A Clear View on Zenni Optical

by Amanda Mowery

Buying a pair of glasses online can be a blurry subject, but Zenni Optical makes this topic clearer than ever.

Zenni Optical was founded in 2003 based on the idea that high quality glasses should be affordable. Zenni also set out to make ordering glasses online an easier process than it’s ever been before. However, Zenni is not the only online glasses company with these goals so it can be hard to determine what glasses are legit. 

WVU Parkersburg student and education major, Sydney Cline, decided to try out Zenni Optical after a close friend, with several pairs of Zenni glasses, recommended them to her. Cline had been on the search for a new frames that were different from ones she already had and, luckily for her, Zenni had a huge variety of styles. At this point, Cline had tried other online glasses companies but was mostly excited to try out Zenni because they are affordable for college students as one pair starts out at $6.95.

Cline explains that when browsing through the frames online, Zenni has a virtual try-on feature. Zenni walks customers through a process of videos moving the head side to side, and then the selected frames appear on their face. Cline used the virtual try-on before purchasing a pair of glasses, and said it was realistic and gave her a good idea of what they would and did look like in real life when she received them. 

After selecting a pair of frames, Cline inserted her prescription from a recent eye exam into the Zenni website. Cline explains this process is easy because Zenni walks customers through it step by step. Zenni also offers Blokz in their lenses to prevent FryEye and blocks out dangerous blue light from electronic screens and UV rays. FryEye is the result of being exposed to too much blue light making eyes feel tired, dry, blurry and irritated.

Zenni claims their frame shipping takes 14-21 days. Cline recalls placing the order on Feb. 18 and the frames were shipped on Mar. 2. After quickly receiving the frames in the mail, Cline was pleased with the purchase.

Not only did the frames end up fitting Cline’s face just as they did in the virtual try-on, but the prescription was accurate as well. 

“They are affordable, durable and reasonable,” Cline said.

 Zenni offers a variety of styles of frames personalized for customer’s individual needs, and the best part is the glasses are affordable for anyone, especially college students. 

Cline highly recommends Zenni Optical to friends, family and the several people that have complimented her frames because they have a style for anyone even men and kids. Zenni also offers sunglasses, clip-ons, colored lens tints and polarized lenses. Even if a customer isn’t quite sure what frames would flatter their face shape, Zenni also has a YouTube channel and creates content to help customers find exactly what they are looking for. 

The quality of the Zenni glasses frames is as remarkable as the prices and the deals they offer. “The glasses are just as good of quality as the Ray Bans I have, but at a much lower price. The prices make it accessible for everyone to have cute, stylish glasses without paying an outrageous price for a popular fashion brand,” Cline said.