We have a couple of ground rules at Warby Parker.*

Sure! Jack Kerouac’s Dharma Bums is one of our favorites. (Employees get a copy on their first day, as part of our standard secret initiation rites.) If you like adventure, try A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes. If you’re the nonfiction type, John Jeremiah Sullivan’s Pulphead will knock you flat. (In a good way.)

Most high-end brands do not produce their own eyewear. Instead, they sell those rights to massive companies who design, manufacture, and sell branded glasses directly to optical shops. Those optical shops tack on additional mark-ups to frames and lenses before selling them to you.

We cut out the middleman by designing and producing our own eyewear, then passing on the savings to customers. We effectively sell glasses wholesale (because it makes no sense for customers to pay for multiple mark-ups).

When we started the company, we had two goals:

1. Offer an alternative to the overpriced and underwhelming eyewear that was available to us. 
2. Build a business that could solve problems instead of creating them. 

In our efforts to fulfill requirement #2, we work with nonprofits to train individuals across the globe to give basic eye exams and bring glasses to their communities. You can get a step-by-step breakdown of the process here.

Excellent question. One of our main sources is the World Health Organization, an agency of the United Nations that focuses on public health worldwide. If you’re interested in exploring the topic of vision impairment, here’s a paper that goes into great depth on the subject (put on your thinking cap!). Another great resource is the website of one of our primary partners, VisionSpring. There you can find more stats, stories, and research.