Could Your Glasses Be Affecting Your Skin? How Firmoo Is Making the Right Prescription Easier to Find
Main image – Evelyn Verdin
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We spend a lot of time thinking about the things that can affect the skin around our eyes – from SPF and retinol to how much sleep we’re getting. But there’s another, much more practical factor that can be easy to overlook: whether we can actually see properly.
If your prescription is no longer quite right, you may find yourself squinting to bring things into focus. And while expression lines are a completely normal part of having an expressive face, repeatedly scrunching up the delicate eye area certainly isn’t going to help if fine lines are something you’re conscious of.
Which brings us to the considerably less sexy subject of getting your prescription right.
Thankfully, buying prescription glasses has become considerably easier. Rather than being limited to the frames available at your local optician, online eyewear retailers now give shoppers much more control over price, style and lens options – without necessarily having to leave the sofa.
One brand taking this approach is Firmoo. Founded in 2009, the online eyewear retailer brings together optical expertise with a huge selection of frames, with the aim of making prescription glasses more affordable and easier to choose.
Image – Firmoo
What should you look for when buying prescription glasses online?
Getting the prescription right is naturally the most important consideration. After all, glasses might be a fashion accessory, but their first job is helping you see properly.
Firmoo offers customisable prescription eyewear designed around individual vision requirements, including progressive glasses and blue light lenses, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.
Once you’ve got the important bit sorted, of course, there’s the much more fun question of what you actually want your glasses to look like.
And this is where shopping online really does have an advantage. A physical optical store can only display so many frames, whereas Firmoo offers thousands of prescription glasses, ranging from classic and minimalist designs to more colourful statement styles.
Of course, anyone who has ever fallen in love with a pair of glasses on the shelf only to dislike them the second they put them on will know that choice isn’t everything.
To make buying online less of a gamble, Firmoo has a virtual try-on tool as well as face-shape guidance, allowing shoppers to get a better idea of how different frames might look before ordering.
Can buying prescription glasses online save you money?
Then there’s the price. A complete pair of glasses from a traditional retailer can easily run into hundreds of dollars, particularly once more complex lens options or a second pair are added.
Firmoo says its digital-first model allows it to keep prices considerably lower, with a complete pair of frames with prescription lenses averaging around $40 to $50.
It also makes owning more than one pair feel a lot less extravagant. There’s something practical about having different glasses for different parts of your life – perhaps a polished pair for the office, lightweight frames for travelling or commuting, and something a little more fun for weekends or evenings out. After all, if we happily switch our shoes, bags or makeup according to the occasion, there’s no reason glasses – something many of us wear every single day – can’t play the same role.
The brand offers affordable prescription glasses across a wide selection of frames, alongside customisable lens options and professional optical production.
Image – Firmoo
But are online prescription glasses reliable?
Price and aesthetics are all very well, but these are still something you’re trusting with your eyesight.
Firmoo was founded by optical professionals and says it operates its own manufacturing facilities using precision equipment under FDA, CE and ISO 9001 certifications, giving the company greater control over production.
There are a few reassuring practicalities here, too. Most prescription orders arrive in around two weeks, according to the brand, while customers have a 60-day return or exchange window if their new frames don’t fit or look quite as expected.
There’s also a 365-day warranty, offering some extra reassurance after that initial returns period.
That takes some of the gamble out of ordering something as personal – and important – as glasses without trying them on at an optician first.
Image – Firmoo
Glasses aren’t just practical anymore
If you wear glasses every day, they’re inevitably going to become part of your look.
A barely-there neutral frame can work beautifully with minimal makeup, while a bold pair can effectively become an accessory in its own right. And just as you probably wouldn’t wear the same shoes with everything, there’s something quite appealing about having a polished pair for work, something lightweight for travelling and something a bit more fun for going out.
Firmoo’s extensive catalogue is built around that idea, with different colours, shapes and materials designed to suit different face shapes, wardrobes and personal styles.
And there is something to be said for actually liking the glasses you’re supposed to wear. If your prescription helps you see clearly – rather than leaving you peering at your laptop or squinting at menus – and the frames feel like part of your style rather than an obligation, you’re probably rather more likely to reach for them.
Firmoo’s approach to making prescription glasses more accessible
Of course, cheap glasses aren’t much of a bargain if you don’t actually want to wear them. Prescription eyewear still has to work properly, feel comfortable and suit the person wearing it.
Firmoo’s approach is built around four main areas:
- Accessibility: Keeping prices lower to make prescription eyewear and different frame styles more attainable.
- Choice: Offering thousands of frame designs rather than the comparatively limited selection possible in a physical store.
- Confidence: Supporting online shoppers with virtual fitting tools, approximately two-week delivery, 60-day returns and exchanges and a 365-day warranty.
- Innovation: Using virtual try-on technology and online lens customisation to help customers make more informed choices from home.
For beauty lovers, glasses occupy an interesting space between necessity and accessory. The right pair can change the balance of your whole face in much the same way as a great brow shape or haircut – while, rather more importantly, the right prescription means you shouldn’t have to spend your day squinting just to see what’s in front of you.
And if you can find both without the traditional price tag, so much the better.
