Glasses Direct

Glasses Direct, a British online optician with more than a thousand frames

Glasses Direct is a UK online optician operating under the company MyOptique Group Ltd. It was founded in 2004 on the initiative of an individual looking for affordable prescription glasses and, according to its own presentation, has become the country's leading online glasses store, with more than three million customers a year. The company has been part of the Essilor International group since 2016, the year it was acquired; Essilor and Luxottica later announced the merger of their businesses.

Its catalogue features more than a thousand frames, with options for men, women and a dedicated section for prescription sunglasses. The company states that its customers save an average of 49% compared with their previous purchase on the high street, a figure taken from a survey cited by the company itself.

Frames, lenses and brands available

The frame range includes budget models from £9, colour options, new arrivals and a selection of designer brands. Among the names advertised are Tiffany & Co., Ralph, New Balance, Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Ralph Lauren, Emporio Armani, Gucci, Oakley and Ray-Ban. The company also sells designer frames in 2 for 1 promotions and a premium designer line from £68 with basic lenses included.

In the lens category, the catalogue covers single-vision, bifocal and varifocal lenses, as well as treatments and coatings such as LensProtect+, Transitions lenses, Transitions Ultra Dynamic, Transitions Drivewear, polarised lenses, photochromic lenses, KODAK lenses and options for filtering blue-violet light. It also offers lenses for prescription sunglasses and a sunglasses lens colour guide.

Home trial, returns and optical service

One of the standout services is the free home trial, which lets you receive the glasses at home before deciding whether to buy. The company offers free returns for 120 days with no questions asked and free delivery on all orders over £95. It also has a fitting device called the Best Fit Machine and a virtual try-on tool to see how frames look on your face in real time.

The team includes nine qualified opticians who check every order and prescription to make sure everything is correct. The customer service team handles queries about prescriptions, lenses and even style advice. The company has its own warehouse in Nottingham.

Promotions and customer programmes

The offers catalogue includes a welcome promotion of two pairs from £15, a 2 for 1 offer, glasses on sale with discounts of up to 50%, free varifocals, a free second pair, 50% off for students, a refer a friend programme, 20% off premium designer glasses with the code BTQ20, two varifocal glasses for £89 and two prescription sunglasses for £39. The company also publishes guides on face shape, understanding your prescription, eye health and how to choose your frame size.

Ratings and commitment to transparency

The company states that it is rated 'Excellent' on Trustpilot and presents itself as the UK's most-trusted online prescription glasses retailer. On ethics and sustainability, it declares that its customers deserve to be told where and how products are created, the materials they are made from, who they are produced by, how workers are treated and what environmental effect the products have throughout their journey.