How to order prescription glasses online

Spex4less is the first online retailer of prescription glasses and spectacles online run by a state registered optician (Mark Bowden MCOptom).

Mark Bowden and one of his Optical Technicians (Jon Stringer) set up spex4less.com in september 2004 to bring their renowned high street service online and since then has become one of the largest online retailers for prescription glasses.

Obtain a copy of your prescription

The first thing you need is a copy of your prescription valid within the last two years. Every optician is required by law to give you a copy of your prescription when you go for your eye test.

About your prescription

Most written prescriptions follow a specific format which will look something like this:

Each prescription will have a left and right value for the correction of your vision within the following boxes:

"SPH" (sphere). The correction for long or short sightedness.
"CYL" (cylindrical). The correction for an Astigmatism.
"AXIS" The axis that the correction for the Astigmatism needs to be set at.

SPH (spherical) will consist of a + or – power in 0.25 steps. EG, -0.25, -0.50, -0.75, -1.00, -1.25 and so on..

CYL (cylindrical) may consist of a + or – power in 0.25 steps. EG, -0.25, -0.50, -0.75, -1.00, -1.25 and so on..

Axis will consist of a numerical value from 0 to 180, BUT, only when you have a CYL value.

Note: Usually opticians will write the "-" sign above the value and the "+" sign next to the value.

Sometimes an Add or Addition, always "+" value is included for us to decipher your reading prescription, but only if you require glasses for both distance and for reading. ADD / Addition Will only consist of a + value as is it is what it says on the tin, an "addition". We add this value to your distance prescription if you need reading glasses as well as distance or for bifocals.

Here is what the above prescription looks like when entered correctly on to our web site.

You may also notice the PD section this is the distance between your pupils in millimeters. Your optician may or may not give you this information, at the moment an optician is also not required to do so as part of your eye test. If the PD is left to default we will calculate your Average PD based on your order information such as the size of frame, your gender and age. If you would like to measure your own PD get a friend to help you, focus on a fixed point in the distance whilst your friend measures the distance between the centre of one pupil to the centre of the other in millimeters. Remember help with your prescription is available free on 0800 169 1734 or via our guide to purchasing glasses online.

Choosing your glasses

Once you have obtained a copy of your prescription you need to decide which one of our products you require. On the left hand side and at the top of every page is a selection of products grouped in categories. We provide a huge amount of products such as Standard prescription glasses, Designer glasses, Prescription safety glasses, Specialist sports glasses and much much more.

Simply click on the required section and you will be shown a list of products related to that category with a small picture brief details and price, click on "more details" for the required product and you will then be given a page dedicated to that product where you can select various lens options to customize your order and enter you prescription details if required.

For further information on how to choose the right style shape and colour etc.. See our free guide here

Our unique guarantee

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