FAQs

BuyNewSpecs are a new company offering customers spectacles made up to their prescription, at very low prices.

At BuyNewSpecs, we are driven to keeping our prices as low as possible. We do this by purchasing in bulk and keeping our overheads low. We don’t operate from a main street store hence we don’t have the costs associated with running such a store e.g. Shop fit out, staff etc which helps maintain lower costs, and therefore lower prices to you.

We offer many of the same frames that are on sale in your main street opticians, (but at much lower prices), and use the same frame, lens manufacturers and glazing machinery used in such stores. All our glasses are checked by our resident optician M. Staunton Bsc. Optom (OP012907)
The lenses are made to the highest specification and all conform to BS2738-3.

You will need an up to date prescription (less than 2 years old), Your P.D. measurement, (see how to measure my P.D.) and a rough idea what size frame you need. How to measure your glasses.

All you need is your prescription from any Opticians. They are obligated to give this to you after a Sight Test as it’s your property. Please ask for your 'Pupillary Distance' or PD at the same time. You cannot order from us if your prescription is older than two years old, as it is likely your prescription may well have changed during that time. Just simply input the details onto your computer screen as they are written on your glasses prescription. Please take extra care with inputting + or – signs as errors with these signs may result in your new glasses being un-wearable.

Due to the nature of how the buynewspecs website operates it is recommended to make seperate orders i.e. frame 1 is to be made up with e.g. antiglare lenses and frame 2 is to be made up with e.g tinted lenses.

Generally you should expect delivery within 14 days. On some orders delivery will be greater than 14 days but you will be advised of any delays and informed of expected delivery times.

You will need to go to an Optician and have your eyes (re)tested. It is generally accepted that your sight be checked every two years unless you are registered blind, have an eye condition or are partially sighted.

You can Post, Fax, or email your prescription to us. (Tip: take a clear photograph of your prescription and attach it to your email). Alternatively you can contact our customer support team. If your prescription should prove illegible, you can request a clearer copy from your Optician - Remember it’s your property.

The prescription is basically the specifics of the lens needed to correct your vision. Most prescriptions will have either 1 or 3 sets of numbers: e.g.
Simply enter them into our form when ordering your glasses. Some might have an extra number (ADD):
All this would mean is that you have a reading prescription in addition to your distance prescription. In this case you would either select that your glasses are for everyday use or for reading (the Optician will have advised you on this).

Your prescription is probably for distance only — an 'addition' or add is only required if the glasses are going to be used for reading or close work. Some opticians use the word 'Add' or 'Near' instead of 'Addition'. If the add value is only written once on your prescription its value would normally apply to both eyes (e.g., if 'Add' +1.50 appears once on your prescription, it should be entered for both eyes on the website order form).

The cyl and axis are used to correct astigmatism. If you do not have astigmatism, you will not have a cyl or axis included in your prescription.

Some opticians may use Latin terms for defining right or left eye. For OD this refers to the Right eye, and for OS this refers to the Left eye.

PD is Pupillary Distance. This is required so that the optical centre of the lens is in line with the centre of your pupil which will give you the best vision in your prescription glasses from BuyNewSpecs.

Most adult PD’s are between 60-64mm. If you do not enter a figure in the box, we will use 62mm for your distance prescriptions (an average), and 60mm for reading prescriptions.

Take a mm. rule and place it over the bridge of your nose with the 0 over the centre of one pupil in one eye and take the measurement to the centre of the pupil in the other eye, If your eyes are very dark and the pupil cannot be seen clearly you can measure from the inner edge of the iris in one eye to the outer edge of the iris in the other eye. If you are still unsure we can use the average which is 62mm for distance glasses and 60mm for reading glasses.
For best results get somebody else to measure your PD because if you measure yourself in a mirror your pupils will naturally converge and a smaller than normal PD will result and possibly make wearing your new glasses uncomfortable.
Only one measurement is necessary any adjustments needed for reading or bifocal glasses will be made by us.
Please input your measurement in the box provided.

No. However if you are uncomfortable with entering your prescription into our online form, you can either post, scan and email or fax your prescription to us. All you need is a current prescription that is less than two years old. We do however reserve the right to ask for a valid prescription.

We do not accept PRSI or Medical Cards. Anyway, our prices are so low due to our competitive pricing policy that we know you will not find our products cheaper in any high street practice.

These are the Frame Measurements. The best guide for you is to look at your current spectacles. The measurements can usually be found on the inside of the frame, on the arm or on the nose bridge. They will look something like this: (example) 46-20-135
1st number - Lens width: Related to your eye size, and typically in the range of 46 (small) to 56 (large) (where the lens is)
2nd number - Bridge width: This is where you nose sits. Typically this is between 18 and 20.
3rd number - Side Length: 130 (short), 135 (medium) and 140 (long) (from lens to the end piece of your ear) We don't quote this number as a high percentage of frames are size 135. Note - Buynewspecs has opted not to display this measurement as it only varies by 5 to 10 m

If your prescription falls outside the stated range on our website, please notify us by email or phone detailing your prescription, and the frames you are interested in. We will then contact you with suitable lens options, competitive pricing and delivery times.

These are light sensitive lenses which remain clear in dim light (or when you are indoors) and then darken on exposure to sunlight (when you go outside).

It allows more light through the lens which improves its optical quality and cosmetic appearance. It makes the lens clearer and allows better clarity of vision by cutting out glare and reflection. Ideal, if using computers regularly, if you work under florescent lighting, or if you drive regularly at night time.

Yes we offer a full range of thinned down lenses (also known as high index lenses). Select how thin you want your lenses when placing an order. Remember the higher the index number, the thinner the finished product will be.

Yes, all our lenses are coated to reduce scratches while in use. We supply this coating free of charge. An anti scratch coating does not imply the lens is scratchproof.

 Yes we do. Please select the variety of additions you require in your finished pair of glasses.

We do not offer Bifocal or Varifocal lenses with online orders due to complex nature of these lenses. We are more than happy to supply them if you are happy to travel to visit our Optician who will measure you for Varifocals or Bifocals and offer you a competitive quote. Call +353 (0) 1 554 9650 for more details.

No. There are important differences between a contact lens prescription and a glasses prescription.

No! You must have an up to date written glasses prescription (less than 2 years old) to order glasses from BuyNewSpecs.

Yes! Depending on the age and condition of the frame, Please e-mail your prescription details and type of frame for a quote.

You must notify us immediately because once your glasses have been glazed they cannot be altered.

You may cancel your order and receive a full refund within a 24 hour period of placing an order.

You will need to contact us straight away so we can determine the reason for this. Please refer to our terms and conditions.

Please return the glasses to us within 14 days of receipt stating your reasons for return. We will offer you a refund, exchange or adjustment of the frame if necessary.

The equipment used by our laboratory ensures that prescriptions are checked thoroughly before the lenses are cut. Once completed, our qualified team will check the lenses against the prescription that you provided to us. All prescriptions are checked and verified prior to dispatch. Should there be any errors by us these will be rectified free of charge.

Yes you will need to select No prescription required. However you are still required to enter a prescription date, select any date to continue and select either driving or reading in the I use my glasses for section

 No, by law we are unable to provide spectacles to persons less than 18yrs of age

We guarantee it. Our payment service providers PayPal and Stripe use state of the art encryption processes so that any of the information that you send us can not be deciphered by anyone. You don't have to have a PayPal account to pay with PayPal.

Even though our site is very secure you can if you wish pay for your prescription glasses by cheque. Please allow extra time for delivery to allow your cheque to be cleared. Please make cheque payable to Athboy Opticians (Our Parent Company). Alternativly you can pay by bank tansfer. Please request for us to send you our account details when you are placing a order.

Yes you can order as many pairs of prescription glasses as you like.

Please allow 7-14 days for delivery. The more complex prescriptions will take around the 14 day mark to deliver, but we hope to have them dispatched within a week

At the moment we do not provide this service. We will soon be publishing our state of the art Virtual Mirror which will allow you to upload your photograph and try our glasses on online.

Please return the glasses to us within 14 days of receipt stating your reasons and if there is a fault we will offer a refund or change the glasses if you would prefer. We stand by the quality of our products and offer a no quibble guarantee on anything to do with quality of our products.

Delivery is €4.80 to the Republic of Ireland (Free if you spend over €75).

Registered signed delivery in Ireland is €8.50.  

Rest of the world signed delivery is €13.50.

All frames are thoroughly inspected and aligned prior to their packaging, and dispatch. They are also verified to the prescription submitted by you on your order form.
If you should need a minor adjustment, such as tightening loose arms, or adjusting nose pads, you can take them into your local optician. A nominal fee may apply for any adjustments.
Please note - For correct fitting of the frame, it is advised to visit an optician - Most opticians will fit, but may ask for a nominal fee to do this.