Opticians discounts

Re online glasses, one "online" company I actually phoned to check something and caught the technician as everyone else was away. She said, if you are in the area please pop in instead so we can make sure your eyes and the lenses are correctly aligned. Apparently because you aren't getting the fitting measurements done when you just send away for them, they fairly often aren't centered correctly for your eyes.

I wonder if you send an old pair off they can/will check that?

I had to see a consultant about a suspected problem with one eye years ago.
His advice was always be tested by the same person. They recognise their own notes better and have a better success rate at spotting any problem changes according to him.

I took his advice and now recommend my family do too.

midgey

If you take the prescription there are several companies on line that will send you spectacles with the correct prescription. Frequently much cheaper but the fit is not guaranteed!

midgey
I think you’ll find that with some additional help the fit can be perfect .
Also , you can send off an a previously used or old pair of frames to have new prescriptions fitted into .
I have done this several times over & never ever had an issue 😎👓🤓

Forgot to mention - on most sites you can get some frames to try on before buying. Can't remember exactly how it works, but you sign up, select about six frames and they send them to you. You have to return them in about a week or they charge you for them. I did it but ended up not buying any.

anybody know about the fitting to face aspect of this ?

welbeck This might be a bit late now. If you go onto the online sites there are lots of instructions about how to measure for glasses. It's not difficult, MrA bought his driving glasses from an online site for about a third the price of ones he had seen locally. It's worth checking a few sites because the choice of frames varies quite a lot from site to site.

I went to Specsavers for years.
I noticed some blurriness in my left eye and mentioned it to the optician who was doing the test, she said my eye was fine. But the new specs didn;t correct it, and after several more visits with no changes made I gave up.
Two years later covid struck.
Four years later I went to a small independent business who referred me to the hospital as an urgent case - I had a bleeding retinal vein or RVO.
There, I was soundly admonished for not reporting the problem earlier, as the sooner its treated the better the chance of full recovery.
I had to have an injection into my eyeball every 6 weeks (later reduced to 8 weeks and so on, until now its every 16 weeks) for life. It can be treated so that it won't get worse, but not cured. My other eye compensates and happily I can still drive.
So I pay extra for my frames, and smile.

I had an optician from Specsavers who made a home visit as I am housebound.Two people came to my home. One did the eye test, the other the related paperwork.I received my new specs 5 days later.The optician bought them to me and checked that they were a comfortable fit and that I could see distances and also TV.

a neighbour had optician come to her house to do eye test.
it didn't cost her anything.
maybe it depends on circs; she is disabled.
haven't ordered any glasses yet, as the ones they showed were not the cheapest, despite us specifying this.
she may use the prescription to order online.
anybody know about the fitting to face aspect of this ?

I’ve been using lensology to reglaze old glasses although I still buy one pair from my local optician. I have in the past used both Specsavers and Vision Express but their glasses and lenses have not been as good my local opticians. I prefer the service from independents as they are able to spend more time with each customer. The cheaper glasses offered at the national opticians seem to fall apart quite quickly. DH had a pair that lasted a week! They were replaced. Their current advert suggests they will visit at home. It costs £50 on top of their usual fee.

My husband takes his prescription around the area and he politely bargains with each one. He always gets a good price.

He has always been very charming.

Aveline thanks. I don't buy clothes very often, and my first port of call is usually charity shops.

I agree completely, and would echo this about shoes. I don't scrimp on shoes because feet are so important- however I wouldn't spend £200 on shoes and certainly not clothes. I have had these particular glasses about five years.

My finances are strapped enough already so like you, I have to feel they are value for money which I don't feel my local opticians are now providing.

When you about how much you spend on clothes or even make up, glasses are worth spending on. You wear them every day in life and they really help you. I don't count the pennies on specs but I hate feeling ripped off. Good luck finding a good reliable optician.

Someone warned me off Asda last night! Our local one isn't easy to get to for me either. It seems having read these, a matter of pot luck.
I will go into my local town branches and see how I get on. I think I am going to pay out for a pair of glasses that will do the job I need them too.
Thanks everyone!

Asda for me every time/ Only wish I had known of this facility with them much sooner. I used to pay mega for my specs and now I pay £100 for the complete service from start to finish. I'm thoroughly impressed and happy with their service thus far.

I won't go there then!

I got frames once in Boots. They cost £500. I wore glasses all the time so treated myself to them. Imagine how I felt when I saw the same frames in a local independent optician's window for £150!
Are the Boots opticians franchised? Maybe the one I went to was a dud? It really was bad.

Joseann

If you're shopping around, keepingquiet, you could also try different branches of the same chain. My local Boots gave me a quote. I then went to another branch in a big town 15 miles away and the quote was nearly £100 lower!

😯

Callistemon21

The frames must cost a fraction of the price they charge customers.

You could get your eyes tested then buy online quoting your prescription. I'm not recommending that, but I know some people do that.

It is indeed the lenses that cost the most especially once you have varifocals / thinner lenses / tinted etc etc .
I consider myself lucky that I have a lovely family member who provides this service . It is available online , I am not sure if I can promote on GN though 🤔

midgey

If you take the prescription there are several companies on line that will send you spectacles with the correct prescription. Frequently much cheaper but the fit is not guaranteed!

midgey
You are quite right about being able to order online however & I know the OP stated she didn’t do on line ., you can also send your prescription & frames / old glasses off to have new lenses made .
I do this & there is no issue .

If you're shopping around, keepingquiet, you could also try different branches of the same chain. My local Boots gave me a quote. I then went to another branch in a big town 15 miles away and the quote was nearly £100 lower!

The frames must cost a fraction of the price they charge customers.

You could get your eyes tested then buy online quoting your prescription. I'm not recommending that, but I know some people do that.

specsavers is the best place for low price frames. they have a wide range of frames, high to low prices.

I managed to get an appointment this afternoon- so one tick there to the small optician.

My eye test said there was no change in my prescription so good news there.

However, because my prescription reading glasses were broken beyond repair I was told it would be between £200- to £500 to replace them.

I said I would think about it, as I can't afford those prices.

I aslo asked for a copy of my prescription which she gave me, although as she explained the prescription for my reading glasses had changed, as it was so long since I was prescribed them.

I bought a £2 pair of reading glasses at a local shop but they are really not good for me even after a short time wearing them. I do a lot of reading and writing and have astigmatism so need specialist glasses.

Now I plan to shop around at some more well known chains and see how I get on.

Thanks for your help!

I always used to go to chain opticians but now go to my local independent optician and am glad I did. The Boots one I went to before was dreadful. They use temp opticians and sales assistants who do or try to do parts of the eye exam. I even got an eye infection from dirty equipment there. Unsurprisingly that branch closed.
The new one I go to is much better. Personal service from a real expert. The other good thing is that he's happy to reuse existing frames so I'm not forced to buy new ones every time my prescription changes.

Boots give discounts. 20% of first pair and the second pair is 50% off.