note: while believed to be accurate at the time it was written, information provided is not updated regularly & may be out of date
Global Eyeglasses
"Vision for the future"
http://www.globaleyeglasses.com
Global Eyeglasses is based in the US (Georgia). Pricing in USD. They sell single-vision, bi-focal, and progressive lenses. Methods of contact include a mailing address, local and toll-free phone numbers, and a web form. Payment is done via PayPal (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, and PayPal itself). They are listed with the BBB, receiving an "D+" rating with 34 complaints, 33 of which were resolved/closed and 1 of which was unresolved/unanswered.
Impressions:
Global Eyeglasses is one of the retailers where basic glasses can be found for under $20. Unlike many other retailers, the frames and lenses are priced separately - for example a pair of frames might be $3.99 while the lenses are $6.99. It's possible to find a frame or two for $1, but most tend to be more than that, but with a healthy selection under the $10 range (not including lenses). Global Eyeglasses also offeres a variety of designer frames (Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Rayban, Hugo Boss, etc), but obviously those frames are more.
Frame selection varies largely. Quite a few are under the $10 range, the majority are under the $20 range, and just about all make it under the $40 price tag, aside from the designer brand lenses which cost more (Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Rayban, Hugo Boss, etc).
Lenses start at $6.99 for a basic lens, although Tinted, Polarized, Photochromic, and up to 1.74 index lenses are available, some in name brands (Transitions, Seiko, Nikkon, etc). UV and anti-scratch are free, but an AR coating adds $6.99 to the price.
Website and Ordering:
The website is moderately well-designed and is simple to use and navigate, and includes a "try on" feature referred to as a "Virtual Mirror". The virtual mirror contains pre-existing photos, and allows you to upload your own or use a webcam. While there's nice zoom/rotate functionality (and markers can be added to the center of the glasses to aid in matching up the eyes), I was unable to move/pan the uploaded image in my test, and the majority of it was off-screen. It's possible that the image must fall within a certain resolution to display properly. I also experienced flakey behavior when uploading - it took a couple attempts and I had to leave/re-enter the frame finder for it to display. On a positive note, once uploaded the image stays available in the finder while you look through other frames. Browsing through frames is easy and displayed fairly well. All in all there's not a lot to criticize about the website itself. It's well laid out, functional, and it works.
The ordering process is pretty step-by-step and information pop-ups are well done. You make a choice ("I want clear lenses" for example), and the options within that choice pop up along with the pricing and pop-up links for help/info. Again, not a lot to criticize in this area with the exception that if you choose "Bi-Focal" or "Progressive" lenses and forget to fill in the "Add" box for some reason, it merrily lets you go along without a warning (although you only end up charged for single-vision lenses in that case). Granted, most buyers tend to take care entering their prescription, but it's something to take note of.
Pricing and Value:
Frames start at $1, but selection there is very low. Looking through for reasonably common frames, the price point seems to hover around $5.50. Lenses start at $6.99, which altogether is a very reasonable price
As far as value goes, a pair of glasses can certainly be found for under $20 altogether which is quite good. An AR coating is a little pricey compared to the lens (each being $6.99), but is still pretty reasonable in comparison to other retailers.
The price for frames used is $5.50 for comparison purposes. Note that quite a few frames are less than that (down to $1) and a much larger selection can be had for more.
| FRAMES | $5.50 |
| LENSES | |
| Single-Vision CR-39 | +6.99 |
| Single-Vision AO 1.61 | +25.00 |
| Single-Vision Optima Resolution 1.6 Polycarbonate | +30.00 |
| Single-Vision Seiko 1.56 Aspheric Hi-Index | +32.00 |
| Single-Vision Nikon 1.67 Aspheric Hi-Index | +69.99 |
| Single-Vision Seiko 1.67 | +104.00 |
| Single-Vision Seiko 1.74 | +210.00 |
| Single-Vision TINTED CR-39 | +11.99 |
| Single-Vision TINTED Optima Resolutions 1.6 Polycarbonate | +60.00 |
| Single-Vision TINETD Seiko 1.67 | +105.00 |
| Single-Vision POLARIZED Nupolar 1.5 | +62.99 |
| Single-Vision POLARIZED Optima Resolutions Polycarbonate | +130.00 |
| Single-Vision PHOTOCHROMIC Transitions 1.50 VI Generation (grey/brown) | +44.00 |
| Single-Vision PHOTOCHROMIC ESSILOR CR39 Transitions VI | +76.00 |
| Single-Vision PHOTOCHROMIC Resolutions Polycarbonate Transitions VI | +129.99 |
| Bifocal CR-39 | +16.99 |
| Bifocal Polycarbonate 1.59 | +49.99 |
| Bifocal Seiko 1.67 | +120.00 |
| Bifocal TINTED CR-39 | +23.99 |
| Bifocal TINTED Polycarbonate 1.59 | +59.99 |
| Bifocal PHOTOCHROMIC CR-39 Acclimates | +55.00 |
| Bifocal PHOTOCHROMIC CR-39 Transitions VI | +90.00 |
| Progressive Select View 1.5 | +34.99 |
| Progressive Sola One/Max CR-39 | +65.00 |
| Progressive Vision Ease Illumina 1.6 Polycarbonate | +70.00 |
| Progressive Shamir Panorama 1.6 Polycarbonate | +70.00 |
| Progressive Plastic Essilor Varilux Liberty | +85.00 |
| Progressive Rodenstock 1.61 Internal | +99.99 |
| Progressive Super Strong Poly from Essilor Varilux Liberty Airwear | +149.00 |
| Progressive Seiko Wing 1.67 | +170.00 |
| Progressive TINTED Sola Max CR-39 | +65.00 |
| Progressive TINTED Essilor Adaptar CR 1.5 | +74.50 |
| Progressive TINTED Nova Sport 1.5 | +155.00 |
| Progressive TINTED Seiko Wing 1.67 | +170.00 |
| Progressive POLARIZED Younger Image | +160.00 |
| Progressive PHOTOCHROMATIC Rodenstock Colormatik SI 1.52 (grey/brown) | +87.50 |
| Progressive PHOTOCHROMATIC Sola Compact Ultra Transitions VI (grey) | +90.00 |
| Progressive PHOTOCHROMATIC Carat-HD Transitions Reflection-free | +124.50 |
| Progressive PHOTOCHROMATIC Vision Ease 1.6 Poly Transitions (grey) | +135.00 |
| Progressive PHOTOCHROMATIC Varilux Physio 360 Transitions VI (grey) | +300.00 |
| OPTIONS | |
| Anti-Scratch & UV | FREE |
| AR (anti-reflective) for Single-vision or Bi-Focal | +6.99 |
| AR (anti-reflective) for Progressives | +15.00 |
| ------note - AR coating price can vary depending on the lenses ------ | |
| SHIPPING | |
| US | +6.99 |
| International | +13.99 and up |
A basic pair of single-vision lenses comes to $19.48 shipped to the US, with international destinations being more.
A basic pair of bi-focal lenses comes to $29.48 shipped to the US, with international destinations being more.
A basic pair of progressive lenses comes to $47.78 shipped to the US, with international destinations being more.
Subtract $4.50 from the total price if using the cheapest possible ($1 vs $5.50) frames.
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