As someone who has worn glasses since age six, I can attest to how expensive they are. When I finally broke down and decided to replace the pair I had for the past 16 years (don’t judge, I wore contacts a lot of the time!), I took my search for eyewear online. Now I’m sharing my Warby Parker review with you for my experience with the discount eyeglasses company.

I first heard of Warby Parker from a friend who said that he got a pair of glasses for less than $100. His looked great, but I was sure that there wouldn’t be cheap options for me. After all, my prescription is so thick that it sticks out of most frames or must be shaven down by the glasses fairies to fit in a pair.

A few more people told me they loved their Warby Parker glasses and I tucked it away as something to consider. After my last eye exam, I attempted to try on frames in the optometrist’s office. But my eyes were still partially dilated, making it difficult to see. I was dependent on one of the staff members to tell me what looked good from the sea of choices. How do I know if I can trust them to guide me in the right direction?

It wasn’t the ideal setting to choose something to wear on my face for the next several years. To make matters worse, the frames I liked best were more than $200…for only the frames! That’s when I decided to check out Warby Parker myself.

Note: I did not receive any compensation from Warby Parker for this review. This is my personal experience with the company and product, which I paid for myself. There are affiliate links in this post which will give me a small payout for purchases made, all at no cost to my readers.

Warby Parker Home Try-On Program Review

From the comfort of my couch, I went to the Warby Parker website. It has a modern look and feel and I immediately clicked on the frames quiz link to see which ones they suggested for me. There were a few questions about the shape, color, and materials I preferred along with how wide I think my face is. Within a couple of minutes, I had the results.

A lot of discount eyeglass online companies have you upload a photo of yourself to virtually try on frames. But Warby Parker lets you choose five pairs of frames to try on at home for free! You pick your favorite eyewear, they ship them to you, and you get five days to decide which ones you like best. The shipping is prepaid, including the return label, so you only have to worry about finding your favorite pair of glasses.

For my first Warby Parker Home Try-On, I chose three pairs of glasses in the same exact color. I would have been better served to browse through everything more before ordering my five pairs for the home try-on program. I recommend looking at all the options before choosing which frames to try on. If I had spent more time browsing, I would have chosen differently for my first box.

You can mark favorites as you peruse through the Warby Parker site. I highly recommend doing this before you add anything to your try-on box. Not only does this help prevent my issue of having three very
similar pairs, but It is a nice workaround to my least favorite part of the experience.

The site limits you to five frame options in your try-on shopping cart at a time. This makes sense in theory since that’s the number you can get in your box. But in reality, you have to make multiple clicks and screen changes every time you what to swap out a pair. I would like to see them update the site to add as many pairs as you want, then be prompted to remove some before ordering the free home try-on box.

My guess is that Warby Parker wants you to use the “favorites” feature and then select your top five from that list for the try on.  While I found this a little unfriendly as a user, you can learn from my mistake and have a much easier experience.

After I sorted out the glasses I wanted to try, I had to enter my credit card information. There are no charges added to it, assuming I return the trial eyewear as instructed. Then I just waited for a Warby Parker Home Try-On box to arrive in the mail!

My navy blue box of eyeglass goodies came three days later. I began swapping out pairs and wearing them around the house (with my contacts in) to see which ones looked best. My husband and kids weighed in and I was pretty sure I knew my favorite. Since I had five days to decide, I took photos of myself to share online to get other opinions.

The Warby Parker folks give you instructions on what specifics to look for to make sure they fit properly, which is helpful. So I took a serious and smiling photo to make sure my cheeks didn’t move the frames when I smiled. Then I posted them on my Facebook page asking for feedback. My husband thought I was crazy for this, but I figured that it couldn’t hurt to get some outside opinions!

Luckily for me, my followers were kind with their comments. Unfortunately, they were all over the place on which ones they preferred. And the frames I liked the best weren’t a top choice. My five-day try-on was ending, and I didn’t know which Warby Parker glasses to choose.

I decided to try the Warby Parker chat feature to tell them about my predicament. My friends thought the darker frames (which I got three of) was a little too harsh. But I didn’t love the shape of the pair people liked best. The Warby Parker associate pointed me to other eyeglasses and color options that I might like based on my feedback.

Then, they told me I could do another home try-on with five more pairs! They had to receive my first set back before shipping, but I got to do round two for free. I went through the same process again and this time found a pair that I liked and my friends and family thought were complimentary on me.

I also sent the Warby Parker stylist team all 10 of my photos for feedback. They checked to see if the frames were the correct size for optimal vision. Their favorites included my top choice so I felt good about that.

Ordering Warby Parker Glasses

Once I decided to order a pair of Warby Parker eyeglasses, the process was relatively simple. I logged into my Warby Parker account and chose the pair from my home try-on list. It was the pair named Keene in Burnt Lemon Tortoise (number six from my try-on photos). Like most of the options on the site, they were $95 for a single-vision pair. (If you need bifocals or other progressive vision options, these start at $295).

Their standard clear lenses are made from light impact-resistant polycarbonate and include anti-reflective, scratch-resistant, and water-repellent treatments. I was expecting options like this to be an additional charge and was pleasantly surprised that Warby Parker includes this with all orders.

Warby Parker does have some upgrade options. Light-responsive and blue-light-filtering lenses are available at an additional cost. Because I have a prescription of +4 or higher, I opted to pay $30 to get lenses that were thinned down. Even with this premium selection, my total cost for new frames and lenses was $125 before tax and shipping is free!

My optometrist’s office had given me a copy of my eyeglasses prescription, so I simply took a photo of it and submitted at checkout. They can also contact your doctor for you or you may fax/email to them after you place the order.

If your prescription is expired, they have a cool telehealth service called Warby Parker Prescription Check that allows eligible customers to get a new prescription through an app. I’m pumped about that option for the future!

Pros of Warby Parker

Overall, I am happy with my Warby Parker experience. I chose a pair of quality, trendy eyeglasses after trying on 10 different pairs in the comfort of my home. Having time to try-on the frames to see how I liked them on my own time was priceless. My interactions with their customer support team were always pleasant and helpful. They were responsive to my questions and concerns.

The ordering process was quick and easy. It took around two weeks to get my glasses prepared and shipped to my home, which was reasonable. There is a brick-and-mortar Warby Parker store across town from me. I popped in one day for a free adjustment of my eyeglasses to make sure they fit properly. If there isn’t a location near you, Warby Parker will reimburse you up to $50 for an adjustment at the local optician of your choice. This ensures you have the perfect fit!

They also have a 30-day return policy if you aren’t satisfied, which is a great option that I did not have to uses. You can apply vision insurance to your order or utilize FSA and HSA accounts if you have them. And they have sunglasses if you want those.

Best of all, they cost dramatically less than any pair I have purchased in the past. Even with an upgrade to thin my high prescription and tax, I paid only $132.50. The savings alone is reason for me to shop Warby Parker again!

Because I bought Warby Parker glasses, someone in need also received a pair. Through their Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program, Warby Parker has distributed more than 4 million pairs of eyeglasses to people with visual impairment around the globe. I love that this company is committed to helping those with visual impairments be able to learn and work.

Warby Parker Cons

There were a few things that I didn’t love as much about Warby Parker. I mentioned earlier that I had issues with my online cart for the home try-on five pairs when I changed my mind. There are also frames pictured on the website that aren’t available for the try on. This was frustrating when one of those pairs was something I really liked.

While the lenses have an anti-reflective treatment included, I notice a distorted reflection of light on the frames when I look in the mirror. This does not affect my vision and it doesn’t impede my sightline looking out. But it is something to consider if you are going to be on stage, video, or photographed with lights shined at you while wearing them.

This may just be repeated user error, but I had to try an estimated 20 times to correctly take the photo of myself for the pupillary distance measurement. They give what seems to be simple directions, but mine kept getting rejected. Luckily, I could do all of this via text message and the Warby Parker associate was super patient and provided additional feedback. Despite multiple attempts, it was a quick process to make sure my prescription was properly centered in my lenses.

In other words, two of my three issues were partially my fault. However, I want to make sure that I point out some of the drawbacks of discount online eyewear.

Warby Parker Review Bottom Line

Warby Parker glasses are a convenient, affordable way to get quality eyeglasses without ever leaving your house. I loved being able to try them on at home (especially since I did it twice). Though I don’t think their anti-reflective coating is 100% effective, I am very happy with my purchase.

I encourage you to see for yourself how easy it is! Check out Warby Parker’s Home Try-On program today. You don’t need a promo code or coupon to take advantage of this for free!

Want more ways to save? Sign up for my newsletter for exclusive content, deals, and savings. You even get 50 Simple Ways to Save Money emailed to you just for signing up!

Introducing Scout Contact from Warby Parker!

Did you know the folks at Warby Parker also offer contacts? Scout by Warby Parker was launched in November 2019 with comfortable, breathable, and affordable daily contacts. Just like their frames, you can request an at-home trial that includes six days of contacts shipped in their innovative flat pack that uses 80 percent less packaging than traditional blister packs. Try Scout today!

You may also like:

4 Easy Ways to Save Money Now

Who Does Grocery Pickup Best? Walmart Grocery vs. Kroger Clicklist

How to Keep Your Marriage Strong — A CoupleWise Review