Warby Parker

As someone who needs glasses to see almost anything, I love all of the emerging, affordable glasses brands that have been established over the past couple of years (I especially love the ones that do home try-ons). While I was in graduate school a couple of years ago, I mentioned to a friend that I needed a new pair of glasses, but couldn’t afford them. She suggested that I check out Warby Parker’s website and I’ve been hooked ever since! Here’s a picture of my most recent pair.

Warby Parker not only provides affordable glasses to consumers in the US, but they have partnered with VisionSpring to ensure that for every pair of glasses sold, a pair is distributed to someone in need. According to Warby Parker’s website, almost one billion people worldwide lack access to glasses, which means that 15% of the world’s population cannot effectively learn or work.

At first, I was skeptical of WarbyParker and VisionSpring, concerned about how it distributed the glasses that they were donating. I was concerned that they would do this in a manner that’s unproductive (::cough:: TOMS ::cough::), flooding the market and taking away potential profit from business owners. However, after looking at VisionSpring, I saw that the program works by identifying “vision entrepreneurs”. These individuals live in developing countries, are employed by VisionSpring and have been trained to conduct vision screenings. These vision entrepreneurs, sometimes traveling in pairs, conduct vision screenings and often offer “ready-made reading glasses, sunglasses, and over the counter eye drops” for purchase at these screenings. Those who need a specialized prescription are referred to a nearby VisionSpring shop where they can see an optometrist and purchase Warby Parker’s donated prescription glasses.

With all of this in mind, if you discover yourself in need of a new pair of glasses or sunglasses, consider checking out Warby Parker!