Prescription Glasses (1 Viewer)

[DuxDeluxe]

How many pairs? I got 1 pair of varifocal Emporio Armani Glasses & 1 pair of Kangol varifocal sunglasses at Tesco for £220

Yep, that is about what I paid for the "elite" varifocals at Tesco a couple of months ago. One pair ordinary and one pair sunglasses. It was worth the extra for the better gradient between short and long prescription. Very happy

 

[jezport]

Tough!! Why should the consumer pick up the tab up for a posh shop, and clone dressed staff?

Because if no one does you will be left with no Opticians and no one to do eye tests. Then you will have to join a long list at the hospital for your test.

Along with eye-related concerns, Opticians may even be able to detect other health issues during a comprehensive eye exam. In fact, you may even find yourself leaving the eye doctor with a referral to another specialist because of a specific test that your ophthalmologist performed during your comprehensive eye exam. Here are just a few health issues that may be discovered during an eye exam:

1. Diabetes— Diabetes affects the small capillaries in the retina of the eyes. These blood vessels may leak blood or a yellowish fluid, and this may be discovered in an eye exam. If your eye doctor notices this condition, you may have a condition called diabetic retinopathy
2. Hypertension— Blood vessels in the eye may exhibit bends, kinks or tears, and this may be an indication of high blood pressure.
3. Autoimmune disorders— If the eye is inflamed, this may be a sign of Lupus or another autoimmune disorder.
4. High cholesterol— The cornea may have a yellowish appearance or a yellow ring around it which can be a sign of high cholesterol. There also may be plaques in the blood vessels of the retina which could indicate elevated cholesterol.
5. Thyroid disease— One of the telltale signs of thyroid disease are bulging eyes or protruding eyeballs. This condition is also known as Graves Disease.
6. Cancer— If your eye doctor notices that the structure of your eye is unusual, you may be referred to a specialist. Ocular melanoma can develop in the cells that make pigmentation in the eye. Your eye exam can also help detect skin cancer Basal cell carcinomas can appear on the eyelid and could even spread to the brain through the eye.
7. Tumors— Droopy eyelid or irregularly shaped pupils could possibly indicate a neck tumor or an aneurism

 

[parknride]

Was surprised at Tesco, on holiday in Scotland, think it was Ayr, they did free eye test ( even though we are English) excellent test took his time very thorough. We even used our Tesco vouchers on Tesco boost got excellent value and quality glasses

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[GJH]

Nothing wrong with NHS glasses. They made the frames out of old Lancaster wing struts, and the glass lenses were wartime emergency windows.

View attachment 75861

No doubt good in their day - but don't you think you're growing out of them now?

Tough!! Why should the consumer pick up the tab up for a posh shop, and clone dressed staff?

The reason we go to an independent. First class service without the big advertising and corporate branding bills.

 

[parknride]

I do use an independent local, but all depends if I can find frames I like too...

 

[barsteward]

A low power single vision prescription lens is a pretty simple thing, but if you have a high or complicated prescription then you need a good dispenser who knows what lenses are available, knows what you will be happy with and knows how to measure and fit them correctly.

I agree with you to a point but in my experience with both types of dispense, is that when the test is done the glasses to be sold are left in the hands of a salesperson I have found out to my cost that all lenses are not suitable (dependant on your eyes) for the frames that you would like, But given the fact that the frames to suit your "make up" or "Ferrari" are now in the hands of someone on commission ( or under pressure to deliver targets) you might well find out that you look good but still cant see.

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[Tootles]

Because if no one does you will be left with no Opticians and no one to do eye tests.

And, (of coarse), all the very well paid thank you very much opticians would retrain as highly paid street sweepers? Of coarse they wouldn't! They are on a nice earner just doing eye tests, plus the NHS pays for every script they write. This 'selling snake oil' approach with so called 'fashion frames' is just really a rip off.

 

[Ralph-n-Bev]

I get mine from specksavers. 2 for the price of 1 or 1 and a pair of Prescription sunglasses free. I'm quite fussy , but always manage To get sorted. Lots of trendy modern styles and designer too. When Ralph's break( that's the only time he changes his!) he gets them there too. I must say I've never had a problem with them , or the staff, or the lenses.

 

[jezport]

I agree with you to a point but in my experience with both types of dispense, is that when the test is done the glasses to be sold are left in the hands of a salesperson I have found out to my cost that all lenses are not suitable (dependant on your eyes) for the frames that you would like, But given the fact that the frames to suit your "make up" or "Ferrari" are now in the hands of someone on commission ( or under pressure to deliver targets) you might well find out that you look good but still cant see.

You are going to the wrong people then. My staff gave advice for the best option that would give the best vision and cosmetics. Obviously sometimes a patient can't afford the best and a good dispenser will always try to do the best for the patient. No commission.

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[WynandJean]

I don't know if this still holds true, but I will relate a long and boring story, which surprisingly for me, actually ends in a salient point!
Many moons ago, when I was a wee slip of a lad at 17, we went on a family holiday to Cyprus. Upon entering the villa we were staying in, my mother tripped and her glasses came off and smashed into about a million pieces on the tiled floor. Now even back then, my mother was as blind as a bat, so my mother and father wandered into town (perhaps foolishly leaving me and my younger siblings in the villa!)
About 2 hours later both my mother and father returned with brand new glasses, apparently they were so cheap, Dad got a new pair to save money, and he said that the optician he saw told him that lots of people were travelling to Cyprus, simply to buy glasses.

As I say, not sure if it is still true today, but it was back then!

Yes I remember quite a few years back anywhere in Greece had an optician on every corner. Service was excellent and much cheaper than any other country. As said previously I have not been for several years so don't know how it compares now.

Wyn

 

[Funnymunny]

Back 2 years ago I broke my glasses in Portugal, I had my prescription with me and tried to get a new pair and I was quoted 500 euros !!! needless to say I used my spare pair and stuck the other pair back together until I got home where I paid £180 for two pairs of varifocals

 

[barsteward]

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[barsteward]

You are going to the wrong people then. My staff gave advice for the best option that would give the best vision and cosmetics. Obviously sometimes a patient can't afford the best and a good dispenser will always try to do the best for the patient. No commission.

Glad to hear that but we then have a catch 22 of which I'm probably guilty of.....You've got the best advice but you simply cant afford it, you go for the cheapest option. Result, still cant see properly so what good is the NH they've paid the minimum but wasted the tax payers money.
Not having a go at you mate, just the system unfortunately so many people abuse it that the net result is a negative rather than a positive.

 

[Tootles]

My staff gave advice for the best option

Ahhhhhhhhhh. So you do have an edge then. Thought so.

 

[Jim]

Hi St opticians must be suffering with the online offerings. I'm as guilty as anyone else. I take pictures of books at my local Waterstones so that I can download them later from Amazon. Yet if we lost Waterstones I'd miss it.

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[pappajohn]

Specsavers in Spain (Benidorm, where else) is cheaper.. But I keep forgetting to go in there...

Of course they are cheaper....you only need one lense.

 

[barsteward]

Of course they are cheaper....you only need one lense.

Have you seen what they charge I n the uk for a balancing lens

 

[mitzimad]

Hi St opticians must be suffering with the online offerings. I'm as guilty as anyone else. I take pictures of books at my local Waterstones so that I can download them later from Amazon. Yet if we lost Waterstones I'd miss it.

This is why there are very few camera shops left one staff member in jessops before the went skint described them as ebays showroom

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[Gromett]

My current pair of prescription sunglasses were bought in Spain (Madrid). I couldn't believe how cheap they were and they are still going strong today. They were about half the price of exactly the same frames in the UK. The test and lenses were also around half price.

Not sure if it is still the same today.

The other thing I found which may not be true???? My Spanish sunglasses appear to be a darker glass than my UK ones were. Much better for driving in during the summer. I am happy to be corrected by those in the know it may just be perception bias.

 

[Gromett]

Hello,

@Jim can I recommend these peeps below - I do have their £6 prescription glasses and their £10 prescription sunglasses- Mega

http://www.selectspecs.com

Regards,

Thanks for that. I am ready for new ones, this will save me a few quid. I only wear them when driving and don't care what I look like. I will get a couple of £10 ones for that

 

[wanderer]

Its a bit of a trek but we got two pairs frames and glass in Vietnam for equivalent £10 . Went in the afternoon and ready next morning

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[sedge]

Goa was cheap but Kerala even cheaper for specs as I recall - but there again their air fare and hotel costs might end up costing you more.

Pete had forgotten his Oakley sunglasses the other year so we nipped into Alian Affelou, which is a chain, in Fougeres - or it may have been Niort LOL Anyway - their 'prescription' specs were about the same prices as here once you converted the Euros to Pounds. Happened to look in one the other week - still the same price-wise really, but they did have some nice frames in there!

 

[dabhand]

Yep, that is about what I paid for the "elite" varifocals at Tesco a couple of months ago. One pair ordinary and one pair sunglasses. It was worth the extra for the better gradient between short and long prescription. Very happy

This was a part of my original point, I cannot get on with elite varifocals, in my opinion much narrower field of view and much blurring at the edges, this lense was recommended to me by Specsavers because the optician said it was better than the Varilux comfort lense, had a wider clearer field of view with less blurring at the lense extremities, for me it was not, I sent 4 pairs back to Specsavers, they own the pentax name but, so I have been told, NOT the Pentax optics, which I believe are not the same, and it would appear therefore they made more profit on the "Elite" lense, this was not previously the case which is why I used them for several years.

The point of my post is that the optics in glasses are an extremely personal choice, and are also dependant upon the use you want out of them, ie. I have tried distance and reading glasses as separate entities, it's not for me, Varifocals with the Varilux Comfort lense suits me, more expensive lenses such as Zeiss and a couple of others are available, I have not tried these, good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[Doctor Dave]

I went to Boots and was very happy. My wife went some time later and was told she didn't need new glasses as the ones she had had for four years were still OK. No commission there!

Dave

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[jezport]

If you have anything more than a simple prescription then the service you get from a good dispensing optician can make a huge difference in how happy you are with your glasses, Their knowledge on the latest lenses and supplying the completed item made right for you cannot be done very easily by mail order.

 

[laird of Dunstan]

A friend of mine in Glasgow started his own opticians shop and grew it to three shops ,he was selling discounted glasses ,he did the eye tests etc ,then the company that supplied the frames told him that they would no longer sell him the frames ,the other opticians in Glasgow had threatened to withdraw their business from the supplier
There's a cartell in Glasgow keeping prices high

 

[Wyaye wires]

Get a couple of magnifying glasses Jim...

Wrap them in something sparkly...

Sorted!!!

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[dabhand]

Last time I was in Specsavers a guy walked in and asked for 2 steak pies!

 

[Hollyberry]

France is expensive. Not sure if it's countrywide but where I lived you had to go to one place for sight exam, then go to store to choose glasses.
I go to local SpecSavers. Opthamologist who tested my eyes earlier this year identified a potentially serious problem, immediately sent letter to hospital and I was seen very quickly. Treatment is ongoing but latest combination seems to be helping. Hooray!
I paid less than £200 for a pair of varifocals and a pair of distance sunglasses. Couldn't fault the service.One of my daughter's friends is an Opthamologist and has freelanced at Boots, SpecSavers and other opticians over the years. No matter where you go, cheaper or more expensive, you always get an equally qualified professional.

 

[Doctor Dave]

Last time I was in Specsavers a guy walked in and asked for 2 steak pies!

Surely he meant MINCE PIE !


Dave

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