Do You Need an Eye Test Before Buying Glasses Online?
Do you need an eye test before buying glasses online? You need a valid prescription, and that usually means a sight test within the last two years. You do not need a new test every time you order. This guide explains when your old prescription still works, what online retailers ask for and when a fresh test is the better choice.
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Eye Test Before Buying Glasses Online: The Short Answer
Online retailers make your glasses from a prescription, but they cannot test your eyes. If your prescription is in date and your vision feels the same, you can order online with it. If it is out of date, or your sight has changed, book a test first.
A sight test also checks the health of your eyes, which an online order cannot do. That makes regular tests worthwhile even when your vision feels fine.
When Your Prescription Is Still Valid
For most adults, a prescription lasts two years from the date of the test. Your optometrist can set a shorter date, often one year, for children and teenagers and for people with conditions such as diabetes or a family history of glaucoma.
Check the date on your prescription before you order. You should receive a copy after your test, so ask your optician if you did not. Our guide to how long a glasses prescription is valid covers the details.
What Online Retailers Ask For
- Your prescription, which you upload as a photo or type in.
- The pupillary distance (PD), which is the gap between your pupils. Our PD measurement guide shows how to find it at home.
- Confirmation that the prescription is in date. Mojoglasses, for example, asks you to confirm the prescription is less than two years old and is for someone over 16.
Some retailers check the prescription too. Reviewers report that SmartBuyGlasses can ask for a signed copy, which can add delay. Mojoglasses and Genuine Style let you order first and email your prescription afterwards.
When You Should Book a New Eye Test
Book a test if any of these apply:
- Your prescription is more than two years old, or past the date your optician set.
- Headaches, blurred vision, eye strain or squinting to read have started.
- The glasses are for a child, whose eyes can change quickly.
- Diabetes, glaucoma or another eye condition means your optician will want to see you regularly.
Sudden changes in your vision, flashes of light or new floaters need urgent attention. Do not wait for a routine test, and contact an optician or your doctor straight away.
What an Eye Test Costs and Who Gets One Free
A private sight test typically costs about £25 at Specsavers and about £29.95 for the Essential test at Boots Opticians. Prices vary by branch.
An NHS-funded test is free if you are under 16, aged 16 to 18 in full-time education, or aged 60 or over. It is also free if you have diabetes or glaucoma, if you are 40 or over with a close relative who has glaucoma, or if you receive certain benefits. The NHS guide to free eye tests has the full list, and our NHS vouchers guide explains who qualifies, and our …
Most online retailers do not accept NHS vouchers, as we explain in can you use an NHS voucher online.
Eye Test Before Buying Glasses Online: What to Do Next
Check the date on your prescription first. If it is in date, measure your PD and compare retailers. If it is not, book a test, then compare prices online with your new prescription. Our comparison tool shows what each retailer charges for your exact prescription.
