Pay with pretax dollars.
Have a health savings account or flexible spending account through your work? You can use funds from these accounts, which you build up with pretax income, to pay for eye exams and prescription glasses or contacts.

Buy your glasses online.
You may find better pricing by bypassing stand-alone optometry stores or chains. More than half of consumers who bought their glasses online spent less than $100 on them, compared with a third of those who made the purchase in person, according to data from the Vision Council.

Know your numbers.
Worried that frames purchased online won’t fit well? Look at the three numbers inside the arm of an older pair of glasses. These measure the width of the frames’ lenses and bridge, and the length of the arm (or temple). You can use that information to find another pair that fits similarly—avoiding the cost of mailing back a bad fit.

Look for sturdy, more durable, nonbranded frames.
When it comes to eyeglass quality, regardless of the brand, frames with thicker earpieces tend to last longer and retain their shape longer than thinner, daintier frames.

Skip high-index lenses for simple prescriptions.
Though high-index lenses, which refract light more efficiently than traditional glasses, may be a good choice for those with a strong prescription who want thinner lenses, they’re an unnecessary upgrade for those with a lower-strength prescription.

Shop around for contact lenses.

Since your contact lens prescription will include not only the measurements but also the brand name of the lenses your doctor wants you to purchase, comparison shopping for them is very straightforward. You may save more by finding an online retailer who offers discounts for bulk purchases or for signing up for auto-delivery of future lenses.