. As a person who believes my specs are my most important accessory, I love that I can change things up without shelling out serious cash or spending hours inside stuffy stores. It’s a rare day when someone doesn’t compliment my glasses, and I’m always excited to tell them where I got them … plus those referral points don’t hurt either!

What glasses do I have my eyes on these days? The site’s winter collection is packed full of pine-worthy frames. Read on to discover a pair that are sure to make glasses your thing.