Navigating
Online Eyewear
THE ONLINE EYEWEAR LANDSCAPE HAS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY
IN CANADA. MORE CANADIANS SEE BUYING GLASSES ONLINE AS
A CONVENIENT AND EASY WAY TO GET A NEW PAIR.
BY SARAH MCGOLDRICK
The eyewear industry has been
reluctant to embrace this new retail
channel over fears of the quality of
frames and lenses. Glasses delivered
directly to the consumer are not
checked by an eyecare professional.
A 2011 STUDY PUBLISHED IN THE JOURNAL OF OPTOMETRY
THAT EVALUATED 154 ONLINE EYEWEAR ORDERS SHOWED
NEARLY HALF OF THE PRESCRIPTION GLASSES DID NOT
MEET PATIENT'S “VISUAL OR PHYSICAL NEEDS”.
The result has been high return
rates due to poor fit or quality.
A 2012 study out of the School of
Optometry of the Université de
Montréal examined 16 frames and
32 lenses that were purchased from
online glasses retailers. The researchers found that six of the lenses did
not match the prescription and 13
of the 16 frames did not receive a
passing grade in terms of fit.
A 2011 study published in the Journal
of Optometry that evaluated 154 online eyewear orders showed nearly
half of the prescription glasses did
not meet patient's “visual or physical needs” The study showed 28.6
.
per cent of the glasses contained at
least one lens that failed a component of the optical analysis.
Online eyewear businesses in Canada
have begun to change the process of
buying online through requiring
optician verified prescriptions and
more recently requiring glasses
ordered online be delivered to and
dispensed by an eyecare provider.
“I think that ECPs are feeling challenged by the idea of online eyewear
sales as historically these sales do
not happen within provincial regulations, of which ECPs must operate.
This is unfair competition.
"Some studies we’ve seen also
suggest that eyewear purchased
online do not always meet accepted
standards and tolerances,” said
Lorne Kashin, a registered optician
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