Choosing the best prescription glasses normally involves finding frames that complement your facial shape while still feeling comfortable. Keep in mind that you are usually not required to fulfill the prescription at the same office the eye doctor wrote it. A rising number of people are taking their vision prescription to another company that sells eyeglasses or ordering the glasses online after virtually trying them on. Trying on prescription glasses is often important to choosing the best ones, either to gauge how well they look on your face shape, if your vision is hindered by the frames, or if they are comfortable enough to wear on a regular basis.

Before making an appointment with an eye doctor, you may want to look over the prescription glasses he or she has available. If there are no eyeglasses that seem suitable, ask for the company’s policy on taking the prescription elsewhere. In some jurisdictions, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, it is illegal for the company to withhold your prescription and demand that you purchase the lenses or frames from them. Once the prescription is in your hands, you can order prescription eyeglasses from other brick-and-mortar companies or Internet retailers, though the latter must be done with caution to avoid getting ill-fitting or counterfeit frames.

Choosing prescription eyeglasses that suit your face shape is especially important to some people. For some face shapes, a person might choose glasses that soften hard-edged features. People with soft, rounded faces may wish to choose angled glasses with curves to accent the face. When paying attention to face shapes when picking glasses, the typical goal is to balance the face and discover visual harmony by choosing frames with complimentary angles and lines.

One way of sampling prescription glasses before purchasing or physically trying them on is to try them on virtually. Many online services allow you to do this, but most of them are fairly similar. These services typically allow you to upload a picture of your face, often advising that the picture displays your face in a symmetrical way with the face squarely facing the camera. Once the picture is uploaded onto the service, you may be asked to identify certain areas of the face, such as the eyes, to help the software work properly. After this setup work, you will normally be able to sample different styles and types of glasses, seeing how all of them look on your face without trying them on physically.