Welcome to our help section. Here you can find information about the most common questions that arise when shopping for eyeglasses online.
Select from the links above to see the information about that particular section. If you feel like this page has not helped you or you have more questions, please feel free to contact our experts at 1-888-558-6777
Here's a quick overview of common terms used in eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions:
OD: Oculus Dexter is Latin for right eye.
OS: Oculus Sinister is Latin for left eye.
Sphere, SPH, or S: Sphere is associated with curvature of the eye lens. A + ve number indicates you are farsighted and a - ve indicates you are nearsighted.
Cylinder, CYL, or C: Cylinder is associated with irregular curvatures in the cornea and eye shape that cause focusing distortions associated with astigmatism. Cylindrical (toric) lenses have specific curvatures and orientation that compensate for eye surface irregularities.
Axis: Axis is related to how the lens will be oriented in degrees to help determine whether, in focusing, images will be elongated or constricted to help offset vision defects associated with astigmatism.
Add: is used for people with both farsighted and nearsightedness, this number will indicate the nearsighted power in there vision. We have Bifocals and Progressives available for you.
PD/ Pupillary Distance: is the distance between the center of two pupils (center black dots between the eyeball).
Prescription Help
Please Note: Prescriptions can change, so please do not enter prescriptions older than 1 year.
Doctors have different ways of writing Prescriptions. The following samples show 3 ways of writing the same prescription.
Rx
SPH
CYL
AXIS
ADD
RIGHT(OD)
-2.25
-1.75
95
+1.5
LEFT (OS)
-1.50
90
+1.5
Fig. A
Rx
SPH
CYL
AXIS
ADD
RIGHT(OD)
-225
-175
95
+15
LEFT (OS)
-150
90
+15
Fig. B
Rx
SPH
CYL
AXIS
DIST.
RIGHT(OD)
-2.25
-1.75
95
LEFT (OS)
-1.50
-1.50
90
Rx
SPH
CYL
AXIS
NEAR.
RIGHT(OD)
-.25
+1.00
95
LEFT (OS)
-1.50
-1.50
90
Fig. C
1) Pay special Attention to the Signs. A (+) Plus power is not the same as a (-) minus power.
2) Distance may be abbreviated as D.V and Near may be Abbreviated as N.V
3) Decimal Points may be left out as in figure B
4) If there is a blank space in your Rx, then leave that value as blank in the online prescription form. For example : if your Rx has only SPH powers, then fill in the appropriate value in the form and leave all the rest blank.
5) Distance power and near power may be given separately and no ADD power specified, as in FIG. C. Enter the Near vision power if you want near vision glasses and enter the Distance power for distance vision glasses.
6) If there is only one Add Power, It is understood that it is for both eyes
7) Some doctors might use a blank sheet of paper. Please remember that the first row is for Right eye and the second for the left eye. The first number in the row will be sphere, second is cylinder, third axis and fourth add.
The infamous PD
PD or Pupilary Distance is usually given on the prescription from your eyecare professional.
More and more doctors and stores will refuse to give you your PD to stop you from ordering glasses from a discount store (like LensesRX) and force you to buy from them at full retail price. Please be aware that this is illegal in most states and you can demand your PD at any time.
However, if you don't want to deal with the whole process you can simply take a ruler and measure the PD yourself, more instructions and pictures below.
PD is important for the placement of lenses inside your frames. To measure your PD, have a friend take a millimeter scale and measure the distance between your pupils (black dots in the center of your eye).
Place the ruler flat on your fore head, and line the zero with the pupil of your left eye, Take the reading where the pupil coincides with the right eye.
P.D of adults is generally between 55 to 65.
P.D of children is generally 44 to 54.
If your doctor supplies you with a P.D which has two numbers, then the first number is the Distance vision P.D and the second number is the Near vision P.D. For example: 63/60 .Enter the first PD if ordering Distance vision glasses and the second PD if ordering near vision.
Eyeglasses Lens
Single Vision: Prescription using only the SPH,CYL and AXIS fields.
BiFocal: Prescription using the SPH,CYL,AXIS and ADD fields. The produced lens has a little window for reading while the majority of the lens is for distance.
Trifocal: Trifocal lenses are made in similar styles to bifocals, but with an additional segment for intermediate vision above the reading section.
Progressive: These are bifocal lenses that progress from distance to reading using the intermediate space. These are also called the no-line (no window) bifocal due to its smooth transition from one to the next.
Standard Lenses: These are the most common CR-39 lenses used in just about every optical field.
Polycarbonate: These lenses are thinner and lighter than Standard lenses. It is generally very hard to break these lenses because of their durability.
Hi-index: The higher the index the thinner the lens is going to be. The higher the prescription the thicker the lens is going to be. If you want to buy a nice sleek frame but have a high prescription your Standard lens will be very thick and will look unappealing.
Return Policy
To be eligible for a refund YOU MUST contact our store within 7 days of receiving our product.
Re-stock Fees explained:
Total Item Cost is Less than $100 (Not Sunglasses) Fee: $10.00 (Per Item)
Total Item Cost is More than $100 (Not Sunglasses) Fee: 10% (Per Item)
Total Item Cost is Less than $150 (Sunglasses) Fee: $20.00 (Per Item)
Total Item Cost is More than $150 (Sunglasses) Fee: 20% (Per Item) Sunglasses are defined as: Products sold in the sunglasses section of our website. Products that contain Transition (auto tinting) lenses. Products that contain polarized (hi-def tinted) lenses.
(Revised July 16th, 2011)
Shipping Fees are non-refundable. (If you purchased a product from us with free shipping, and wish to return your glasses.
A $6.95 fee will be deducted from your total refund.)
Lab Fees (custom cyl, over power, prism) are non-refundable.
If you have vision problems or cannot see clearly when using our glasses, you may return them for free repairs. However, you must include a photocopy of your original prescription with the product so that we may be sure the problem was done by us. If the problem has been deemed user error when entering into our form, standard re-stocking fee's may be applied. All decisions made by management are final.
If you want to exchange a frame you bought from us for another of equal value. After management's decision, we may be able to do this at no cost to you. Please contact us immediately and let us help you.
For everything else we have a happy customer policy, which includes our free limited exchanges, call us and we will be more than happy to assist you.
Manufacturing Times
Most single vision prescriptions are manufactured in less than 2 business days.
> Add 2 days for bi-focal / tri-focal / progressive lenses.
> Add 3 days for luxury coatings like Transitions and Crizal.
> Add 2 days for Overpowered / Custom Cylinder prescriptions.
On average most prescriptions are filled within 3 days from time of ordering and are shipped the day they are completed from our NY based lab. Please understand that these are estimates and your time may vary. However, we do try and get the jobs done as quickly as we can.
Estimated Shipping Times
If you selected First Class, you can expect your package within 3-7 business days. *
If you selected RUSH ORDER (US only), you can expect your package 2-3 business days. *
If you selected Express Mail International, you can expect your package within 5-10 business days.
*All the estimated times listed on our website should be added on to manufacturing times to get correct estimates.
Please understand that international mail has it's problems and your package may come sooner or later than days projected on our website due to weather and other factors.
Example Times
Eg: Standard Progressive Lens Order with First Class Mail option selected - Placed on Monday from Florida, can be expected to arrive on Friday of the same week.
Eg: Single Vision Lens Order with RUSH ORDER option selected - Placed on Tuesday from California, can be expected to arrive on Thursday of the same week.
Free Shipping on Domestic Orders of $75 and Higher
