For more than a decade, online spectacle retailing has been a thorn in the side of opticians all over the world. Attracted to the cheap prices offered by the internet retailers, many patients were easily persuaded to take their purchasing online.
Some opticians have adapted to the digital landscape, emphasising more of their clinical and dispensing expertise or offering the sort of high-end frames that cannot be found online. Others sadly fell by the wayside.
There has been a sneering cynicism from traditional optics towards spectacles purchased online. Doubts over the accuracy of the glazing and the quality of the frames have long been the talk of practitioners on online forums, along with the resentment of being asked to adjust spectacles purchased online and the reluctance to give PD measurements to their patients who will go away and purchase frames on the internet.
First of its kind
A ground-breaking study comparing spectacles bought online with those purchased in optometry practices may well add some substance to that cynicism, as the results have shown that nearly three quarters of participants preferred glasses bought in practices.
The College of Optometrists commissioned study was carried out by researchers from the University of Bradford and Cardiff University. They compared 154 spectacles bought online with 155 spectacles from UK optometric practices, with participants asked to complete a questionnaire on vision, comfort, fit, and how acceptable and safe the spectacles felt after they asked to wear each pair for at least two hours over a two to three-day period. In addition, all participants and spectacles were assessed at the University of Bradford eye clinic for clarity of vision, ocular muscle balance and fit and quality of the spectacle frames and lenses.
The report’s authors said they were aware of only one previous assessment of online spectacles, a 2011 study entitled Safety and Compliance of Prescription Spectacles Ordered by the Public via the Internet, by the Pacific University College of Optometry. Researchers said while some of the figures were comparable to the 2011 study, it was limited by a lack of comparison with the traditional spectacle purchase system and a lack of assessments of acceptability to the participant, frame quality, frame fit, or optical centration.
Forty-three spectacle wearers were initially recruited by Bradford and Cardiff researchers on their refractive characteristics; 33 with low and high prescriptions and 10 presbyopes, wearing progressive addition lenses (Pals). Thirty-three participants completed the study.
The practical part of the research began in June 2014, after researchers had identified which online spectacle retailers were going to be used. Across five different search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, Ask, and AOL), the term ‘online spectacle retailers,’ was used to generate the top 15 websites. Retailers without a UK base or part of a larger opticians/optometry organisation were excluded and the 10 easiest sites to access were selected.
Participants were randomly assigned five websites and were instructed to order a pair of spectacles from each. They were also instructed to purchase spectacles from five optical practices of their choice, which had to include one supermarket; one Specsavers; one other multiple and one independent practice.
Findings
Participants preferred shop-bought spectacles dispensed by practice staff, ranking them significantly higher overall than those bought online. This was particularly true of the more complex prescriptions used for Pals, which are known to increase falls risk, said researchers. Of the 95 pairs of Pals assessed, more online lenses were deemed unacceptable (11 of 48) compared to practice-dispensed items (three of 47). A small number were deemed unsafe (four of 48 online versus one of 47 in practice). The majority of the online Pals were deemed unacceptable or unsafe because of poorly fitting lenses and ill-fitting frames.
The Pals results highlight the importance for accurate measurements, which, according to the results of the study, is not something that online retailers have perfected yet. It has prompted the College to recommend that the dispensing of Pals by online retailers using online estimations of fitting heights and estimated pupillary distance measurements should be accompanied by a patient warning about the potential danger of falls.
Fifty-eight of the 308 pairs of spectacles (19%) were classed as unacceptable by participants, substantially more of the online items – 43 of 154 versus 15 of 154. Researchers also found a higher rate of spectacles bought online were classed as unacceptable or unsafe due to incorrect PD measurements. ‘When ordering online, this figure is usually measured and supplied by the customer and can often be inaccurate,’ said researchers.
Just 6% of all study spectacles were classified as unsafe, but 78% of spectacles perceived as unsafe came from online suppliers. For 50% of these, the issue was due to the fit of the frame rather than the accuracy of the lens prescription. Significantly more online spectacles (30%) were classed as unacceptable by participants than practice bought and fitted spectacles (10%), largely due to fit and appearance.
Even more encouraging for practices on the high street, 79% of participants said that they would purchase their next pair of spectacles from them. Convenience, clarity in pricing, significantly lower prices and the lack of pressure to purchase were all factors among the 21% that said they would buy their next pair of glasses online.
Convenience, clarity in pricing, significantly lower prices and the lack of pressure to buy are all factors in online purchases
On the study, lead investigator Professor David Elliott, professor of clinical vision science at the University of Bradford, said: ‘The results of this research should help patients understand the possible adverse effects of spectacles not being supplied correctly. This is particularly important for older patients wearing bifocals and varifocals, as frail, elderly patients need their multifocal spectacles to be fitted carefully due of the increased risk of falls in this group.’
The College also made the following recommendations to online retailers to improve their services by providing patients with frames to try on at home, ensuring stock matched website information, encouraging more accurate PD measurements, and by offering a fitting service if not currently providing this service.
Reaction
Results of a study such as this are bound to polarise opinion. Omar Hassan, head of professional services for Vision Express, was understandably positive about the results: ‘This study is significant as it is one of the first to undertake research in this area and highlights the poorer comfort and safety impacts of such online purchases.
‘Purchasing suitable eyewear should not be taken lightly and while cost is certainly a purchasing motivator, glasses should be seen as an investment in maintaining your sight and good eye health.
‘That is why, last year, we invested £4 million in our new cutting-edge technical centre. From our high-spec lens production hub, which turns out more than one million pairs of glasses a year, we offer an unrivalled level of bespoke expertise as well as value for money, with complete glasses from £39. Our customers enjoy an absolutely tailored solution, from fit to appearance to vision correction. Via our computer software, we’re able to advise the best possible lenses depending on a customer’s prescription, measurements and any additional factors. It’s an extra service check that those buying online are missing out on,’ he said.
As Optician went to press, none of the online spectacle retailers approached had issued statements.
Mike Bowen, director of research for the College of Optometrists, said: ‘This study is important, not just because it’s the first of its kind, but also because of the rise in online purchasing. It’s important that optometrists explain to patients that someone trained in dispensing can guide on the shape, fit and appropriateness of a certain pair of spectacles over another, which is particularly important for the elderly.
‘As a sector, we need to prepare for the changing ways in which customers are shopping and ensure that consumers are getting a high quality service from whatever platform they choose to purchase.’
Case study |
Stephen Robinson Forty-seven-year-old engineering technician living in Mytholmroyd, near Bradford. He is short-sighted and usually buys his glasses in a high street shop. He had never even looked at spectacles online before the study. His experience in the study was generally positive: ‘All of the glasses were OK. There was just one pair that was not right, the prescription was out. I bought those spectacles in a high street store. The main problem I experienced with buying specs online was the fit, most needed some tweaking but I didn’t mind this because the price was so much lower. There was only one pair that was really bad in terms of fit. ‘In the future, I would probably buy online again, but that would depend on what I wanted. So, for example, if I was buying a designer pair I would like to go into the shop and try them on, something you can’t do when buying online. The cheapest pair I came across online was about £20, but the cheapest in store was about £50, so if you look at price as a factor, online is cheaper and quite easy. ‘The main problem with buying online is that you’re not sure what they will look like when you try them on, and you’re not sure if they will be a good fit, but the money saved outweighs this.’ |
Case study |
Jess Cook Twenty-eight-year-old woman living in Leeds. She works in a brand and design agency and has been wearing glasses since she was five. The patient usually buys her glasses online and has done so for the past seven years. She found the study interesting, but would not change her habits as a result. ‘It was interesting. I had a brilliant experience at one high street retailer. In the other shops I didn’t feel that the level of service was good enough to compensate for the fact that you have to spend so much more money than you do online. I do also feel that there is a wider range of spectacles available when you shop online. When I was shopping in store, I felt I was choosing something because I had to rather than something that I really wanted. Having completed the study, I feel confident in my choice to shop online. ‘I was shocked by one experience I had with a large supermarket. When I picked up my spectacles, I felt that the wrong lens was in the wrong eye. When I said it in store, I was assured that this was related to the glasses being new, but I knew that wasn’t the case. I did return the glasses and had the lenses swapped, but that could have put me in danger if I had chosen to throw out my old pair as I picked up my new pair.’ |