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So you found out that your child needs prescription glasses, but your typical big box optical retailers, and private doctors offices are way too expensive.
You decided to look online, but with so many online retailers where do you start? 
You will find all kinds of online retailers for prescription glasses in 2018, but the important factors are the frame options, lenses options, and if the glasses come with a warranty or return policy.
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8 Places To Buy Kids Eyeglasses Online
For many years the only places you were able to go to get prescription glasses was either your local optical retailer or your local optometrist office. Today, there are many online retailers, many of which sell fairly inexpensive prescription glasses. We spend hours researching where the best place to buy kids eyeglasses online are, whether you are looking for some inexpensive glasses for your child, or you want to make them look sharp in some designer frames.
Our pick for best overall is SmartBuyGlasses, due to their huge selection of frames whether you want an inexpensive generic frame, or you want to dress your child up with some nice designer frames, they have it all. The 100-day return policy and a 24-month warranty are hard to beat.
Below you will find a list of the top prescription glasses retailers today specifically picked because of what they offer for kids. For this list, we only picked websites that have Kids listed as a specific category, if no category for kids was listed we skipped that site.
1. Best Overall | SmartBuyGlasses
SmartBuyGlasses has one of the best selection of kids frames, with frames from many designer brands. With over 500 frames for you to choose for your child, whether you are just looking for an inexpensive pair of glasses or you want to dress your child up in the latest Ray-Ban Jr. SmartBuyGlasses has got you covered.
They even have a virtual try on to help you pick out the frames, but the icing on the top about SmartBuyGlasses has to be their 100-day return policy and a 24-month warranty on their frames.
The only thing we didn’t like about SmartBuyGlasses was the lack of a blue light protection option.
2. Best Value | Zenni
Zenni hands down has the largest selection of inexpensive frames of any online retailer. There are tons of color and frame designs for your child to pick from. The thing I really like about Zenni is their option of getting blue light protection for an additional $16.95. They do have a virtual try on and you can upload your child’s photo to try on frames.
The downside of Zenni is that if you do want to get designer frames for your child they don’t carry any. They offer a 30-day return policy and a 1-year warranty on the lens coatings for defects.
We really liked Zenni just on the sheer fact that it is so inexpensive to get a complete pair from them and with children the way they are with glasses it might not be a bad idea to get a 2nd pair from Zenni as a backup pair of glasses.
3. Eyeconic
Even though Eyeconic’s selection of glasses for kids isn’t the biggest selection if you have VSP, MetLife, or Cigna Vision insurance you are able to apply it directly to your order through Eyeconic. They have a virtual try-on so it is easier for your child to pick out their glasses.
The downside to Eyeconic is that they don’t carry any generic no brand frames, so the starting price could be a little high. If you have vision insurance you can apply then that would help out there.
Eyeconic offers a 30-day return policy and a 1-year warranty against defects on your frames up to a year. The lenses and the coatings on them are also covered with a one-time replacement within the year.
4. LensesRx
LensesRx carries a fairly large selection of kids eyeglasses as well. With over 500 frames to pick from they are another good option to purchase your child’s prescription glasses online. They offer frames for children that start as low as $10, but they also offer a wide range of designer frames for children as well.
They offer a wide range of options for the lenses as well, although they are a bit more expensive than other retailers. The blue light coating is offered from Crizal and that is a $160 add-on.
They offer a 30-day return policy on their eyewear. Their website does not seem to have a virtual try on, although they have a tool to help you decide on what frame you want to go with.
5. EZContacts
Don’t let their name fool you, they carry one of the largest selection of designer glasses for kids with over 600 frames to pick from. They have inexpensive kids frames by Polaroid for as low as $39.
What we don’t like is that they are similar to how LensesRx is and they sell the very high-end Crizal Prevencia as their only blue light protection option. It is a fantastic coating by Crizal but the cost is $159.
They offer a 30-day no questions asked return policy on their orders.
6. GlassesShop
GlassesShop is another online eyewear retailer that just focuses on inexpensive in-house frames. While their selection of frames for kids is not large, and a bit difficult to find on their website, they do have an option for blue light protection in a polycarbonate lens for only an additional $22.50. If you are looking for an inexpensive quality blue light protection lens then this is your place.
They also provide you with a 14-day no questions asked return policy, along with a 90-day warranty on any manufacturer defects.
7. 39DollarGlasses
30DollarGlasses.com doesn’t have a huge selection of kids frames but they have some pretty decent looking frames for kids., they do not carry any designer frames at all so if you are looking for those this isn’t the place. What we liked about them was the ability to add on the blue light protection coating for an additional $44.95.
They offer a 30-day no questions asked return policy, or a 90-day full exchange policy.
What we didn’t like was that they didn’t have a virtual try-on of any kind for you to see how the frames look on you.
8. Coastal
Out of this list, coastal has the smallest selection of frames. Carrying only 14 frame options for kids, but regardless they still have a kids section. What we liked about Coastal was the ability to be able to get a blue light protection coating for only an additional $45. You could even upgrade to the thinnest lenses with blue light protection for only $95.
Eyewear from Coastal comes with a 14-day no questions asked return policy, and their glasses come with a 1-year warranty that covers any manufacturer’s defects.
9 Tips For Picking Your Kids Glasses
When picking out the glasses for your child your going to want to make sure the glasses are durable, they have the right coatings to protect your child’s eyes, and ultimately your child has to like the glasses. If they don’t like the glasses, it will be less likely that they wear the glasses, which means they could be misplaced and damaged. Below are a few tips for picking the perfect pair of glasses for your child.
- Durability – Children are particularly hard on their glasses, so looking for sturdy and durable frames is recommended to handle their active lifestyles. Kids generally do better with plastic frames which are more flexible, as opposed to metal frames which bend. Not all metal frames are the same though, there are frames that are designed with special hinges which are more flexible and durable that you could get as well.
- Lens Material – Polycarbonate or Trivex lenses should always me the lens material that is in your child’s eyewear unless directed otherwise by your eye doctor. Polycarbonate and Trivex lenses are the most impact-resistant lenses and would give your child the best protection. These two materials also come with built-in UV protection, which will protect your child from the harmful UV rays from the sun.
- Anti-Reflective Coating – Anti-reflective coating would help improve the vision through your child’s glasses by reducing unwanted glare. The anti-reflective coating also helps reduce strain during prolonged digital device usage.
- Blue Light Protection – WIth every child today being consumed by digital devices at a very young age, blue light exposure is a very serious concern. You can purchase a special coating that filters out some of the HEV blue light.
- Sports Goggles – For kids that are active and participate in any sports or moderate to high-intensity activities, they might benefit from using a pair of sports goggles. These goggles are specially designed to be more durable, with extra padding for additional comfort.
- Photochromic – Although polycarbonate and trivex lenses already have UV protection, photochromic lenses will provide extra comfort by reducing the glare from the sun.
- Backup Pair – Everyone that wears glasses should have at least one backup pair. This is really important for anyone that may have a strong prescription that would not be able to function without their glasses.
- Warranty – Whenever you are picking a place to purchase your kid’s glasses you should always check to see what the warranty is just in case the frames happen to break.
- Your Child Must Like Them – This is more important than you think. If your child does not like their frame the less likely they are going to wear the glasses. That leads to the glasses being misplaced or damaged. Make sure your child likes the frame, it really makes things a lot simpler.
What You Should Have Ready Before Ordering Your Kids Eyeglasses Online
There are a few things you should be somewhat familiar with and have ready before you start ordering your child’s glasses on the internet.
- Prescription – If you are ordering from any legitimate retailer, they are going to ask you for a copy of the prescription. If you don’t have it, many places will be able to verify your prescription with your doctor’s office, however, you can really speed up the process of the glasses if you just upload a copy.
- Understand Frame Measurements – You should be somewhat familiar with how frame measurements are listed. This way you will be able to pick a frame out what fits your child. Check out this article for more detail on frame measurements.
- Have PD Ready – The PD measurement is the pupillary distance. This is the distance between your eyes in millimeters. You can take this measurement yourself, or you can contact the doctor’s office your child got their eye exam at and most of the time they will have the PD they can provide you.
When Your Kids Eyeglasses First Arrive
It is your job as the parent to ask your child if there is anything wrong with the glasses. You should ask them to make sure the glasses are comfortable, and if they could see better. You should also tell them to let you know if they feel any sort of discomfort with their eyes with the glasses on.
Your child may not mention to you if there is anything wrong, they might not know what wrong is. You should ask questions such as, Can you see clearly? Are they comfortable? Are they too tight or loose? Do your eyes hurt?
If there is any discomfort with the frame your local optician should be able to adjust the glasses for you, if your child is complaining of discomfort in their eyes when wearing the glasses, contact your doctor’s office as soon as you can to set up an appointment for a recheck.
The Bottom Line
As with any eyewear be sure to shop around, aside from the specific models of designer frames, every online eyewear retailer carries their own in-house frames. Which means there are tons of different styles for you to look through, shop around to find the one your child truly loves.
Be sure also to keep an eye out for when these online retailers run their promotions, you might be able to find yourself a good deal. Places like GlassesShop.com often run Buy One Get One Free promotion that would be great for having a second pair.
Have you thought about ordering your kid’s prescription glasses on the internet? Let me know your thoughts below!
Thank you all for stopping by Eye Health Headquarters. If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to leave them below and I will get back to you.
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Great selection of eye glasses for children. I know it can be hard to find the perfect eye glasses for your kids, specially if they are vey young. These selections and options on where to find them is just brilliant and well put together. It beats having to go through all the web looking for sales or comparing services and eye wear. Thanks for sharing.
Great article! Once, I was trying to buy my glasses online but I felt not very trusted about how to make the right measure and if the frame will be OK for me, I ended in the optician. It looks good, but it is needed to get some help for measures. For kids is a very good option, I don’t think kids glasses last to much 🙂 I bookmarked your site for my next glasses. Thank you so much for writing this.
Hi Maria, if you are confused with measurements I definitely recommend visiting your local optician. Especially if you are using bifocals. Thanks for stopping by!