What you need to know about Warby Parker

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People have many options to choose from when it comes to buying glasses. Below we take a closer look at one of the retailers, Warby Parker, and explain what shoppers can expect.

What you need to know about Warby Parker

Nearly 200 million adults in the United States require glasses or contact lenses, according to The Vision Council, with the average consumer paying $127 for their frames.

Who is Warby Parker?

Warby Parker is an online retailer for prescription glasses, sunglasses and contact lenses based in New York City. While their products can be ordered online, they have 71 locations across 28 US states where you can try on glasses, get your measurements taken, or pick up your order.

Warby Parker is an online retailer of prescription glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses based in New York City. While their products can be ordered online, they have 71 locations across 28 US states where you can try on glasses, get your measurements taken, or pick up your order.

Here are some pros and cons to consider when ordering from Warby Parker:

Pros of Warby Parker

All Warby Parker glasses are designed and manufactured in-house to help keep prices down while maintaining quality.
They have a try-in-at-home option that lets you choose five frames and try them out at home for free.
They offer free shipping.
For every pair of glasses sold, Warby Parker partners with non-profit organizations to provide a pair of glasses to those in need.

Cons of Warby Parker

Although Warby Parker offers a virtual fitting tool, it requires downloading the Warby Parker app and only works on iPhone X and above.
Their most basic points setup starts at $95. This price is cheaper than most optometrists, but it's not the cheapest option you can find online.
They don't offer big brand names.
Those with serious prescriptions may find that the quality of high Warby Parker index lenses is not sufficient for their needs.

What is available from Warby Parker?

Warby Parker offers the following types of lenses:

polycarbonate lenses
Lenses with a high index of 1.67
Lenses with a high index of 1.74
blue light blocking lenses
photosensitive lenses

Although they have progressive lenses, they do not offer bifocal lenses.

Warby Parker offers sunglasses (including prescription sunglasses) in a variety of styles, sizes, and colors.

Most of their frames are made from acetate, which is a lightweight plastic, with a limited number of styles available all-metal.

They also sell a variety of one-day, monthly, and two-week contact lenses, including their own line of daily contact lenses called Scout.

According to Warby Parker, their disposable lenses use CentraForm technology for smooth lens edges and come in eco-friendly packaging. Does Warby Parker Take Insurance?

How much are Warby Parker glasses?

By selling to you online and owning a full range of products from lens design to manufacturing, Warby Parker is able to keep prices lower than what you would find in regular opticians' offices. But Warby Parker isn't the cheapest game in town when it comes to online shopping.

However, you can pay as little as $95 for their most basic prescription glasses. The increase in cost is due to additional features. Their high index 1.67 lenses (thinner lenses) cost an additional $30 and their high index 1.74 lenses (thinnest lenses) cost an additional $130.

If you add blue light or light responsive lenses for $50 and $100 respectively, you can expect to pay at least a couple of hundred dollars for your new glasses.

Does Warby Parker take out insurance?

Unlike some of the cheaper online options, Warby Parker is considered an in-network provider of vision plans through UnitedHealthcare and select employer groups and is also an out-of-network provider for other carriers.

Orders can also be placed using flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts.

Order from Warby Parker

Warby Parker offers many features that make it easy to find the right frame for you online. Their home fitting program allows you to choose five frames and gives you 5 days to decide if you like them before returning all 5 pairs and placing an order. Shipping is free in both directions.

This was a favorite feature of Drink-Drink editor Chelsea Logan. “I liked that you could get five glasses at a time to try and it was easy to pick them up and return them. Unfortunately, not all colors of each style are available for home fitting, which was kind of a bummer,” she said.

Please note that their virtual fitting tool requires downloading the Warby Parker app and only works on iPhone X and above.

What do you need before ordering

To order glasses, you will need a prescription, pupillary distance (PD), and a general idea of what kind of frame you would like to wear.

To measure PD you will need a ruler and a mirror or a friend. Align the zero edge of the ruler to the center of the right pupil, then measure the distance from the right pupil to the left pupil.

This is usually easiest done by placing a ruler over the brow line above the eyes. Your eye doctor may include this measurement in your prescription.

How to place an order at Warby Parker

Browse our large selection of frames or take an online quiz about your face shape and style preferences.

You can choose up to five frames that will be sent to you to try on or purchase the frames you need. In either case, you will be prompted to create a new customer account free of charge.