In today's shaky economy more and more people are choosing to purchase their prescription glasses online. Buying glasses online allows you to buy the same glasses as you would find in any eyeglass store but at discount prices due to the low overhead of running a website as opposed to having to pay for a store.

Step 1. Purchasing your glasses online is the same as buying them at a store, you need to go to the optometrist and get your eyes tested. Even if you have had glasses for years an eyeglass prescription should be updated every 12 to 24 months. Once you have a current prescription the hard part is over and the fun can begin.

Step 2.With prescription in hand, you are now ready to go shopping! Now shopping online is not the same as shopping in a store just because you can't try the glasses on, but truthfully I have been wearing glasses for more than 20 years and I have a good idea of what shape eyeglasses look good on me and what types do not. I find that not having to deal with crowded parking lots and pushy sales people outweigh the ability to try on a pair of glasses. However, if this is your first pair of glasses or you just are not sure what style of glasses would look good on you then you can always go to the mall and try on a few hundred pairs of glasses to see which style compliments your face best and then go home and order them online.

Step 3. If you are not buying prescription glasses you can skip to step 4. Make sure you can understand what is written on your prescription before entering it into your order. If you have any questions you can always contact the customer support and they will be happy to assist you in this step. Most online optical stores will have additional options for you to send your prescription with the most common being by fax or email. Getting this information correct is critical. If you input the numbers wrong you will not be able to see with your new glasses, and will have to return them.

Step 4. This is where many sites will ask you if you want to open a free account with them or go right to the check out. It is recommended that you do choose to open an account with them, and I'll tell you why. By opening an account they can keep all your information on record and next time you want to order a new pair of glasses online you can go back to the place you purchased your previous paid enter in, log in and they will have all your previous orders and you previous prescriptions. Let's say you lose your glasses, just log in pick a new pair and that is it. Now you have to put in all your personal information such as your name and address. Take the time to review what you have put in before you go to the next step. One wrong keystroke and your glasses may wind up on the wrong side of the country.

Step 5. This is where you are given the options of how you can pay for your new glasses. Most major credit cards will be accepted by any reputable prescription glasses website, and many offer you the option to use Paypal as well.

After this you will receive a customer order number you can use to check on the status of your order. That's it! It's just that simple to buy eyeglasses online.