FAQs

We offer a range of prescription and non-prescription glasses, to suit many needs! Here's a quick run-down but, if you can't find what you're looking for, please do get in touch:

• Non-prescription sunglasses

• Non-prescription glasses

• Single vision glasses

• Single vision sunglasses

• Varifocal glasses

• Varifocal sunglasses

• Screen Glasses

All of our glasses are designed in-house at our Amsterdam HQ, and all of our frames are handcrafted with great care from the highest quality materials, in specialist factories in either Italy or China. You can read more about design and manufacturing processes, here.

At Ace & Tate, we like to keep it simple. We design our glasses in-house and work closely with our production partners so we can offer you thoughtfully designed eyewear from £100, including prescription.

And what about the extras? Find them all here.

All our lenses are made in laboratories from lightweight, impact-resistant plastics, adjusted to each unique prescription. They come in different thicknesses — 1.5, 1.6, 1.67 and 1.74 index and based on your prescription, we’ll choose the best lens for you. From 1.5 to 1.67, we won’t charge you extra for the thinnest option.

All of our lenses come with anti-reflection and anti-scratch coatings, plus UV protection, for no additional cost to you. If you'd like to benefit from our blue light filter, this can be added for £25.

Read more about our lenses and coatings, here.

As for our sunglasses, all our standard lenses come with a sunlight filter of 3, which is perfect for sun protection in modern day-to-day living. We have a few exceptions in our range, which have a lesser sunlight filter of 2. These tend to be those with light-looking, tinted lenses. We don't advise that these are worn for sun protection.

Say buh-bye to pesky glare, with our Polarised Lenses. Working with one of the world’s leading lens suppliers, we’re able to guarantee a 98% polarisation efficiency with our Polarised Lenses. Basically, they’re as good as it gets.

All of our varifocal lenses are produced with the innovative freeform digital surface technology. From this, we are able to achieve highly customised and exceptionally accurate lenses for your unique prescription. Depending on your prescription, the index (thickness) of the glass will be adjusted for optimal results. Our lenses are more precise, comfortable and less vulnerable than traditional mineral lenses.

Our varifocal glasses are available up to a maximum sphere between -8.00 or +8.00 and up to a maximum cylinder of -4.00 or +4.00.

Read more about our varifocals, here.

Blue light is a colour in the visible light spectrum with a short wavelength, meaning it produces higher amounts of energy. We’re exposed to it every day, particularly those of us who spend long periods outdoors, or behind a screen.

Because of this, we offer a special filter that protects your eyes from this blue light.

Adding Blue Light Filter to a pair of new glasses costs £25 above the price of the frame. If you already have a pair of Ace & Tate glasses, the cost to reglaze to blue light filter lenses is £50 + £25.

Don’t need glasses? No problem! Our Screen Glasses are non-prescription frames fitted with BLF lenses to block those misbehaving blue rays.

Find out more about Blue Light Filters, here.

Blue Light Filter lenses do have a subtle blueish tint, so we recommend buying darker-coloured acetate or metal frames if you’re easily bothered by this — the blueish tint is most noticeable when paired with transparent frames.

Our Blue Light Filter can be added to the following prescription range:

• Metal frames with a prescription up to +/-6 dioptres

• Acetate frames with a prescription up to +/-7.5 dioptres

We can't combine our Blue Light Filter with our Ultra Thin Lenses. These lenses have more complicated refraction technology packed inside, and we can only fit so much into a small space — sorry about that.

Our Ultra Thin Lenses (1.74 high index) are our thinnest yet, packing all your needs in a slimmer, lighter lens, so you can forget jam jars that bulge out of frames and slide down your nose.

You can read more about them here.

If you’ve got a prescription above +/-4, then you might like the slimmer look of our Ultra Thin Lenses. If you’ve got a prescription above +/-6 and you want a metal frame (or above +/-7.5 for an acetate one) then yes, you’ll need to add Ultra Thin Lenses to your order.

If you’re not sure what your prescription is, get a free eye test or reach out to our customer experience team, we’ll be happy to help!

Our Ultra Thin, 1.74 high index lenses cost £50 on top of the price of a frame and are best suited for prescriptions above +/-4 dioptres. You can add these to your glasses during the online checkout, or request them if shopping in-store.

If you have a lower prescription, our team will pick the lenses that best suit your needs, from an index range of 1.5 to 1.67, and it won’t cost you anything. Read more here.

Get your loved ones something they’ll actually use (and is good for their eyes) with the Ace & Tate Gift Card.

Pick a gift card value, and add it to your basket to order. Sent digitally to your inbox, you can then forward it on — or, print it out and pop it in a card. If you're a little more old school, traditional gift cards are also available in our stores.

All versions are valid forever and can be spent online and in-store — hurrah!

Introducing our new Contacts — premium hydrogel daily contact lenses, for crystal-clear vision and expressive eyes. Made by one of the world’s leading lens suppliers, our 57% water Contacts keep your eyes soothed and hydrated. All. Day. Long. Plus their super-smooth profile makes it feel like you’re wearing nothing at all. Available to order online as a six day trial pack, or a 30-day pack. Read more here.

Our Contacts are available to buy online only (not within our stores, yet), for experienced daily contact lens wearers with a valid prescription less than 12 months old. If you’re not experienced in wearing daily contact lenses, we strongly advise that you visit a registered contact lens Optician for your prescription and initial lens fitting. Read our guide on how to order contact lenses online, here.

Yes! We offer free eye tests, always. Book online or in store; get tested using top notch equipment and buy your frames (or not, no biggie). Take a seat with one of our qualified optometrists and let us do all the hard work.

Read more about our Free Eye Tests, here.

Following local guidelines, we are offering eye tests in all countries. We are taking strict precautions to ensure the safety of those involved, by providing staff with protective face masks to wear during the test. We also take extra time to disinfect equipment and surfaces between each appointment. Find your local store to see what services we’re currently offering.

Whilst we can’t offer contact lens prescriptions in our stores right now (it's something we'll be introducing in the future — stay tuned), we recommend that you visit your local registered Optician for support and guidance.

Find out more about our Contacts here.

No, this isn't a problem. We make prescription lenses with a sphere (SPH) up to -10.00 or +10.00 and a cylinder up to -6.00 or +6.00.

Prescriptions with a cylinder higher than -4.00 and +4.00 can only be ordered in one of our stores, as it is necessary for us to measure your pupillary height.

We make varifocal glasses with a maximum sphere of -8.00 to +8.00 and a cylinder of -4.00 to +4.00.

We offer a range of lens indexes, which are free of charge; 1.5, 1.6 & 1.67. When we manufacture your bespoke lenses, our expert team will assess the most appropriate index for your requirements.

Ultra Thin Lenses are necessary especially for high prescriptions. You’ll definitely need them for:

• Metal frames with a prescription of +/-6 dioptres

• Acetate frames with a prescription of +/-7.5 dioptres

Shop high prescription glasses.

We offer two main types of lenses, depending on your prescription needs:

• Single vision lenses are designed to correct either nearsightedness (myopia) or farsightedness (hyperopia). These lenses are designed to have the same prescription over the entire surface of the lens.

• Varifocal lenses perfect for those who need both near and distance corrections. Instead of constantly changing between two pairs of glasses, keep things easy with a pair of glasses with our free-form designed Varifocal lenses.

Read more about our Varifocal Glasses, here.

Absolutely. In 2019, we improved our varifocal product even further, now offering high-quality lenses from one of the industry's best producers.

A pair of varifocal glasses, including prescription lenses, costs £300. The price for our varifocal sunglasses is £350.

We offer varifocal glasses up to a maximum sphere between -8.00 or +8.00 and up to a maximum cylinder of -4.00 or +4.00.

If shopping varifocals, we always recommend visiting one of our stores if that's possible. See here for more information on our varifocal glasses.

Again, that’s no problem. We charge no additional costs for this.

Read more about common eye corrections, here.

Wanna get your glasses just right? Then it’s important you know your Pupillary Distance — or PD for short. Simply put, it's the difference between the centre of your right pupil and the centre of your left pupil, measured in millimetres.

If your PD isn’t right, it can cause eye strain, fatigue, or simply not being able to see properly. The higher your prescription, the bigger the effect an incorrect PD can have.

If you're visiting one of our stores, our lovely team will measure your PD in a few seconds.

If you're shopping online, use our online tool for the quickest way to figure out your PD.

Yes. These are two very different prescriptions and they are not interchangeable. For a glasses prescription, please book a free eye test in one of our stores. Whilst we can’t offer contact lens prescriptions in our stores right now (it's something we'll be introducing in the future — stay tuned), we recommend that you visit your local registered Optician for support and guidance. Read more on prescriptions here.

Technically speaking, our lenses have a Base Curve of 8.4mm but, being an advanced aspheric optical design, they’re actually a comparable fit to other popular products in the market that have a Base Curve of 8.5mm to 8.6mm — all of which are considered to have a "regular fit".

Ace & Tate Contacts are designed to comfortably fit over 90% of wearers in this “regular fit” range.

Our advice? Give them a go and see for yourself.

If it’s been a while since you’ve worn daily contact lenses, read our tips on how to apply and remove contact lenses here. If you’re not experienced in wearing daily contact lenses, we strongly advise that you visit a registered contact lens Optician for your prescription and initial lens fitting. For additional advice on the dos and don’ts of wearing contact lenses, have a read of this.

We offer free shipping and returns in some countries, and free shipping with paid returns in others.

See here for more details on our Shipping & Returns.

Due to the spread of COVID-19, some of our policies have changed. Please check here for the latest information.

The delivery time of your glasses will depend on your prescription. The higher and more complex it is, the more time our specialists may require to create your bespoke lenses.

On average, we deliver within a 6-10 business day period for all Single Vision Glasses. Varifocal Glasses can take up to 14 business days, as these are particularly complex prescriptions.

Non-prescription Sunglasses are quicker, of course! We aim to have these with you within 5 business days.

Read more about Shipping & Returns, here.

If you're not completely satisfied with your new glasses, you can always return them to us within 30 days – no questions asked. This also includes prescription (sun)glasses.

With regards to contact lenses, only contact lens products which are unopened and of which the seal has not been affected can be returned. Contacts orders must be returned by request, though — reach out to hello@aceandtate.com to request a return form from our team.

Read our 30 Day Returns Policy, here.

Yes, after we've received your order back, and without the product being exchanged for an alternative, we will reimburse the purchase price and initial delivery costs (if any) as soon as possible.

In the event of an exchange, the purchase price of the exchanged product will be deducted from the purchase price of the returned order.

We provide a two year warranty on all our products. If you have a problem with your product, please bring it to your local store, or contact us. Our team will be more than happy to help you find a solution.

We understand that every case is unique, but we do have a general approach to dealing with glasses damaged during the two year warranty period.

We can’t replace them if the following applies to your glasses:

• They were damaged deliberately or through neglect

• They have been used improperly or carelessly

• They have normal wear and tear

• They have been damaged by cleaning without following our care guide

If your frames are damaged beyond repair outside of the two year warranty period, we’re sorry, but we can’t replace them. Maybe it’s time for a new look?

Do you feel great in them? In our opinion, that’s what truly matters. However, if you still need a little more assurance, there are a few basic rules which you can follow in order to find the perfect pair of glasses for you:

• Your pupils look through the middle of the lens

• The lenses are not much wider than your face

• We recommend you pick a frame that does not sit in front of your eyebrows, so you can still see all of your facial expressions

• The glasses should not slide off your nose

Of course, if you’re still stuck, we’d love to help you pick something out.

You can also try your hand at our Virtual Try-On feature as well as Home Try-On to help make your decision a little easier.

Can’t get to one of our stores? Stay right where you are, we've got this.

1. Pick four optical frames and we’ll send them to you to try for free! If you’re struggling to narrow it down, you can always take some specs for a spin with our Virtual Try-On.

2. Your frames (with placeholder lenses) will be delivered within a few days. You’ll have five full days to give them a road-test.

3. Quite a few selfies later, pick a winner and send all four frames back to us for free with packaging provided (just note down which ones you liked best).

4. Order your glasses online — make sure you know your prescription. We’ll get your brand spanking new specs to you within 10 working days. Wasn’t that easy?

Read more about Home Try-On, here.

We offer a home try-on service in The Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium and France.

Due to the current situation with COVID-19 some of our policies may change. Please see here for the latest information.

Please note that Home Try-on is not currently available for our sunglasses collection. We hear your feedback and are looking into options for the future!

This online service allows you to virtually try on different frames and record yourself while you’re at it. To give it a go, simply select the ‘try online’ button found on the right hand side of each product page. Want to know more? Head over here!

If you want a new pair of glasses, we can have them ready for you on the same day you order them — we call them Same Day Glasses. As long as you have a written copy of your prescription, or are an existing Ace & Tate customer, we can help you out in any of our stores.

We can produce the following Same Day Glasses:

• Single Vision Glasses between -6.00 and +4.00 and a cylinder of up to -2.00

• Single Vision Sunglasses, but for a lesser range of prescriptions. We suggest calling the store ahead of visiting, to see if we can help you

We cannot produce:

• Varifocal Glasses on the same day. These require specialist production skills, managed by our lens supplier

• Single Vision Glasses if we don’t have stock of your prescriptions lenses. You can always call the store ahead of visiting, to check we have them!

We charge an additional £25 for this service, which we think is a small price to pay for the instant gratification of getting your glasses so quickly. It’s worth noting that, if you decide to return your glasses, the same-day fee is non-refundable.

Read more about same day glasses, here.

Sometimes your glasses won’t fit perfectly when you’ve just received them. Here are some signs of poorly fitting frames:

• You get dizzy when you wear them

• They slip down your nose

• The arms don’t fully sit on your ears

• You feel pressure on the wrong points – e.g. on your temples (too tight or too loose)

• The nose pads aren't dividing pressure evenly (they don’t sit straight)

These can all be easily fixed with small adjustments. If you buy your glasses in one of our stores, our retail staff will make sure they fit properly (but don’t be afraid to come back if you need a few tweaks).

If you purchase your Ace & Tate frames online, we can still adjust your glasses free of charge, and without an appointment, in all of our stores. Pop by any time.

If you don't live close to one of our stores, we suggest you visit a local optician - most will be happy to help for a small fee.

Read more on glasses adjustments, here.

Sometimes, you just want new lenses, instead of a whole new frame. Replacing old lenses with new ones is called reglazing. You may need to reglaze your glasses if they are scratched, or if you've got an updated prescription.

Our retail staff can reglaze your Ace & Tate glasses in all of our stores, but it’s best to call ahead to check if we’ve got your prescription in stock — it saves you coming by for nothing. We can also order the right lenses for you in advance.

If you don’t live nearby, get in touch with our customer services team and, together, we’ll arrange for your Ace & Tate frames to be returned to us for reglazing.

Read more on reglazing, here.

We've got lots of stores! Not only can you shop our collection IRL, but you can enjoy a free eye test (always), benefit from complimentary style advice from our friendly store team, plus have your glasses adjusted at no cost. You can even have new glasses made in the very same day.

Find your closest store, here.

Your health insurance may cover eye care. Before you purchase frames at Ace & Tate, it's best to check with your insurance provider whether these would be covered for reimbursement. This is completely dependent upon your insurer and the policy you hold.

Before you flash your cash, keep in mind that we only accept payment with credit and debit cards.

Check your visual acuity (sharpness) with our online Vision Screener — offered in partnership with Easee — to discover if you need glasses or a prescription update.

We only offer the Vision Screener in The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

If you have glasses and want to find out what your prescription is, have a go with our Prescription Checker. Scan your glasses using your phone and computer and, hey presto — we’ll tell you all the important numbers.

Our glasses need a little TLC every now and then, to help them look good and even extend their life. They go through a lot, sitting on our noses every day, so why not show them some love?

Our cleaning kit is complete with all the necessary tools to keep your glasses looking as good as new, for as long as possible. The kit includes: a cleaning cloth, spray bottle with a bamboo fibre cap and 100% natural cleaning liquid — plus, we offer free unlimited refills in all of our stores.

Read our guide to cleaning and caring for your glasses, here.

Already got your Varifocal Glasses? Read this and you’ll be getting on in no time.

1. Go home

Relax, eat a snack, pick up a book. Get used to the different depths and see how your varifocal glasses feel, but do it at home. Safety first.

2. Move it, shake it

Your head, that is. Tip the point of your nose towards whatever you’re looking at, and keep your chin up when you’re reading something. That way, you’re using the correct part of the lens every time.

3. The perfect fit

Your glasses might not sit right on the first try. It’s important that you’re looking through the right part of the lens, so come in and we’ll adjust them there and then, free of charge.

4. Things feeling strange?

Some people might experience some blurriness at the edge of the lenses. It might take a few days or even a couple of weeks to get used to, but don’t worry, it’s completely normal.

Still not right? If your peepers are still not right after two weeks, then book in an eye test at one of our stores and we’ll make any necessary changes. Again, it’s on us.

When you first receive your new frames, you may find that looking through the lenses feels a little strange. It can take up to two weeks for your eyes to fully adjust to your glasses. However, you know your eyes better than anyone else and, if you're experiencing more than on-boarding issues, do get in touch with us and we'll advise best next steps.

Note: Don’t wear your frames if they are causing blurriness, since this could be dangerous.

As every frame fits an individual face shape differently, it's common for us to carry out a few adjustments to get the lenses in the correct place in relation to your eyes and ears.

Read more about how to adjust your glasses, here.

Honestly, we cannot claim our frames are truly sustainable, as the production, shipping and retail process all require fossil fuel-based materials to be used. We are making major progress in producing frames of 100% biodegradable and recyclable acetate. In 2019 we began introducing this “bio acetate” for the first time, and we are continuously rolling out more colours. You can now filter all of our frames on the webshop to see which of our frames contain biodegradable acetate. Browse here.

Packaging made up 50% of our total environmental footprint in 2017, so it became immediately clear that we had to do better here. We made some major changes, redesigning our cotton tote bags, eyewear cases and cloths. Furthermore, we cut out unnecessary packaging materials and switched to recycled and recyclable materials.

These are our humble design principles for packaging, where protection and functionality take the lead:

• Reduce and eliminate all packaging that’s not functional

• Re-use and swap single-use for multiple-use packaging

• Recycle: find waste or surplus materials from other value chains to feed our packaging, and reduce the material complexity to simplify recycling after use.

Read more about our packaging, here.

No animals were harmed in the making of our frames, cloths or packaging. We are designing a new glasses case without glue to be introduced in 2020, to make sure all products are truly vegan. In 2020, we hope to become a PETA-approved vegan company.

Regular acetate is made from cellulose granules, that have a base of wood pulp or cotton. The cellulose is mixed with a pigment and an oil-based plasticiser to create the sleek looking, durable acetate sheets that most our frames are made of.

Bio acetate, on the other hand is made with a bio-based plasticiser. This makes the material biodegradable (after 115 days in industrial setting), but not compostable. It has a lower carbon footprint and that it reduces our reliance on non-renewable resources.

Lastly, the material is more easily recyclable than regular acetate. Neat, huh?

Shop our bio acetate frames, here.

Is your frame broken? Depending on the issue, it might be within the two year warranty. Please reach out to our customer experience team, or speak to our retail team in store - they will help you further.

If your prescription needs updating but you still love your current frame, you can simply reglaze your lenses from £50.

Simply have no use for your frames anymore? Visit Reframe.

With Reframe, you can shop quality eyewear, at a lower environmental cost. It’s one of the steps on our journey to becoming a more responsible company #wereworkingonit.

Reframe has two halves — first, we collect your worn Ace & Tate frames, refurbish and polish them up so they’re ready for a second life. Then, we resell the refurbished eyewear in selected stores.

Get access to a carefully curated collection of pre-owned frames and discontinued designs from our archive on Depop. Shop refurbished opticals and sunnies that look as good as new, in super limited numbers. We drop new frames on Depop all the time, so keep coming back for updates.

Doing our part to help stop COVID-19 from spreading is naturally at the top of our agenda. We have taken many steps to protect our staff and customers and are constantly reviewing our measures. You can find out more on our dedicated and regularly-updated COVID-19 page.