Bear in mind that some of the links on this website are affiliate links. If you go through them to make a purchase we will earn a commission at no extra cost to you but helps support our website. Keep in mind that we link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission we receive from your purchases.
SmartBuyGlasses has been one of my favorite online eyewear retailers is usually my go-to place whenever I am looking for designer frames and do not want to pay the high markups at my local retailers.
SmartBuyGlasses carries one of the most comprehensive selections of frames that you can find online. Offering over 80,000 different frames, from over 180 different designer brands. You can find great selections of Men’s, Women’s, as well as Kid’s glasses at SmartBuyGlasses. They even have a nice selection of sunglasses for the entire family as well. Of Course, if you aren’t looking for designer brands they do have their in-house collection of frames as well.
Overall, they are a huge online retailer that services nearly every country worldwide. They also offer one of the best warranties you can find anywhere online or at your local store.
Table of Contents
SmartBuyGlasses Review
In order to purchase your glasses from SmartBuyGlasses, you would first need to have a valid prescription from your eye doctor. After you have that in hand the first thing you would need to do is pick out what frame you want.
Choose your frames
If you have a lot of free time and you want to just look through the frames page by page you are welcome to do so, but it might take you a while. Therefore, you might want to use the filters to select specific features you are looking for to help narrow down the selection and make it easier to look through. At SmartBuyGlasses you can narrow your selection of frames down to include gender, brands, special features, shapes, type, color, material, price, and size.
For example for me personally, I always have to look for frames that are slightly wider than average because I have a wide head. There is no point in me seeing the narrow sized frames because I know they won’t fit so wide fit is a filter that I always select when I am looking for glasses.
The pricing at SmartBuyGlasses is very competitive when it comes to the frames, I have found frames that I was interested in on here for more than 50% less than compared to the local Lenscrafters. You should be able to find pretty much any designer brand you choose as they carry most top brands including Burberry, Calvin Kein, Coach, Dolce & Gabbana, Ray-Ban, and much more.
If you are curious about how the frames look on you, SmartBuyGlasses has a 3D Virtual Try-On so you can see how it looks.. You would first record a selfie video and then hold a card to your forehead to make sure the system gets the size accurately.
After you have your frames picked out you would just click “Buy Now”, and it will take you to where you will be able to figure out which lenses you want to go with.
Pick your lenses
The lenses that are offered for free at SmartBuyGlasses are standard plastic lenses which are not the greatest lenses but they will work just fine if you are on a budget.
Free triple coatings
The lenses are just standard plastic lenses however SmartBuyGlasses offers 3 coatings included free with every pair of lenses they make. Most places charge quite a bit for these coatings and each one has its individual purpose, take a look below.
- Scratch Resistant Coating – This is a hard coating that is applied to help reduce scratches that could occur during day to day use. Keep in mind that this coating does not make your glasses completely scratch-proof, and will still scratch if it comes into contact with hard or sharp objects.
- Anti-Reflective Coating – This is also commonly referred to as the no-glare coating, or AR coating, is a coating that allows more light to pass through the lens and transmitted onto your eyes. Whenever light hits your lenses, some of the light is lost due to the reflection, having this coating reduces that reflection and provides you with sharper and clearer vision.
- UV Protection Coating– This coating is important as it guards your eyes against the harmful UV rays from the sun. Certain lens materials such as polycarbonate come automatically with UV protection, but materials such as standard plastic or glass do not and need to have this coating applied.
With that in mind, the next thing you are going to have to do after you have your frame selected is decided what kind of lens you are going to need.
Lens types
At SmartBuyGlasses they have a couple of different lens types you can choose from. Which one you decide to go with will be based on your preference as well as your prescription. The options you can choose from include.
- Single Vision – SmartBuyGlasses actually has three different single vision lens types listed separately but you are able to get single vision lenses for distance, reading or computer. Single vision lenses have one power throughout the entire lenses and is not combined in any way shape or form.
- Progressive Bifocal – This is also commonly referred to as no-line bifocals or blended bifocals. This lens combines three different ranges into one pair of glasses and seamlessly blends your distance, intermediate and reading power.
- Non-Prescription – Of course if you want some glasses to be able to wear for just cosmetic purposes you can non-prescription lenses.
After having settled on a type of lens you are going to get, next you will have to decide if you are just going to stick with the basic lenses that are provided or upgrade the lenses. If you need a lined-bifocal or lined-trifocal SmartBuyGlasses does not offer those and you will have to check elsewhere.
Lens Upgrades
There are a number of different upgrades that are available for you to pick from. some of the various upgrades include materials to make the lenses thinner, or protective coatings Your doctor may have recommended certain upgrades so be sure to check on your prescription to see if there are any. Here are the upgrades that are available at SmartBuyGlasses.
- High-Index Lenses – SmartBuyGlasses actually has a few different levels of high-index lenses which start at the 1.61 high-index and goes as high as the 1.74 high-index which is the thinnest one. The stronger your prescription is the more it is recommended to go with better high-index lenses to help reduce the weight and overall thickness of the lenses. These lenses can reduce the edge thickness for nearsighted individuals and reduce the center thickness for farsighted individuals.
- Transitions – Also known as photochromic or light adaptive lenses, and like the name suggests these lenses turn dark whenever they are exposed to UV rays. These can be convenient for anyone that spends a decent amount of time outdoors but did not want to carry around multiple pairs of glasses all the time.
- Non-Polarized Sunglasses Lenses– These are dark lenses that can protect you from bright sunlight as well as the harmful UV rays from the sun. Tinted lenses can be purchased in a variety of different shades and can be also made as a gradient where the top is dark and slowly clears up towards the bottom.
- Polarized Sunglasses Lenses – Polarized sunglasses lenses also give you the same protection as non-polarized sunglasses lenses do by protecting you from the bright sunlight as well as the harmful UV rays from the sun. The major difference is that polarized lenses filter out glare that is being reflected off of horizontal surfaces. This glare at times can be quite intense, blinding and potentially dangerous. Polarized lenses can be beneficial for those who enjoy watersports as large bodies of water is a major culprit for horizontal glare which is coming off of the surface of the water.
- Flash Mirror Coating – This is a coating that you may have seen on sunglasses before, this coating provides additional protection from glare that would be reflecting towards your eyes and helps reduce eyestrain. This coating makes the lenses look like a small mirror and is available in various colors.
None of these upgrades are required for you to be able to see but could provide you with a more comfortable viewing experience out of your eyewear. After you have finished selecting your lenses you would just add to cart and your all set.
Shipping Cost & Time
SmartBuyGlasses provides free standard shipping for anyone in the United States as well as the rest of the world. There is an option to upgrade to express if you need your glasses to arrive quicker. You can check their website for estimated delivery times but most standard shipping has a 5-8 business day estimate for shipping time.
They have multiple locations worldwide where they manufacture glasses so depending on where you are located they ship out from the nearest location.
Return Policy & Warranty
SmartBuyGlasses hands down has one of the best return policies and warranty out of all retailers online and offline. They offer a 100-day return policy if you decide that you didn’t want it after all and the product is unused and in original condition.
Along with that, they offer a 24-month warranty that covers all manufacturers’ defects. This warranty does not cover any damage that is caused by everyday use wear and tear.
Takeaway
Aside from not carrying lined-bifocal and trifocal lenses, SmartBuyGlasses has pretty much everything you need along with tons of designer eyewear for you to choose from. It is also great that they offer the free triple coatings to help you protect your glasses as well as your eyes from glare and UV. Although I would recommend at least upgrading the material so that you don’t have standard plastic lenses, but not required. If you haven’t had a chance to take a look at their great selection, check it out here.
Have you bought glasses from SmartBuyGlasses before? I would love to hear from you! Drop a comment below!
If you enjoyed the article don’t forget to share it through your favorite social media channels with the buttons located right below, thank you for your support!