General Chat

I do get an annual NHS eye test but we dont have local NHS opticians

Went today for my free NHS eye test. No change in the prescription but I need prescription sunglasses . I have varifocals for daily use

we are going to Egypt end Aug for 14 nights holiday and I will need sunglasses

Well I had a limited selection because the wrap around are too restrictive because I have high cheekbones !!
Did find a comfy style but as I need varifocals prescription it's going to cost

£474! !!!!! For wrap around prescription glasses

May not be not to far out as last glasses did cost nearly £400

OH thinks he paid about £200 a couple of months go for bi-focals. They have sunglasses which clip on magnetically.

Despite the cost Shirley, the main thing for you is that they do the job :-)

I got new specs in March this year.. I too have varifocals. My eye test was free because I am over 60 but I have had free eye tests since I was 40 because my brother has glaucoma.

Last year I was diagnosed with Low Tension Glaucoma, I have had ongoing problems since February 2014 when I had a retinal tear and needed emergency laser treatment.

The drops I take for Glaucoma have made my eyes sensitive to light so now my varifocals are slightly tinted aswell.

I went to Specsavers and fortunately for me they had a special offer on of 50% off for anyone over 60.

I paid £195 by debit card
:-(

I pick up my 2 new pairs of Varifocals next week (one pair with the lenses that go dark ) can't think what that is called now .These are from Specsavers.Buy one get one free frames.I think the total price for the 2 was £315... OH had one pair of new specs the other week and they were well over £400 :-S(from an independent Opticians)..I told hm he should have gone to Specsavers :-D

It may be a good idea the next time you need glasses, Shirley, to take your prescription with you and shop around.

You just might save a few pennies - as well as having a wider choice of specs.

My son has had several pairs from here, no problems.

https://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/



http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/deals/cheap-glasses-discounts

I would find out if you can buy them cheaper in Egypt and take along your prescription with you.

mine are usually between £400 and £500 - varifocals with reactolite - eye test free on age

Contact lenses are cheaper and give a much better field of vision which is handy for driving and sports. I'd hate to try riding a bike or ski wearing frames but guess few people here ride a bike exceot, possibly, Dermot.

I have some prescription reading spectacles and reactolite sunglasses which I wear over the contact lenses both from Cartier.

For emergencies the DVLA requires people who wear contact lenses to have spectacles in the car. I got some trifocal NHS frames for the massive sum of £ 86 ;-)

When I was at school I got some "John Lennon" round spectacles. These went down v badly with the school such that I was suspended for a while but won out. Some people attract trouble.

I have varifocal reactolite and also have astigmatism which makes the prescription not quite straight forward. My last pair were about £450 in March from an independent optician. I don't go to specsavers since they gave me one pair some years ago that had the lenses reversed!!!

Yeah, astigmatism is a real nuisance. I suffer from it too but those who don't have no idea how can they? Fortunately there have been solutions for both contact lenses and any form of spectacles for yonks.

I go to VisionExpress who are fast and polite with all the latest gadgets.

The lady I usually see is Turkish so the way things are going I'll have to fly to Izmir next time. Never mind my cousin lives there too and we could have a party.

Try Asda. Been going there for 8 years. OH last year had new specs - variflex (nice frame, turned out to be designer) and prescription sunglasses also - £140 - £150. for both.

Always impressed with examinations. Optician insisted for some years on an annual visit by OH. Last week he insisted he sees GP first.

I had new glasses a couple of weeks ago. One pair of bifocals for everyday use, in new frames and one pair for computer work in a pair of frames I already had.

Total cost £130.00. I gather from the optician that the lenses cost the same wherever you go - it is the frames that make the difference. My new ones were £50.00.

Yes it is my lenses that are expensive. I couldn't wear contact lenses my eyes are very sensitive and water at the slightest provocation, heat, cold, some smells, some perfumes.

I got new specs last week from SpecSavers, cost about $250Au. Multifocals/varifocals with extras... they change into sunglasses.

They had hundreds of frames to choose from.

My previous specs from a local optician cost well over $1,000!!

I was advised not to have contact lenses by the hospital surgeon after having cataract operations done on both eyes , different surgeon each time but the same advise given

We use independents now, mainly because we find they give a much more personal service and secondly because we need glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy checks, which the big boys can't or won't do.

We expect to pay around £450 for varifocals, but price varies depending on the frame and lenses you go for. Cost of lenses can vary just as much as frames, especially for multi focus ones.

Of the big boys, in our opinion, Specsavers are useless Vision Express much better. Most of our family have tried both at one time or other and all say VE offer a far superior service, although cost of spectacles tends to be a bit higher.

After three visits to SS they told my grandson there was nothing wrong with his eyes, despite him complaining of eye strain and struggling to read the board at school. They even suggested he might be dyslexic. His mum took him to VE who said straight away he was short sighted. They also recommended that a formal complaint was lodged against SS for professional incompetence.

We get glaucoma checks as part of the standard NHS free eye-test, along with a peripheral vision test. My glaucoma reading is so good (for my age) that on one occasion the optician did it again!!

OH uses Vision Express and has no complaints. However, they are in Glasgow and are so busy that their drop-in service has been more-or-less replaced by an appointment system, so he is thinking of switching to one nearer home.

When I was young I was constantly told to stop screwing my eyes up when I was reading, but no-one thought of testing my sight - pre NHS days. As soon as I was old enough I took myself to an optician and was diagnosed with astigmatism. Brilliant - sudden good vision, no more screwed up eyes :-) :-)

When my son was 5 I noticed that he was screwing up his eyes to read, and promptly took him for an eye test. I couldn't believe the diagnosis!! Yes, he had mild astigmatism but No, he didn't need glasses. Why not?? Because he would become dependent upon them. :-0 :-0 Much better, said the optician, for him to get used to managing without them, as his eyes would get lazy!

We were living in Singapore at the time, so as soon as we were back home I took him to my own optician, who promptly prescribed glasses for close work. Son told me it was nice not to see two of everything!!

I do think with Specsavers that it depends on the actual branch. My sister goes to SS in Hampshire and has very good service from them. :-)

I must admit that I have nothing but praise for Specsavers.

I rang them at 9:30am on 28th Feb 2014 because I had moving "lights" and floaters in my peripheral vision in my right eye the previous evening. Given an immediate appointment. Pressure tests and field vision tests done on arrival followed by thorough eye examination with a slit lamp. Sent straight to eye hospital for emergency laser treatment for retinal tear.

This was followed up by the Specsavers optometrist two days later to "see" how if I was ok.

I had to ring them again 6 months later because I had lost all peripheral vision in my right eye and what vision I had left was obscured by what looked like thick fog. The optometrist phoned me back ten minutes later after obtaining another emergency appointment for me at the eye hospital. It turned out that I had a bleed behind my eye.

So, in my experience, I can not fault Specsavers :-)