Help Centre

Quite simply - we do not have the same overhead costs as high-street opticians. Our laboratory and showroom are not located on the high street so, consequently, we avoid the high charges associated with such locations.

Yes, we offer prescription sunglasses in our standard grey or brown tints, as well as a selection of other colours, details of which are available on request.
We also supply photochromic Drivewear lenses for driving and polarised lenses for outdoor use and watersports.
All of our sunglass lenses provide full protection from UVA and UVB rays.

Yes, this is called our Reglaze Service, with prices starting at £34.95.

Yes, you can!
To do this, simply set all the prescription details to 'Plano'. You will still have access to all the lens-coating options available to prescription lens customers.
TIP: In the Comments section, add ‘Plano Lenses’ so our team knows you do not require non-prescription lenses.
Call us on 0151 632 6611 if you would like any further information.

The key here is to get someone else to take the photograph for you! Self-taken photos on webcams and phones are not suitable. The most important factors in taking an acceptable varifocal photograph are:

• The photo must be taken from at least two meters away from your face and then zoomed in to produce a clear head and shoulders shot.
• Your eyes must be at the same level as the camera lens, ensuring that the camera is directly in front of you.
• The photograph must be as in focus as possible and clear of any reflections which may obstruct the view of your pupils. (Watch out for glare off bright objects, windows, white walls, camera flash, and sunlight).
• The minimum size of the photo should be normal postcard size. You can send it in a larger format – either electronically or a printed copy

No, we don't at this point in time.

In the unlikely event that you're not satisfied with your glasses, for any reason, we offer a 100% no-quibble satisfaction guarantee.
Read our Guarantee & Warranty section to learn more about our exchange and refund policies and our free 12-month frame warranty.

Absolutely! Spex4less cares deeply about our customers’ privacy and security. We employ both digital and physical methods to protect your data. All transactions that take place on our website occur securely using a Secure Socket Layer (SSL).

Depending on your exact requirements, if we have the frame and lenses in stock, we can typically make your glasses within a day or two. They are dispatched by Royal Mail Frist Class delivery (you can opt for Recorded Delivery if you wish).

There is also a ‘Special Delivery' (next day from day of dispatch) postal service available (in the UK) to you for added speed of delivery if you wish.

Specialist lens requirements may take around a week or so depending on the specific lens types needed by the client. However, there are a number of variables that can affect the speed at which we are able to fill your purchase order for prescription glasses.

In general, the more complete prescription information you are able to provide upfront, the more quickly we’ll be able to get your glasses to you! We may need to contact you if we’ve received incomplete prescription information or require additional clarification.

Please keep an ear to your 'phone and an eye on your inbox after you place your order, as we will generally follow up with you via telephone and/or email should we have any questions about your order.

Spex4Less works hard to keep its postage & packing costs as low as possible in order to remain competitive and save you money. We currently charge a flat rate of £3.95 to ship anywhere in the UK, using Royal Mail First class post, with Airsure and International Signed For rates applicable to the rest of the world.

Some of our customers have asked us to offer trackable shipping options. In response to this, we are now offering, for a small extra charge, trackable Royal Mail Recorded and Special Delivery should our customers so wish. However, please note that Special Next Day Delivery does not imply that your glasses will be manufactured any quicker (our glasses delivery schedule will give you an expectation of when they will be dispatched) - rather, it is a shipping option for our customers to select for added peace of mind with regard to security, speed of delivery and trackability after dispatch from Spex4less.com.

All our UK glasses bought online are shipped by First Class Royal Mail Packet post as standard. There are options provided for Recorded and Special delivery. Our Designer range ship by registered post, and International orders for glasses ship requiring a signature for delivery. We will also gladly use a courier of the customer's choice at their own expense and arrangement. But we do not refund our own shipping costs if this option is taken up.

We ship to anywhere in the UK using Royal Mail at the point of dispatch. We will also gladly use a courier of the customer's choice at their own expense and arrangement.

Tracking Your Order
Tracking the progress of your order? Please allow up to 15 working days for delivery of your new glasses. If you need to track the progress of your order you can e-mail your enquiry to [email protected] please include your order number in the email.

Glasses Delivery Schedule: Please allow up to 15 working days for delivery of your glasses. We aim to deliver most orders within 7 days with straightforward, single-vision glasses often being dispatched within 24 hours. However, each pair is individually crafted to your specification and may take longer as per the following schedule.

Standard Frames
Most standard frames with single vision or bifocal lenses will usually be dispatched within 7 days, or sooner. Please allow a little longer for multi-focal and coated lenses.
Rimless Frames
Rimless glasses are usually dispatched within a week. Please allow 15 working days for delivery of rimless glasses. Designer FramesDesigner frames are usually dispatched within 15 working days. However, some models & colours may take a further 10 days or so if out of stock. (We will always notify you of any delays with designer frames and give you the option to exchange or cancel)
Specialist Sports Frames & Goggles
All specialist sports glasses and goggles are dispatched within 15 working days.Safety GlassesPrescription safety glasses are dispatched within 5 to 10 working days.

Yes you can!
However, please note that delivery of your items by this method must be arranged by you with your preferred courier. Please notify us in advance if you wish to do this and let us know your courier's collection information so that we may have your parcel ready for collection. Should you use this method, rather than Spex4less' standard delivery options, it will be at your own cost and risk. No postage and packing costs will be refunded as Spex4less still incurs costs for dispatch of your glasses. Similarly, any glasses returned by courier to Spex4less will also be at the customer's risk and cost.

We accept most major credit/debit card payments such as VISA, Mastercard and Paypal. We also accept most cheques, banker's drafts and postal orders.

While we do not accept payments by insurance, many customers are able to obtain reimbursement for a portion or all of the cost of their prescription glasses through their insurance provider, and we are happy to provide a receipt for this purpose.

We recommend that you call us on 0151 632 6611, Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm or email us at [email protected] once you receive your order if you wish to obtain a receipt.

Please note that our glasses are priced as a package that includes both the frames and the lenses, so your item total will not include a specific amount for the frames and lenses separately. The only exception to this will be if you have purchased non-standard lenses, which will show up as a separate line item on your invoice.

Distance Lenses - For general use eg. driving, watching tv, or walking around. Some people need to wear distance glasses all the time for all tasks if they are extremely short-sighted

Reading Glasses - For reading and close work only. Not suitable for distance use (ie. passed approximately 12 inches.

Intermediate Glasses - For computer and 'arm's length work. Your optician will give you a specific glasses prescription called an 'inter' or 'intermediate' add.

Bifocal Lenses - A dual prescription lens with regular distance on the top and a segment at the bottom for reading.

Varifocal lenses - Also called progressive lenses. A graduated lens with a gradient of increasing power from minimum strength at the top of the lens to the maximum magnification at the bottom of the lens. Varifocal lenses avoid the sudden jump in the visual field created by bifocal lenses. These lenses are also more cosmetically attractive as there are no visible lines between the visual areas.

Our varifocal lenses are available in 3 qualities: standard; premium; elite. If you want to know more about varifocal lenses, please visit our varifocal information page.

Lens thicknesses depend on a number of factors such as your prescription strength and the size of your glasses frame. For ‘plus’ sphere values, most of the lens thickness may be found around the center of the lens, whilst with ‘negative’ sphere values, the thickness manifests itself at the edges. High-index lenses reduce thickness by varying degrees eg. a 1.6 lens is thinner than a standard 1.5 lens, and a 1.67 lens is thinner again.

Here's a guide to choosing the best refractive index for your prescription:

• Prescriptions up to +3.00 and -3.00 SPH - The standard, unthinned 1.5 index is suitable for prescriptions less than -3 or +3.
• Prescriptions up to +4.00 and -4.00 SPH - 1.6 Thin is an ideal option for prescriptions up to +4.00 and down to -4.00. Lenses with a 1.6 index can be around 23% thinner compared to the standard, unthinned lens. Prescriptions outside this range will start to look thick.
• Prescriptions above +6.00 and -6.00 SPH - 1.74 Thinnest is the thinnest plastic lens available on the market. It is around 50% thinner than the 1.5 standard plastic lenses and 30% lighter than the glass equivalent. It is a perfect lens for mid to high prescriptions.

Spectacle lenses are available in a variety of materials such as Columbia Resin #39 also known as CR39 plastic or polycarbonate for sports and safety glasses. Our lenses can be supplied with treatments such as UV protection, scratch-resistant and anti-reflective.

The issues of fogging in sports goggles and glasses can be subjective. However, it is a very real problem caused by perspiration and condensation accumulating on the lenses during outdoor activities. An anti-fog coating absorbs moisture on the lenses, which helps prevent them from clouding up during sports such as running, cycling and skiing.

We supply the D28 bifocal as standard. This is a sideways "D" shape on the lens which gives a wider reading area than standard round-shaped bifocals. However, we also carry a range of specialised multi-focal lenses which include different shapes and sizes for other bifocal segments that may suit your needs. For these, we advise placing your order by telephone on 0151 632 6611.

We provide Grey, Brown and G15 colour tints. Also, we are able to offer these in polarised options and they are also available with Gold, Silver, Blue, Green and Red Mirror coatings too.

The PD – or Pupillary Distance - is the distance between the centre of one pupil to the centre of the other pupil. Prescription glasses are made so that the distance between the optical centres of the glasses' lenses, are the same as your PD. The PD varies from person to person but once you are an adult, your PD does not change. Therefore, as an adult, if you have had it measured, then it will still be the same, even if your spectacle prescription has changed.

Your PD is measured either during the eye test or when prescription glasses are ordered. Obviously, we cannot measure your PD over the internet, so it is best to make sure your PD is included in your glasses prescription. Simply ask your optician to make a note of it on your prescription. If you are unable to provide your PD to us, do not worry. We will take an average male or female PD, based on 1000’s of real PD measurements, and use this value when we make your glasses. You can, of course, measure your own PD. However, bear in mind that, when you measure your own PD, you may not get the same result as an experienced optical professional. We recommend that you use the measurements taken by an optometrist or an optical dispenser whenever possible.

The axis for each eye will consist of a numerical value from 0 to 180, BUT, only when you have a CYL value. If there is no CYL value for a particular eye there will also be no AXIS value. AXIS runs from 0 to 180. In some rarer cases your optician may have given your AXIS in between the values on our form EG: 95.5. If this is the case, simply click on the link that says your prescription looks different and then click the line "My AXIS has a fraction". This will give you an additional field on the form to enter the fraction.

We have a limited range of Near Add values that cover the vast majority of prescriptions. It may well be that you are trying to enter the Sph value from your full Near Prescription. If this is the case, you will be trying to enter an incorrect value in the Near Add box on our web page.

If your prescription has two complete rows for SPH, CYL and AXIS with one row for distance and one row for near, then click the link that says "My Prescription Looks Different" and then click the link "I have TWO complete rows of figures on my prescription". You will now be able to enter the values as they appear on your prescription.

Your Optician should, by law, have given you your glasses prescription at the time of your last sight test. Make sure you ask for it. If you have mislaid your glasses prescription your Optician should give you a copy. If you want to take advantage of a sale or glasses offer from us, you may order your glasses and then send us a copy of your new glasses prescription as soon as you receive it.

If you are unsure about how to enter your prescription, we can help you out if you give us a call here on 0151 632 6611. One of our trained staff will give you all the help you need - and even take the order for you over the 'phone if you so wish. If it is easier, you may upload your prescription instead of entering it yourself. Simply click on "Upload a Prescription" and we will take care of entering the information for you. You may also email or post us a copy of your prescription and we can do the rest for you if that makes it simpler.

Don't worry! We obviously check every glasses prescription before we make them - if anything looks wrong, we will contact you. If you suddenly realise you may have given us the wrong information, just email or 'phone us to let us know and we'll double-check everything for you. If you receive them and they don't seem right, we will correct the error, even if we have to remake the glasses - and even if your optician made the error. And don't forget - we have a 100% money back guarantee. If there is anything at all that you do not like about the glasses you can return them for a full refund.

No. Contact lens prescriptions are not the same as spectacle prescriptions. However, you may still place your order online (or over the telephone!) omitting the spectacle prescription until you are able to obtain it from your Optician. Once you have it you can pass it on to us by uploading it, emailing, posting or 'phone.

We can fill a wide range of single-vision prescriptions, including prescriptions with astigmatism and prisms. However, we do have some limitations. Prescription Limitations. Our standard prescription values which we may accept on our website are plus or minus six for the Sph values and plus or minus 3 for the Cyl values.

We are not allowed to provide spectacles to customers who have had ‘Complex’ lenses prescribed. Where a prescription is greater than or equal to 10 dioptres (either the total Sph and Cyl, or either of them on their own), we are unable to provide spectacles for you for a prescription this high. Opticians’ rules preclude us from supplying glasses where the prescription (which is deemed to be ‘complex’) is greater or equal to 10 dioptres in any meridian.

Sphere (SPH): We cannot, under any circumstances, fill prescriptions with an SPH value stronger than -10.00 or +10.00. If you do not have astigmatism, the SPH will be the only value on your prescription (no CYL or Axis).

Cylinder (CYL): If you have astigmatism in either eye, you will have a CYL value in your prescription. We cannot, under any circumstances, fill prescriptions with a CYL value stronger than ±4.00.

While the above SPH and CYL values are at the extreme ends of our range, our ability to fill your prescription depends on your specific combination of SPH and CYL values. If your SPH is stronger than -6.00 in either eye, and you also have a CYL value, please give us a call at 0151 632 6611, Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm. We would love to discuss your prescription in detail to determine whether or not we will be able to provide you with prescription lenses.

Sometimes there may be a muscle imbalance between the eyes. The optician may prescribe a prism to correct this. Prisms are also used to correct double vision. The amount of prism is usually fairly small and helps your eye coordinate better and make your vision more comfortable. However, where the prism is required to be included within the lens, Spex4less has to make a small charge for this (though the charge is typically less than the high-street opticians). The amount will depend on how much prism is specified on your prescription. Unfortunately, you cannot order glasses with a prism via our website. However, if you call us on 0151 632 6611, we should be able to take your order over the telephone.

Yes, we do! The cost is the same as the price of the glasses you see on our site (essentially, we provide FREE, uncoated, CR39, single vision lenses, within our standard prescription range, for all frames).

The best way is to order a similar size to a comfortable pair of glasses that you already have. All of our frames have measurements of the lens size, the distance between the lenses (DBL) and the arm length. You will be able to read these measurements off your present frames and they are always in millimetres. For a detailed guide please see How To Choose The Right Glasses Size in our information section.

If you need a minor adjustment most local Opticians will do this for you, though some may charge a small fee. We also have some useful information and guides on how to do this at home on our blog and send out an instruction sheet with each order. Of course, you may also bring or send them to us for adjustment if you wish. If posting them to us for any adjustment, please be very specific (using a diagram if possible) in describing the adjustment you require.