Opticians charges?

I am very short sighted with an astigmatism in my eyes too. My prescription is always eye watering. And I mean the pun!!

I always go for the cheapest frames I can tolerate, and no extras. Last set of prescription glasses from Specsavers cost me £29 on special offer!

I pay a similar amount for my prescription glasses. Can't do without them so just have to pay up.

Yes, me too. My last pair were well over £400 and that was with a so called free extra pair.

I paid around £700 for my last pair of varifocals (I also have astigmatism and a big difference between my eye strengths)
It seemed like a lot but I wear them every day and they tend not to need adjusting more than every two years, so cost per wear? Negligible.
It’s the quality of the lenses, getting them extra thin or they would look like the bottom of lemonade bottles, non reflective scratch proof etc etc. which makes them so expensive, I rarely pay more than £150 for the frames, but again, if I am wearing them every day - and I do - they have to be right,
I believe I get what I pay for.

Yep, same here. I have a very strong prescription and if I don't have the ultra thin lenses my glasses are like bottle bottoms. Factor in astigmatism and varifocals, double everything as I need sunglasses too and the total price was over £900 last time. This despite choosing cheepo frames.

MawtheMerrier we are in the same boat!

If it's any consolation I'd expect to pay that figure and more for one pair of varifocals by the time I've had the wider field of vision lenses and had them made thinner (being long-sighted, and with poor vision in one eye in particular, the lenses would be extremely thick and heavy otherwise).
Annoying but I can't manage without them so just have to pay. I wear them from the minute I wake up until I go to sleep so for me it's essential to have a pair I'm happy with.
I also have a pair of varifocal prescription sunglasses.

It would actually be cheaper to have separate distance and reading pairs, which I used to do, but it's too much faffing about changing them over all the time!

Coastpath

Yep, same here. I have a very strong prescription and if I don't have the ultra thin lenses my glasses are like bottle bottoms. Factor in astigmatism and varifocals, double everything as I need sunglasses too and the total price was over £900 last time. This despite choosing cheepo frames.

Imagine how I felt Coastpath when Rosie destroyed my current pair (at the time 6 months old) the first weekend I had her!
TG for house contents insurance but I still had to pay the £200 excess.
Good thing I love her

ARGGH! She's so adorable though, I'd forgive her anything.

Thanks for all your replies…looks like I’ve got off lightly!

I do pay over the top. I have Eyeplan which gives me discount on the frames, and I get slightly cheaper lenses
I too have astigmatism worn glasses since I was 5, can't do lenses as I only needed in one eye.
I have Variofocals, thin Nykon lenses without Eyeplan plus the frames (I do like over the top ones) they would be in excess of £1000, I pay about £700 but to me they are worth every penny.

I am extremely short sighted. My lenses are very strong. I wear contact lenses but need glasses also. I got my last pair online from Select Specs. They were £20 all in. I didn't think they would fit/be OK but they are great. I buy reading glasses from Poundland.

I've just been to the opticians and bought Nikon Home & Office lenses with tint for computer glare for £196. The frames were £100. I don't think you can get better glasses than these. My last pair has lasted 8 years and you can see around the room, computer and reading with no problem whatsoever. I have never had such good glasses in my life.

I have frameless and they're even more expensive. Work that out if you can. I never have.

Just to add, I asked him over the phone how much the Nikon Home & Office lenses were and he told me £196 before I'd had my eye test, so I imagine that covers any type of eyesight.

I have been used to paying excruciatingly high prices for years as , like others on here, very short sighted, astigmatism and now needing help with reading. I once tried a cheaper pair of varifocals with a thicker lenses but something about them didn’t suit me, I walked out wearing them and felt seasick. No problems like that with the thinner, more expensive lenses.

What are the requirements for driving? I have long sight. I was told that I needed varifocal lenses to drive in. I am most unhappy wearing them to drive in. They don’t improve my vision. Why do I need to have spent so much on glasses to improve near vision when I can read car number plates at 100 yards with complete ease and also all the instruments in the car. I only really need to put glasses on to read the newspaper at night and for my laptop. I can type on my phone and iPad without glasses. Specsavers seem to think that a slight change in one’s prescription means they can require you to buy new reading type spectacles each year.

I buy mine online, so much cheaper.

I wear my varifocal glasses all day every day and change them every 2 years.

I recently paid about £700 for glasses, sun glasses and reading glasses. And I had a sight test, eye scan and advice.

The cost per wear is not that bad.

My last two pairs, glasses and sunglasses, varifocal with astigmatism, glasses are transitions, so darken in the sun. This was two years ago, £212 for both from Asda.
I’m due an eye test, I may get some new ones.

I had an eye test today. My varifocals from last year are still fine, but I have ordered new reading glasses, as that is where I am struggling. The frame cost £50. Lenses plus one step thinning, plus reflective coating - or do I mean non- reflective? Cost £240.
I have tried the cheap reading glasses off the rack in other shops and they are no good. I need prescription glasses. So they cost.
I could possibly have got them cheaper at Specsavers, but this optician is so very professional and does not get things wrong.

I'm with you Rio24.
I used my local opticians because I wasn't well enough to travel to Specsavers. Non scratch and whatever else they added on doubled the price from £120. Same for reading glasses.
Would have been much cheaper at Specsavers. The advantage is its a ten minute walk. Rather than 20 min car journey. And no other customers there.

My current pair are 3 years old and they were expensive but I have complex needs.