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America's Best Contacts & Eyeglasses

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5.2

Overall Score

LAST UPDATED: January 9th, 2024

America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses offers customers access to over 800 styles of frames for a low price as well as a variety of contact lens options. With over 700 retail locations in the United States, it is able to provide eyewear to large populations. Its mission is to deliver the best value and quality eyewear and eye care for the lowest price.

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The Good

  • Frame Selection
  • Lenses and Coatings
  • Contact Lenses
  • Free Eyeglasses Exams
  • Contact Lens Exam
  • Bundle Pricing

Frame Selection

Finding frames that you like is not always a simple task. America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses offers over 800 different frames to choose from. There is something for everyone. To help you in your search, you can filter the frames online by age, gender, price, brand, color, frame material, frame type, frame shape, and frame size. 

Lenses and Coatings

After you have found the frames that you would like, you will need to select the lenses that you would like. America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses offers a couple of different lens options. They are as follows: 

  • Single Vision — Options for single vision glasses include the basic plastic lens (which is included for free), and the Verilite Polycarbonate lens. The Polycarbonate lens is an additional $69 and is 22 percent thinner than the plastic lens. 
  • Lined Bifocal — If you decide to get a bifocal lens, you will start with an additional $20 charge. From there, you can select either the basic plastic lens or the Verilite Polycarbonate lens. If you are looking for a smaller lens that is impact resistant, you will want to go with the polycarbonate lens. It costs an additional $69. 
  • DigiVue Elite — This lens starts out at $219 (not including the price of your frames). You can then choose the Verilite Polycarbonate lens (which is included with this lens option), or the Verithin (Hi-Index) lens that is a bit thinner than the polycarbonate lens and works well with rimless glasses. This thinner lens costs an additional $40. 

One other option for lenses that is not mentioned with the above options is transition lenses. These lenses cost $80 in addition to your frames and whatever other coatings that you will be adding. 

If you would like to add an anti-reflective coating to your lenses as well, you can do so for $55. This coating will help to eliminate glare and should make driving at night easier. 

Contact Lenses

If you have decided that contact lenses are the best option for you, you will be happy to know that America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, unlike a number of online eyeglasses providers, sells contacts online. On its website, you can select from a number of different brands of contacts. 

America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses offers two of its own contact brands here as well:

  • Sofmed — These contacts are basic soft disposable contact lenses. 
  • Acuvue — These lenses help with astigmatism, are UV blocking, and come with added hydraclear plus. 

The company also offers the following brands online:

  • Sofmed
  • Acuvue
  • Air Optix
  • Biofinity
  • Biotrue
  • Clariti
  • Clearsight
  • Dailies
  • Soflens
  • X-Cel
  • FreshLook
  • Proclear

Pricing among brands and contact types varies. 

Free Eyeglasses Exams

If you decide to go into an America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses location to purchase two pairs of glasses, you qualify to get a free eyeglasses examination. It is important to note that you will only get it for free if you buy the two pairs of glasses. If you end up getting a contact lens examination in the process, you will be charged for the examination. 

Contact Lens Exam

Having all of your eye needs taken care of in one place is not always an easy thing to do. America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses offers Contact Lens Exams for just $89. In this appointment, you will meet with an optometrist who can help you understand what type of contacts that your eyes need. It is likely that they will suggest that you attend a class on contact use in order to make sure that you do so safely. 

Bundle Pricing

Who doesn’t love a good deal? If you are planning on investing in more than one pair of glasses, it will be cheaper for you to invest in the 2-for-1 package deal that is offered. This package allows you to select any two frames that cost $59.99 individually for just $69.99 together. 

You should be aware that this only provides you with the frames for the cheapest lens option. If you would like to upgrade any part of your order, additional charges will be added. 

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The Bad

  • Low Quality Products
  • Poor Customer Service
  • Advertising 
  • Hidden Fees
  • No Guarantee

Low Quality Products

One of the challenges when purchasing products that are being sold for lower prices is not knowing if they are good quality. A number of customer reviews have mentioned that the frames provided in the 2-for-1 deal are cheap and do not last. Those who have purchased some of the more expensive frames have also had challenges with them. Frames have broken, bent, or lost screws within a matter of days in some cases. 

Other reviews talk about the lens quality and clarity not being the same as lenses that they have purchased through other providers (even with the same prescription). If you are concerned about this happening, make sure that you do your research first.

Poor Customer Service

Unfortunately, a number of customers have complained that customer service has been sub-par. Employees have brushed them off when they have gone into physical locations and have been less than helpful. Some reviews report that representatives have rolled their eyes at them as they ask questions and seek clarification. 

This is not true in all cases, but the vast majority of reviews provided online (from a variety of sources) are less than three out of five stars. 

Advertising 

Beware the advertisements that you may see from America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses. Unfortunately, though some parts of them are true, the majority has been skewed. Ads for the 2-for-1 deal fail to explain that you will need to pay for any additional coatings, quality lenses, and a required one-year protection package. Though you hope to pay just $69.99, it is likely that you will be charged over $200. It would be beneficial for you to get online and go through the options in the cart to get a better idea of what the final pricing for your glasses is going to look like before going into any physical location. 

Hidden Fees

Unfortunately the hidden fees that are involved with America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses stem from some of the most basic features offered. 

  • Protection Package — Coatings will resist abrasions, provide 100% UV absorption, and come with a one-year protection plan. Costs $69 for two pairs. 
    Transitions Signature Package — Lenses will darked upon exposure to sunlight and comes with the same one-year protection plan. Costs $128 for both pairs of glasses. 
  • Anti-Reflective Coating — This premium coating helps with glares and night vision. It costs $88 for both pairs. 

If you decide that you would like to upgrade to the polycarbonate lenses, you will be required to purchase a $21 protection package. Though this is not openly advertised, it is automatically added to your total when checking out online. 

No Guarantee

America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses says that it provides a guarantee. Unfortunately, that guarantee is a one-time guarantee that will replace your glasses if they are damaged during the first couple of weeks of use. It has not been uncommon for multiple pairs of glasses to break during these first few weeks. It appears to be due to the quality of the frames. If you have already had a pair replaced, America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses does not claim responsibility. 

Long story short, its guarantee is short term and largely ineffective.

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The Bottom Line

If you have struggled to find frames that you like in the past, America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses offers a number of options. That being said, it does not have the best reputation for quality frames. With largely negative reviews, we would recommend looking to other online eyewear providers before recommending this company. Don’t get distracted by the promotions that seem to be great deals unless you understand what hidden fees might be involved. 

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Star Rating

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4.1

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87 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

59%

4 grade

21%

3 grade

10%

2 grade

7%

1 grade

3%

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Service

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enelson3903 Bowie, MD

I went for an eye exam and to get a pair of glasses and it's almost like a bait and switch. they advertise for a low price but the glass in that price range is not very good. The selection is very good but the price for the nicer glass is very expensive.

2 years ago

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Lena munn Elmira, NY

I'm sure this isn't true of all the stores in the chain but everytime I go I get the wrong prescription. It's been the past 3 times. I've given up and just wear my old glasses. The choices they have are awesome and they're affordable , but it would be helpful if the prescription was more accurate. Also if they carried more contact samples.

2 years ago

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Rhonda Grant Ringgold, GA

I really feel they have good glasses but the last visit I had my fees have changed she said and got better but I can’t see well at all from my contacts now. I feel she gave a bad exam but in the past I’ve had no problems

1 year ago

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Jec Canby, OR

Wait times can be excessive. They lure you in on a great deal and then every little thing is an add on and up sale. So you spend a lot more than planned. But the glasses were fine. And they adjusted as needed.

2 years ago

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Amy Christian Sandy, UT

I ended up changing to another company because every time I tried to call to order new contacts they couldn’t find the prescription and would make me call their eye dr to get the script. So difficult every time

4 years ago

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Cam McClellan Magna, UT

The eyeglasses that we ordered online from America’s best weren’t the best quality but the price was cheaper than other places.

4 years ago

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Mason62of9 Gainesville, FL

I liked the staff, the prices were ok. The finished product did not live up to expectations.

1 year ago

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April Jones Tremonton, UT

The Dr was great and they have good deals. But it is hard to find the glasses you want in the prices they advertise.

4 years ago

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Samantha Grabert Salt Lake City, UT

Was a decent experience, nothing really special and customer service was ok.

2 years ago