Free glasses frames for children

[Jolaaled]

I took my son to opticians this week, as needs stronger lenses. When i asked about 'NHS frames' the optician said that these no longer existed, but that he did have some cheap ones .....at £16!!!!!. i said that i couldn't really afford that, and so he miraculously found some very nice frames that he said there would be no charge for!!!!

Is this true???? that there are no longer free frames for kids??? ...(apart from those only given to people like me, who make it clear that they're not about to pay??!!)

[mini]

Sounds like a con to me, I took my daughters prescription to Boots & they said I'd need to pay £150 for each pair for the type of lens that was recommended, NHS didn't cover it, walked out very upset & wondering how on earth I'd pay that for 2 pairs to another opticians who said they could do it for the value of the NHS voucher/prescription/piece of paper I had.


Well worth shopping around as I have found the frames vary a lot, they are some latest design ones which you have to pay extra for even in Asda opticians they are flexible & bend like you wouldn't believe!

mini

[russ c]

Sounds like he was trying it on! we always get them on the NHS for my daughter from specsavers

[Jolaaled]

Well done, mini..glad you managed to find an optician that would provide your child with free frames.
I personally think it's pretty outrageous that some opticians will happily insist on charging crazy prices for children who need glasses.
it seems really unfair. After all, you don't expect your child's dentist to charge you for fillings/braces when they really need them.

[bethscott1970]

There are no such things as "National Health frames" anymore. Each child gets a NHS voucher with their prescription and this can be used for either the full cost or to go towards glasses. Remember you don't have to get the glasses from where you had the eye test just ask for the voucher and go where it's cheaper. The voucher value depends on the prescription to a certain extent as well, ie my son (12) gets a higher value voucher than my daughter (11) because he needs bifocal glasses and flexible frames due to various disabilities and she's just short sighted. There will always be opticians that take advantage but there again there will always be people (and children!) that insist on designer names even for glasses

[Jolaaled]

thanks Beth. I'm just annoyed that my optician gave me absolutely no indication that it was even possible to get free frames, until I specifically asked. They should be far more upfront about what is available, i think. There must be some sort of Code of Conduct for opticians.

[Trow]

I am afraid the optician is right - having said that opticians *usually* offer very cheap or free frames for kids.

What happens now is a kid is entitled to a voucher that covers a certain amount of money off the cost of spectacles, and it is entirely up to the optician what price they supply their goods at.

The change came about some time ago - if you remember the NHS frames were pretty awful in a choice of brown pink or blue. This systems does offer more choice to the individual and IMO is a better system (I am saying that as someone that had no choice but to wear brown NHS frames for 4 years, and have been wearing glasses ever since).

The advice to shop around is sound.

[Glad]

the voucher value depends on the prescription needed,

different opticians will have frames at different prices so shop around, some will offer you more than the value of the voucher to get your business

my daughters lenses would be 3/4 cm thick if I got the ordinary lenses but I pay £100 extra so she can have thinner ones, I also pay around £60 so she can have the narrowest frames possible as the lenses are still on the thick side and smaller means lighter,
she also wears contact lenses for sports and special occasions and I buy her 12 pairs a month for £12

after saying all that though the voucher is usually enough to get some lovely frames free I just choose the narrower type because of the thickness of the lens

[Foxy]

i found specsavers to be the best. a week ago both my girls i found needed glasses and (i had took them there for an eye test from my previous experience with bying glassses) the mention of money didnt come up they got given a section to chooses from and even when my daughter wanted gold ones she went to another section and let her choose between a gold pair and the one she had eventually chosen just to make sure she got the ones she really wanted. no mention of money ever came up. a few years ago now i went to conlons and although i had a voucher they charged me 40 quid on top as i have one eye that needs a pretty think lense. well now for mine i go to specsavers and it never costs me a penny and they are usually ready the same day or next day so may be worth going to see them next time your son needs the4m or if you havent already got them you could try taking your prescription to other opticians as you dont have to get the glasses the same place you got his eye tests if i remember right you just need the prescription as that was what i did when i got a prescription the first time for my daughters glasses as got it from the hospital. hope that helps:)

[divadee]

I can second asda for frames, little miss divadee had her eyes tested and while we were waiting i was looking at the glasses for kids, they had some that were free and then they had the bendy ones that mini mentioned, they were amazing and a brilliant idea for kids i think. i think you had to pay an extra £20 for them, but i thought that was cheap considering how easy it is to break glasses (well i break mine thats for sure). Little miss divadee was saying i want them ones i want them ones, she came out very dissapointed when she didnt need glasses :D i think they are a fashion thing now, i hate my glasses but she really wants some :confused: shes only 7 by the way

[Swampmonster]

they are for chidren specsavers

[soupset]

I love reading all your posts and have to question how much value you people put on your and your childrens vision. How cheap can I get it, where can I get a free test, they are ripping me off, why should I have to pay. It is the language of people who truly do not understand what they are getting for the money. Lets start with the children. Did you know that 80% of the damage done to eyes by UV light is done before the age of 18. Why because children spend more time outside, they have larger pupils and clearer ocular media. UV is responsible for macular degeneration, cataract formation and other diseases. Would any of you pay for a lens that provides 100% UV protection for your children. I doubt it because you all think your optician is trying to rip you off. If a child wore decent sunglasses or if correction was needed a photochromic lens up until the age of 20 then macular degeneration would be almost entirely eradicated. The biggest cause of blindness in the western world gone. But because you all believe that your optician is trying to swindle you then you wont listen and will buy the cheapest, most basic optical appliance you can.
Cheap works, it will correct yours and your childrens vision. But surely you want to see as well as is possible not well enough to get by.
Coatings on lenses protect them from scratching, make them easier to clean and to care for and crucially can give clearer sharper vision, increase contrast sensitivuty and reduce eye strain. Want to wear your glasses and still find you have headaches and eyestrain. Go ahead and get the cheapest option.
Varifocals were invented 50 years ago. You can still get lenses that are produced using the same principles as that lens. Would you buy a 50 year old car and expect it to have the same features and benefits of a new BMW. OF course not. But an optician who tries to tell you that technology moves on, that you can see better with this lens or that lens, or who tries to say that given you job, hobbies, lifestyle this lens would be better is ripping you off.
Buying spectacles and contact lenses is not like buying baked beans or Playstations. Your vision affects your quality of life and could affect the lives of people you dont know.
Cheap is not best, it not even the same.
Opticians are trained, they are experts. You shop around for a free eye test and you will believe that what that person says has no value. An optician brave enough to charge for his expertise ( about £60 per test in reality) is telling you something. He is saying I know stuff, I can be trusted, I have something worth listening to.

[Jojo the Tightfisted]

I respect my optician enormously. He doesn't charge for his advice, and will cut his margins to the bone to help someone afford the best that they can get. I have never heard him criticise anyone for trying to keep the cost down. But I do have the attitude that I don't want to mess around with my eyes, so I would spend as much as he tells me is necessary, which can be a fair bit as he says I'm marginally better than a bat in my right eye!

I think I'm lucky.

[sh1305]

I love reading all your posts and have to question how much value you people put on your and your childrens vision. How cheap can I get it, where can I get a free test, they are ripping me off, why should I have to pay.

Do you honestly realise how expensive glasses can be? Especially when some of us need to change them almost every year. (which is the case for me - they were changed in April and may need to be changed again soon due to ever-changing eyesight)

[soupset]

Of course I realise how expensive they can be. However understanding what I am paying for and why does not mean I am being ripped off.