As I have worn glasses for as long as I can remember, so when Firmoo contacted me to ask if I’d review a pair of their glasses, I have to admit that I jumped at the chance. I had recently bought a pair of glasses that were not my usual style and I have felt uncomfortable in them ever since. I have blogged about my bad eyesight before (and the awful glasses I have worn over the years), so I am always excited to get new glasses especially when they are stuck on the front of my face pretty much 24/7.
The website automatically defaults to US Dollars and when you convert to GBP I have to admit my surprise to see glasses at £25.00. I have spent hundreds of pounds on my glasses and lenses over the years, so was intrigued to see how the quality would compare. The website has daily recommendations on frames but the selection process is really easy to navigate with well-thought out search filters which allow you to narrow your choices based on frame type, material, color, shape, size, and price.
The one thing to remember is that if you are ordering prescription glasses, you do need an up to date prescription and another word of advice is to ensure that you keep your prescription in a safe place. You know, the kind of safe place that you can remember where it is. This *obviously* did not happen to me. You will also need to know your PD, your PD stands for Pupillary Distance, which is the distance between your pupils in millimeters, Your PD is very important for accurately fitting your lenses to achieve vision acuity. Unfortunately not all optometrists write this on your prescription (as I suspect they want you to purchase in store, rather than buy online) but the good news is that you can actually measure this yourself.
Stand in front of a mirror, place a millimeter ruler on the bridge of your nose (a childs one will do, or a tape measure). Keep the rule "0" measurement is exactly in line with the center of your left pupil. Oh and make sure that you hold the ruler straight (and remember that you should have done your eyebrows if you are going to take a close up photo)
I chose some frames that I knew would suit my face shape and simply entered my prescription and my pupilary distance measurement and checked out. There are lots of lens options, which increase the price (as you would imagine) but the checkout process is quick and simple.
So I waited and was pleasantly surprised to find the glasses arrive within 7 days. (That is quicker than my local opticians!)
The glasses come in a stylish case, with lens cloth and I couldn't wait to open them.
The glasses felt really lightweight, especially in comparison to some frames I have had but equally for the price of the frames, I wasn't expecting them to be extra sturdy. I have been wearing them for a week now and have struggled to find anything I don't like about them.
For the benefit of a balanced review, I would say:
The Pros:
- Good online selection
- It really didn’t take long to find a pair that I thought would be suitable and the ordering process was really easy.
- Option to make your lenses thinner (which is good when you could be mistaken for wearing milk bottles like me)
- Lightweight
- Fast Delivery
The Cons:
- You may need to go into an opticians to get them altered or adjusted slightly. (I didn't but can see how some people should be aware of this)
- Taking your own measurements for pupilary distance isn't the easiest thing to do so having someone to help you might be better than using a mirror like I did.
For me, I am delighted with these new frames, I am really pleased with how they look and feel on my face (they make me look intelligent over a glass of wine which is always a bonus) and when my Mum asked me to go with her to buy some new glasses, I told her that she needs to check out the selection on Firmoo first. So if I am prepared to recommend them to my Mum, I am more than happy to recommend them to you!
