"Look directly on my nose and don't blink", she sprung off her chair and commanded me as I put on my brand new pair of Hugo Boss eyeglasses at Sight N' Steps. I complied. She brought her red marker straight into my pupils and drew a few geometrical lines on eyeglasses. I felt she was holding her breath to gain a precision of a sniper; lest her hands shake and cause her to miss her target. I reluctantly sat there, fully in compliance and let her finish.

As I walked out of Sight N' Steps, I felt I had been fooled the last time I purchased prescription eyeglasses from an online retailer because they didn't do any of what Lori, the licensed Optician at Sight N’ Steps did. That explained the worsening of my eyesight. This exercise made me look further; and here is what I found.

Your Optician to your prescription eyeglasses is like your pharmacist to your prescription drugs. They both need specific schooling, they both need license to dispense prescription products in Canada and they both must adhere to specific practices set out by various professional and legislative governing bodies. In Canada (with an exception of the Province of British Colombia), it is illegal to dispense prescription eyeglasses for any person who is not a licensed optician. The online retailers found some loophole in the system to circumvent this legislation.

If you've ever ordered products online, you know that the Internet often beats a regular store hands-down for convenience. For one thing, you don't need to leave your house. Plus, with just a few clicks of your mouse, you can comparison shop for a great price.

However, you need to consider certain issues when you buy prescription eyeglasses online, because every pair of glasses is custom-made according to your Prescription, and measurements like Papillary Distance, Optical Centre, Segment Hight and most importantly your daily activities. Not only that these critical measurements are different, but everybody's head, nose shape and eyes are different, too. Your Optician takes all this into consideration before suggesting and dispensing eyeglasses.

Once all of the above measurements are done, now it’s time to choose lens material and lens coatings. Following are some of the questions, your online retailer – taking advantage of the loophole in the system – will never ask:

·        Are polycarbonate, high-index or regular plastic lenses best for you?

·        Do you need ultraviolet (UV) coating?

·        What about an anti-reflective coating?

·        Is a tint a good idea?

·        And most importantly, have your online purchased lenses (generally dispensed directly from China) gone through any Canadian safety inspection?

"There's a lot of different measurements to be done, and if they aren't done correctly, you may not see clearly,” said Dr. Samina Khan, Lead Optometrist at Sight N’ Steps. About 50 per cent or more of people have problems with their on-line eyewear, according to Dr. Khan.

“Prescription drugs or prescription eyeglasses, it is best that they are dispensed by a licensed professional who is sufficiently trained according to Canadian standards,” concludes Dr. Khan, leaving me nod my head in agreement and convinced that when it comes to prescription devices, online is a backward choice.