Eye test (refused to give PD )

[bacchuscook]

I am on benefit, I have 1 free eye test a year, on the NHS .

I had my test at the Institute Of Optometry (http://www.ioo.org.uk)

When writing my results I asked the optitian to put my PD (Pupillary Distance) and she said that they do not put it on, unless I am using their services to do my lenses , and that I should check with the stuff in the showroom where I will be given my NHS voucher as well.

The cheapest frame and lenses they had would cost me £25.00 on top of the voucher !!!!

And the guy who wrote the voucher out was not too happy that I took the voucher with me and kept on saying that if I loose it I will not get another one, and that I am responsible for it and that he will put a note in the file that I took the voucher with me !!!! Which was very .........

When I asked the guy in the show room to tell me what is my PD, he refused, stating that it is too much responsibility and that he can not do it unless I am using their services and that I should ask the Dr, but she already told me she will not do it, so I left.


So now I have a voucher which I can not use online to savea bit, or elsewhere, since I do not know what my Pupillary Distance is !!!!

I can't even use it at their centre since with my current situation I can not afford to spend any money, since I do not have any !!!!!!

2 questions:

Can they actually do that ? refuse to state the PD on the result of the eye test, intentionally ?

If not, then who do I contact to report that my eye test was incomplete and request to do another test somewhere else ?


NB
The voucher does not even cover replacing the lenses on my current frame !!!

[shelly]

I buy my glasses online and leave the PD box blank.

[Marty J]

Your Pupillary Distance is the distance between the centre of your pupils in millimetres. You can measure it yourself using a ruler and a mirror (or get someone else to do it for you) by placing the ruler across the bridge of your noise and looking straight ahead.

http://www.onestopglasses.co.uk/faqs/measure-pd-pupil-distance.html

I don't imagine it changes once you're fully grown, so if you have an old prescription with your Pupillary Distance on it, you could perhaps get it from there. I don't think your optician is obliged to supply you with it as part of your prescription (though I would never use one who refused to).

[derrick]

http://www.onestopglasses.co.uk/faqs/measure-pd-pupil-distance.html

The above link shows you how to measure PD, but you can always use the average of 63mm, as suggested on that and other sites.

There are plenty of sites giving similar info, if you Google pupillary distance

I am afraid the optician is not obliged to supply you with the PD, although some will when asked.

Whoops, I have given the same link as Marty J, well great minds think alike.:D

[bacchuscook]

Thanks everyone, I thought that PD was a much more delicate measurement then that.

I will send these ppl a complaint letter.

So on to find a cheap online voucher-friendly site,
any links ?

Thanks again everyone.

[Crabman]

Hi bacchuscook, welcome to MSE :hello:

I've moved your thread to the Health & Beauty MoneySaving Board :)

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere (please see this rule (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=1009335#post1009335)) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email abuse@moneysavingexpert.com (abuse@moneysavingexpert.com).

[jules85]

"Technically" they do not HAVE to give you your PD measurement. Usually they don't so you don't go and purchase glasses online.

In regards to your NHS voucher - quite a few of the online stores will accept them, I suggest having a hunt round to find out which ones do.

[biggurs]

A UK registered optometrist is not obliged to give you your PD unles he/she wants to.
It is traditionally the responsability of the person who is dispensing the glasses to measure the PD.
It is a skilled measurement which if measured incorrectly, the optometrist will be liable for negligent. As a professional person (one that is registered with the General Optical Council UK), the optometrist has certain rules and regulations to abide by.
As it is a professional service, the optometrist is well within their rights to charge for this. Have you noticed that all these sites that make out that your PD is a trivial matter, are NOT allowed to dispense under 16's or those that are are registered partially sighted or blind? That is because it is an important measurement. If you have a particularly strong prescription and your pd is measured incorrectly, you will most likely get headaches, eyestrain and a feeling of being crosseyed.
As mentioned before, if an optometrist measures a pd wrong and you crash your car due to this, then he/she will be liable for negligence. If your uncle measured your pd wrong he wont be. SO THAT IS THE REASON WHY OPTOMETRISTS DO NOT MEASURE THE PD AS PART OF THE PRESCRIPTION. THE PD IS MEASURED BY THE PERSON DISPENSING THE GLASSES and that is why professional optometrists charge more for the glasses. YOU ARE PAYING FOR A SERVICE. You can go back and have your glasses adjusted etc etc. Who wiull adjust your glasses over the internet??? that is why internet glasses are cheaper. THERE IS NO AFTER CARE.

ONE MORE THING....WILL YOU GO TO A TAILOR OR DRESS MAKER AND ASK THEM TO MEASURE YOU UP FOR A SUIT OR A DRESS, GIVE YOU THE MEASUREMENTS SO YOU CAN ORDER THE SUIT OR DRESS OVER THE INTERNET FOR FREE???? OF COURSE NOT, THE TAILOR OR DRESS MAKER WILL CHARGE YOU!

THE SAME APPLIES FOR AN OPTOMETRIST. GIVING YOU A PRESCRIPTION IS ONE THING, BUTTHEY DONT HAVE TO GIVE YOU THE PD MEASUREMENT (which is not part of the eye test..... but part of the dispense) THEN THEY CAN CHARGE YOU FOR IT!

PEOPLE WILL GET THEIR NAILS DONE FOR £50 BUT ARE SO SHOCKED TO PAY £20 FOR AN EYE TEST ONCE EVERY 2 YEARS (WHICH CAN PICK UP ALL KINDS OF MEDICAL PROBLEMS... BRAIN TUMOURS, BLOOD PRESSURE, DIABETES.......) I FIND IT RIDICULOUS.

ITS YOUR EYES!!!!!!!!!!! THERE'S A TIME AND A PLACE TO BE CHEAPSKATES!!!!!!!

[biggurs]

and no I am not an optometrist.
(i'm actually an ophthalmologist)

[timcrips]

I think you can get websites that explain how to measure your own PD. A lot of opticians subsidise the cost of the appointment with the lenses and glasses.... hence them being narked off that you scarperd with thier investment.

BUT I fully understand your money saving initiative

http://www.stingyspecs.com.au/what-is-PD.html
http://www.stingyspecs.com.au/ezine4/ezine4-page4.html

[shelly]

You can go back and have your glasses adjusted etc etc. Who wiull adjust your glasses over the internet??? that is why internet glasses are cheaper. THERE IS NO AFTER CARE.


I buy my glasses on the net and Boots are very willing to adjust my glasses should they need it.

Oh and I think your caps lock got stuck on......

[Ted_Hutchinson]

When I got my new varifocals from Selectspecs I sent my old broken pair to them, they measured the PD and returned the old glasses. The extra cost of return postage was minimal (£1.80) compared to the saving on the new varifocals.

[Running Horse]

When I got my new varifocals from Selectspecs I sent my old broken pair to them, they measured the PD and returned the old glasses. The extra cost of return postage was minimal (£1.80) compared to the saving on the new varifocals.OK, so they measured the PD, but how did they measure the heights which varies with every frame and personal fitting?

Funny things PDs. You would be amazed how much unwanted prism the average human eye can accommodate. Sadly, there is no such thing as an average eye. Sometimes when replacing old glasses the patient will not get on with them because they are used to an incorrect PD. For many people with lower powers it is not unknown for the manufacturers to use a smaller cheaper uncut lens with incorrect PD, rather than supplying them correctly. I have seen many orders from opticians stating "max dec" (maximum decentration).

However, there is also an old rule of thumb within the industry, where you ask yourself if you would accept your mum wearing what you have just made, if not, then it gets rejected. Would you be happy for your mum to drive with a guessed or self-measured PD? Or for your child to cycle to school? What if the lorry driver who knocked over your relative could not see properly? Would that be OK?

As someone said earlier, invest a few quid in the only pair of eyes you will ever have.

[treliac]

A lot of opticians subsidise the cost of the appointment with the lenses and glasses.... hence them being narked off that you scarperd with thier investment.


Then they should charge and we should pay for a fully documented service from the appointment. Then everyone should be satisfied and the customer could buy their products from wheresoever they choose without conflict.

[Running Horse]

Or as a well known online retailer put it, it's like a dentist offering free fillings on condition you pay £100 for a toothbrush on the way out.

[Ted_Hutchinson]

OK, so they measured the PD, but how did they measure the heights which varies with every frame and personal fitting?I chose the same frame/lens size as the broken pair so when they arrived they fitted exactly the same as those they replaced.

[ailuro2]

Can I make a suggestion here?

Go to Specsavers, who do glasses form £25 complete. One of their 'fitters' will measure the distance between your eyes, and then your glasses will fit, and do the job they are meant to.;)

[sillyvixen]

where i work we have an increasing number of customers coming with problems with their glasses they have bought online due to the pd's being wrong. we are obliged to recheck them and generally find the only problem is the pd is incorrect.... not our problem the problem is with the company dispensing ... not their problem either as the order is correct to the details they were given.
a word of warning if you leave the pd blank the glasses will be made up to the centre of the frame and as a lot of designs can be quite wide you can induce alot of unprescribed prisim.
if you went to your dr and he prescribed antibiotics for a chest infection you would not save money just buying over the counter asprin and hope for the best, just to save money, or would you?

[biggurs]

[

However, there is also an old rule of thumb within the industry, where you ask yourself if you would accept your mum wearing what you have just made, if not, then it gets rejected. Would you be happy for your mum to drive with a guessed or self-measured PD? Or for your child to cycle to school? What if the lorry driver who knocked over your relative could not see properly? Would that be OK?

As someone said earlier, invest a few quid in the only pair of eyes you will ever have.[/quote]

nice one.... but I wouldn't be surprised if these people shopped around on the net looking for a cheap pair of eyes!!!!

[wishiwasarichgirl]

edit - just typed a big reply to this then realised it was an old thread that had been dragged up for some reason, but I've left my advice below as it may help someone out :D


many places will have a range of glasses which you can get completely free with your NHS voucher (maybe not a great range but you're obviously not fussy if you are willing to buy on-line) and they will take your PD measurement as part of the DISPENSING process (it is not part of your prescription whch is why it is not included on it). They may also need to take other measurements such as heights, BVD & pantoscopic tilt depending on your prescription, but at least you will know these have all been done properly.

Shop around the high street stores, I know specsavers £25 & £45 frames are free (including scratch resistant plastic lenses) with an NHS GOS3 voucher, and I am pretty sure other places offer some too :)