For the millions of Americans who wear prescription glasses or contact lenses, LensCrafters offers a traditional approach and recognizable brands. With a network of over 1,000 stores around the country, you have probably seen a LensCrafters store close to home. This massive chain store is known for its high-tech vision tests, stylish models, and personable post-sales services.
Nevertheless, there are many reasons why customers would rather not have to go in person – from time constraints to poor health or social awkwardness. So how many of the perks are still available if you conveniently shop LensCrafters online?
Keep reading to find out – we’ve thoroughly tested LensCrafters’ service and will share all of the pertinent details.
Review Summary
Pros
A wide range of eyeglasses and sunglasses from well known brands
Good, courteous customer care and post-sales services
LensCrafters accepts most major vision plans, HSA, and FSA cards
Any glasses you buy online will be eligible for adjustments at its physical stores
Special discounts for AARP members, military, and teachers
Free standard shipping
Frequent discount opportunities
Cons
Higher standard prices when compared to other online retailers
No “Virtual Try-On” option while shopping
No online vision test option
Bottom line
If you’re looking for the best savings or have no insurance, LensCrafters may not be the best choice for you. But if you want to pay perhaps a little more in order to get superb customer service and browse an excellent selection, all while saving time, then LensCrafters.com might offer exactly the kind of experience you want. LensCrafters is not a strictly online retailer but rather the online portal of an established chain store, which in this case enhances the service experience. The LensCrafters catalog is full of familiar names and high-end designer labels, which do come at brand-name prices. Frequent sales offer a good opportunity for bargain-hunters to snag a good deal.
Why you should trust us
Innerbody Research recently celebrated its 20-year anniversary online. Over the past two decades, we have helped tens of millions of readers make more informed decisions involving staying healthy and living healthier lifestyles.
We extensively test each health service we review. We try our best to give you, our readers, an unbiased exploration of at-home health services, free of marketing jargon or gimmicks. We evaluate the service based on our adherence to quality, the latest medical evidence and health standards, and a simple question: would we buy the product or service ourselves if it weren’t part of our job, and would we recommend it to family and friends?
Additionally this review of LensCrafters, like all health-related reviews and content on this website, was thoroughly vetted by one or more members of our Medical Review Board for accuracy.
About LensCrafters
LensCrafters is one of the largest eyewear stores in the U.S., with over 1,000 stores across the country. It is owned by Luxottica, who manufactures famous brands such as Ray-Ban, and has licenses to produce sunglasses for many high-end fashion houses such as Dolce & Gabbana and Prada. Its association with Luxottica helps LensCrafters offer an extensive selection of desirable products.
What does LensCrafters.com offer?
- Brand-name prescription eyeglasses
- Brand-name sunglasses
- Contact lenses (all major brands) / start at $28 per box
- Vision exam
Booking a vision exam
LensCrafters stores have long offered in-person vision exams by the company’s partnered licensed opticians. However, you can now book these exams directly from its website. Just use the Store Locator to find any LensCrafters locations near you and its opening hours. After selecting a location, you will be able to see its available doctors and slots. Then, simply provide your contact information and click on “Book.”
Prescription eyeglasses at LensCrafters
Thanks to its ties with Luxottica, LensCrafters offers a superb variety of eyeglasses models, starting at $99 for frames plus lenses.
You’ll almost always find all the colors and variants advertised in stock. If you check the full catalog, you will notice that it’s pretty easy to find a fashionable pair of frames – but if you are looking for something in the two-digit range, you may need to dig through its sales inventory a little.
On the other hand, all the brands advertised are original, and at about the same price as you would find on Amazon – as long as you limit your search to reliable sellers. Some of its best-selling brands include:
Ray-Ban
Mostly associated with sunglasses, this high-end brand is easy to find in action movies, usually worn by a fashionable hero. Ray-Ban models start at $107.
Burberry
This British fashion company is best known for its trench coats, but it produces a full range of accessories – including eyeglasses. Prices start at $166.
Vogue
Vogue eyeglasses often target a more adult and traditional audience than Ray-Bans but are nonetheless fashion-oriented. Prices start at $90.
Armani Exchange
This Italian brand is famous for its luxurious, casual aesthetic and expensive suits. Its eyeglasses start at $66.
Versace
This is one of the world’s most instantly recognizable fashion houses. It has expanded into the eyeglasses niche, with models starting at $189.
Michael Kors
Another well-known fashion designer, Michael Kors frames start at $128.
All of the prices listed above are for frames alone. If you need prescription lenses with your new frames, you’ll discover the following options available.
Materials
LensCrafters offers three types of materials:
- Plastic (ideal for low prescriptions, and starting at $89)
- Polycarbonate (for prescriptions between +4.00 and -4.00, and starting $200)
- High-index materials (for prescriptions of +/-4.00 or stronger, starting at $269)
Filters
Any of the materials above are offered with:
- Standard anti-reflective filters (starting at $89)
- Blue light filters (they filter about 20% of blue light, starting at $139)
- Transitions (which darken according to ambient light, starting at $248)
LensCrafters sunglasses
LensCrafters also sells sunglasses, mostly from the same brands as its regular eyeglasses. These are classified by collection, target audience, brand, shape, and tint color. Prices start at $58.
For an additional price, some of these sunglasses models are also available with tinted prescription lenses, made out of plastic or polycarbonate. The extra price starts at $129 but varies depending on the material and model.
Contact lenses
The range of contact lenses offered by LensCrafters covers pretty much all major brands and includes the following types:
Single-use daily contacts
Considered the gold standard for comfort and hygiene, this section includes Acuvue, Clariti, and Biotrue lenses, starting at $28 per box.
Bi-weekly contact lenses
For prices starting at $26 per box, you can find disposable soft contact lenses from renowned manufacturers such as Bausch + Lomb, Johnson & Johnson, and Cooper Vision.
Monthly contacts
Starting at $36 per box. This is the most widely used type of disposable contact lenses.
Cosmetic contacts
Colored contacts are available in regular or prescription versions starting at $36 per box.
Toric contact lenses
Toric contact lenses can simultaneously address astigmatism and nearsightedness. LensCrafters offers Biotrue, Clariti, and Acuvue toric contact lenses for prices starting at $32 per box.
Multifocal contact lenses
Starting at $33 per box, multifocal contact lenses can help people who have near and farsightedness at the same time. These are available in daily and monthly models.
If you’re willing to go the extra mile in the name of savings, make sure to check out LensCrafters’ “annual supply” options. Most of these can be financed using Amazon Affirm.
How to buy from LensCrafters online
LensCrafters wants you to come to its online store, which has made LensCrafters.com efficiently designed and easy to use. Shopping here is pretty pleasurable, though a “virtual try-on” feature would be useful.
Here is the straightforward shopping experience.
1. Search to find the product you’d like
The LensCrafters online catalog lets you search by product, brand, audience (children, men, or women) or seasonal collections.
If you’re shopping for glasses or sunglasses, you can check the product’s fit and exact measurements. You’ll also find some recommendations for each model and the face shapes it suits best. These are useful features, though not as effective as a full-fledged “virtual try-on” feature (which you can find on some competitors’ sites).
2. Add the product or products to your cart and specify lens details, if needed
After you find the model you want, either add it to your shopping cart directly or add prescription lenses first. If you do the latter, you will get a very streamlined pop-up menu to select the lens material and filter type. You won’t have to add your prescription until after checkout.
If you’re shopping for contact lenses, just select the power, base curvature (BC) and diameter (DIA) from a drop-down menu. Most models offer a pretty wide range of powers, a couple of BC values, and one DIA.
3. Choose payment and shipping preferences
After you move to the checkout page, you’ll just need to add your payment information and shipping method. At this stage, you can also apply for Amazon Affirm financing or add a discount code.
4. Provide prescription details
After you have finished paying, you will need to provide your prescription or measurement.
You have three options here:
- Email or text a picture of it.
- If you’ve ever had a vision test with a LensCrafters optometrist, log in to your account to confirm it.
- Click on “I don’t need a prescription” and enter the details manually. This option is only available for eyeglasses or sunglasses – for contact lenses, LensCrafters is legally obligated to require a prescription.
After you complete your orders, LensCrafters will take around 7 days to process your order and manufacture your lenses. The total time between ordering and receiving your new eyewear also depends on the type of shipping you chose.
Shipping, returns and service after buying
LensCrafters ships its products across the US, Puerto Rico, and APO/FPO addresses. It offers three shipping categories:
- Standard ground shipping for free
- 2-day shipping for $7.99
- Next-day shipping for $9.99
If you’ve ordered prescription eyeglasses or sunglasses, add about 7 days on top of the shipping time to account for the manufacturing of your lenses.
LensCrafters’ return policy is solid and definitely above what’s expected for most online retailers. The company usually provides clients with a 60-day window for returns and refunds, which begins on the day the product arrives at your home.
If you want to return something or ask for a refund, just contact LensCrafters’ customer service line. Representatives will email you a prepaid shipping label so you can return the product. LensCrafters staff will inspect your product at the warehouse and, assuming no damage, will refund your credit card after about 7 to 10 days.
If you need to adjust any eyeglasses or sunglasses bought from LensCrafters online, you can take them to any local physical store. The staff will adjust any screws or help you maintain your eyewear for free, just as if you had bought them at the store.
Insurance, HSA, and FSA coverage
LensCrafters is pretty flexible with its payment options. Its checkout page takes most credit and debit cards, as well as HSA and FSA debit cards
The company will also take direct payment from some EyeMed, Aetna, and Humana plans. You may need an additional vision plan to be eligible, though; most basic policies don’t cover eyeglasses.
LensCrafters.com makes it easy to check your eligibility and to calculate your out-of-pocket costs. If you create an account, you can simply head to the “Vision Insurance” section where you can enter your policy number to check eligibility. If you’re eligible, you can link that plan to your account, which allows you to see any applicable benefits and the out-of-pocket costs directly from the LensCrafters catalog.
How we evaluate health products and services
At Innerbody Research, we customize our evaluation criteria depending on the type and nature of the health-related service. For health-related products and services, we have five areas that we use for our evaluations, including:
Quality: How well does the company deliver its core service(s) and product(s) to the customer? For testing services, does the company adhere to the latest and most advanced testing technologies and achieve a very high degree of accuracy? For non-testing telehealth services, is the quality of the service and/or product high enough that we would recommend it to loved ones without hesitation? If not, why not?
User-friendly: How intuitive and user-friendly is the service? Does the device/program/app/website achieve a good degree of user-friendliness for its customers?
Value: Are you getting your money’s worth? Are there any hidden costs or charges? Does the company offer discounts?
Privacy: If health data is stored, will your data be stored securely? Are payments secure?
Customer support: Particularly in situations where ‘one size fits all’ doesn’t make sense, how well does the company help to make the service ideal for you?
