What Wherelight does

Wherelight (DBA WhereLight) is a China-based, direct-to-consumer online retailer of prescription eyewear founded in 2015 and headquartered in Danyang, a major eyewear manufacturing hub. The company sells prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses, and kids' glasses through its own e-commerce storefront at wherelight.com, shipping to consumers in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Its catalog spans men's, women's, and children's frames with extensive lens customization — single vision, bifocal, progressive, reading, blue light blocking, photochromic, anti-fog, driving, polarized, MR-8 high-index, and custom-tinted lenses — supported by sub-brands such as FantasyAstral for children and Progressive Partner Metal Frames for progressive-lens wearers.

The platform runs on a cloud-based e-commerce stack with two notable self-serve features: an AR virtual try-on that lets shoppers preview frames on their face, and a prescription image upload that scans and auto-fills prescription parameters to reduce purchase friction. Pricing is unit-based, with basic lenses starting at $5 and premium 1.74-index upgrades reaching $85; frames are bundled with lenses, and accessories (clip-ons, glow-in-dark, ultralight, rimless styles, cases, PD rulers) extend the basket. A 30% new-customer discount frames a heavy promotional cadence, supplemented by tiered coupons ($7/$10/$20/$30 off), flash sales, and an affiliate program; payment options include PayPal and Klarna.

The go-to-market is product-led growth through social channels (270k Facebook, 30k Instagram followers), email newsletters with exclusive codes, SEO-optimized category pages, and customer showcases. The business operates with 11–50 employees, claims 270,000+ prescription glasses customers served, and offers a 365-day frame guarantee and 30-day return window. No parent company, funding rounds, or enterprise customers are disclosed; revenue is generated solely from individual consumer transactions across the three served markets.

Name

Wherelight

Website

https://wherelight.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wherelight is a China-based direct-to-consumer online retailer selling affordable prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses, and kids' glasses with customizable lenses to individual consumers in the US, Canada, and the UK via its wherelight.com e-commerce platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Prescription Eyewear Retail

NAICS

Optical Goods Retailers (45613)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Prescription Eyewear Frames (Optical) (CRAAAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sunglasses (Non-Prescription) (CRAAAKAB), Kids & Teen Eyewear (CRAAAKAE)

Keywords

• Prescription eyewear retail
• Online glasses store
• Custom lens options
• Direct-to-consumer sunglasses
• Kids prescription glasses

Headquarters

HQ city

Danyang

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Eyewear Product Sales: Revenue from direct sales of prescription glasses, sunglasses, and lenses through the e-commerce platform. Customers purchase frames bundled with lenses as a complete product.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wherelight operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform that sells prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses, kids' glasses, and handmade frames, allowing customers to browse frames online, upload a prescription image for auto-fill, virtually try frames on via AR, and customize lenses by type (single vision, bifocal, progressive, reading), index (1.55–1.74), and tint/coating options. Orders ship to the US, Canada, and the UK with free shipping on purchases over $69, a 365-day frame guarantee, and a 30-day return window.

Product overview

Wherelight is an online prescription eyewear retailer offering a comprehensive portfolio of products centered around prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses. The core offering includes prescription frames for men, women, and children, paired with a wide range of lens options spanning single vision, progressive, bifocal, reading, and specialty lenses (blue light blocking, photochromic, anti-fog, driving, tinted, polarized, and MR-8 high-index). The company differentiates through customizable lens types and indices (1.55 to 1.74), specialized sub-brands like FantasyAstral for children's eyewear and Progressive Partner Metal Frames, and value-added features including free shipping over $69, 365-day frame guarantee, and 30-day return policy. The product line extends to accessories including clip-on glasses, glow-in-dark frames, ultralight frames, and rimless styles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Prescription Eyeglasses Customizable prescription eyeglasses sold online for men, women, and children, with frame selection and lens configuration (single vision, bifocal, progressive, reading) including index and coating upgrades.
• Sunglasses Prescription and non-prescription sunglasses with customizable tint options (polarized, mirrored, gradient, photochromic, custom color) for UV protection, driving, and fashion use.
• FantasyAstral Kids' Glasses Precision-built prescription eyewear designed specifically for children, featuring 3D adjustable systems and PD-matched measurements with unique frame designs for age-appropriate fit.
• Progressive Partner Metal Frames Metal frame collection specifically engineered to pair with progressive lenses, featuring adjustability for optimal lens positioning.
• Clip-on Glasses Frames with magnetic clip-on sunglass lenses that attach to existing prescription frames for additional sun protection.
• Ultralight Glasses Lightweight prescription frame collection designed for maximum comfort during extended wear.
• Rimless Glasses Minimalist rimless prescription frame style with no rim surrounding the lenses for a subtle, lightweight appearance.
• Glow In Dark Glasses Specialty frames with luminescent properties for visibility in low-light conditions.
• Eyewear Accessories Eyeglass accessories sold separately, including cleaning supplies, eyeglass cases, and pupillary distance (PD) rulers used to self-measure for prescription fitting.

Quantifiable outcome

• 270,000+ prescription glasses customers served
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Zenni Optical: Online direct-to-consumer prescription eyewear retailer offering extremely low-priced frames and lenses, with extensive customization. Closely comparable to Wherelight on product, price-led positioning, and self-serve e-commerce model.
• EyeBuyDirect: Online D2C eyewear retailer selling affordable prescription glasses, sunglasses, and blue-light lenses with frequent promotions. Directly competes with Wherelight on price, assortment depth, and digital-first GTM.
• GlassesUSA: Large online optical retailer carrying prescription frames, sunglasses, and contact lenses with virtual try-on and in-network insurance. Comparable to Wherelight as a global online prescription eyewear destination with broad lens customization.
• Warby Parker: Vertically integrated D2C eyewear brand offering prescription glasses, sunglasses, and contacts, with Home Try-On and AR try-on. Comparable to Wherelight on the online D2C prescription eyewear model, though positioned more premium and with physical retail.
• Coastal.com: Online optical retailer offering prescription glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses with try-at-home and AR features. Directly comparable to Wherelight in online prescription eyewear sales with customization options.
• Liingo Eyewear: Online-first prescription eyewear brand (backed by 1-800-Contacts) offering affordable frames with Home Try-On. Comparable to Wherelight on the affordable online D2C model with try-before-you-buy mechanics.
• Clearly.ca: Online prescription eyewear and contact lens retailer operating across North America and other markets. Comparable to Wherelight on the cross-border online prescription model with customization and digital try-on.

Emerging players

• Felix Gray: D2C eyewear brand specializing in blue-light filtering and computer glasses sold online. Partial overlap with Wherelight's blue light lens category and direct-to-consumer model, though narrower in product range.
• JINS Eyewear: Asia-origin affordable eyewear chain with growing e-commerce and US presence, offering prescription glasses with quick in-store turnaround. Comparable to Wherelight on the affordable functional eyewear positioning and Asia sourcing heritage.

Broad incumbents

• LensCrafters: Established retail optical chain (EssilorLuxottica) offering prescription eyewear, eye exams, and in-store fulfillment. Comparable as a broad eyewear seller competing for the same prescription eyewear customer that Wherelight serves online.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wherelight?ref=profile
• Instagraminstagram.com/where.light

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wherelight