Renewing and refilling your prescriptions can take a toll on your daily life and bank account. For those of us who wear glasses, Warby Parker’s at-home prescription app makes getting high-quality, steezy eyewear at an affordable price even easier.
Earlier this year, while we were showcasing the new line of glasses, the affordable eyewear revolutionaries at Warby Parker launched an iPhone app called Prescription Check. The mobile service allows you to renew an eyeglass prescription from the comforts of your own home or office.
If you’re an eligible participant — for starters, you must be between 18 and 50 years old and have a single-vision prescription — then you will be asked to take three easy tests via the app. A doctor will review your test results soon. Typically, you will receive a new prescription or a referral for a comprehensive eye exam within 48 hours for just $40. In addition to using the app at home, you can also go to eligible Warby Parker stores or participating locations. Half of the U.S. population is now covered by the service.
Built from the idea that nobody who needs glasses should be forced to shell out a large sum to replace a lost or broken pair, Warby Parker’s at-home prescription check is a cheaper and more accessible alternative to the monopolized eyewear industry and medical prescriptions that are typically only valid for a year.
Co-founder and co-CEO Dave Gilboa spoke with The Atlantic about the moment his entrepreneurial itch started after losing his first pair of expensive prescription glasses.
“They were Prada glasses, simple metal frames, and they fit my face well … I had never stopped to think about why glasses were so expensive. When I lost those, I needed a new pair, and it was at a time when I also needed a new phone … so I went to the Apple store, and I paid $200 for one. It did all these magical things that people couldn’t have even contemplated a few years earlier. That made me start thinking about why I was being asked to pay $700 for a new pair of glasses. Something just didn’t compute.”
Warby Parker’s motivation stems from the fact that almost one billion people worldwide lack access to proper eyewear. In partnership with nonprofit VisionSpring, Warby Parker’s at-home prescription service distributes a pair of glasses to someone in need with each product sold.
If you need tips on how to find and fit the eyewear that suits you, check out our guide to fitting sunglasses.
Feature image courtesy of Warby Parker/Facebook.
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