Specsavers Varifocals

sue_balu · 18 October 2006 at 6:48PM

A couple of weeks ago I had an eye test and was advised my prescription had changed very slightly.

Due to other medical problems I need to take good care of my eyesight and so I ordered replacement varifocals. There was a BOGOF offer and so I had a clear pair and a tinted pair.

I drive quite a bit for my job and need to use SAT Nav and so varifocals are quite important to me.

I collected the specs last week £225 all together. Its taken a while to get used to the new specs - seem a bit blurred in the left eye especially near the "join" area.
However, I was cleaning them and noticed that there were numbers etched into the lens - just where I had noticed the blurring!!

I was astounded and took them back today. They said all varifocals have numbers etched on them its just that most people dont ever notice! (Presumably they hope their eyesight is so bad they dont notice!:rotfl:)

I have had varifocals before and never had this problem. Now that I know the numbers are there, its driving me mad all the time.

I would rather use my old specs to the old prescription which are only very slightly different than pay £225 for varifocals that are so irritating to my eyes.
Dont you think they should make customers aware of this before paying for expensive varifocals? Can I get a refund do you think- I paid by credit card?

wishiwasarichgirl · 18 October 2006 at 7:09PM

all varifocal lenses do have numbers and symbols etched into them to help identify them and verify the prescription. Some manufacturers' markings are more visible than others but should not affect the quality of vision through the lenses.

If you have had varifocals before without problems and there was no significant change in your prescription then it sounds like you may have a different "style" of varifocal from your previous pair. This can take some adaptation.

As an optometrist i always recommend that you persevere with new spectacles for a week or two (not swapping between old and new specs), and if there is no improvement take them back to the store in which you purchased them.

If you need to do this it is a good idea to bring your previous spectacles also, so that any differences which may be causing adaptation problems can be more easily identified.

Also, having worked for Specsavers I know they offer a guarantee, where if you don't adapt to your spectacles they will put it right, depending on the problem this could mean a different prescription, different lenses or a refund.

HTH

mishkanorman · 18 October 2006 at 7:16PM

A quick fix to try ( very carefully ) is too push the nose pads slightly further apart, this will make them sit a bit lower on your nose and should drop the markings out of your line of vision. Its not an ideal remedy but may help till you can get back to the opticians.

mishka

Ellie2758 · 19 October 2006 at 2:47PM

The last pair of varifocals I got from Specsavers were a problem and had to be re-made in the end. I also felt as if i would rather wear my old varifocals. Having said that, the old pair always hurt the top of my ear no matter how often i took them back for readjustment. This year I decided to give Dolland and Aitchison a go, but it turned out that my prescription hadnt changed.

recovering_spendaholic · 21 October 2006 at 10:17PM

I was reading this thread with interest as my prescription has recently changed and I need to get new variofocals. The pair I currently have (which need the reading element to be stronger) I got from Costco and they were Varilux lenses - pricey at £160 plus the cost of the frames (£120) but they have been great and took no getting used to at all. This time I don't have that kind of money and have noticed that you can get cheaper variofocals from Specsavers etc. However someone told me that varilux are the only ones you should get as they are by far the best. I was wondering if any of you knew which opticians do varilux?

wishiwasarichgirl · 21 October 2006 at 10:24PM

recovering_spendaholic wrote:

I was reading this thread with interest as my prescription has recently changed and I need to get new variofocals. The pair I currently have (which need the reading element to be stronger) I got from Costco and they were Varilux lenses - pricey at £160 plus the cost of the frames (£120) but they have been great and took no getting used to at all. This time I don't have that kind of money and have noticed that you can get cheaper variofocals from Specsavers etc. However someone told me that varilux are the only ones you should get as they are by far the best. I was wondering if any of you knew which opticians do varilux?

most opticians will get them for you if you specifically request them. Varilux are not necessarily "the best" but if you get on well with them then stick with them. Varilux make a range of different varifocals though, with varying prices, do you know what type you have? (expert/comfort/panamic/ellipse are the main ones)

recovering_spendaholic · 21 October 2006 at 10:28PM

wishiwasarichgirl wrote:

most opticians will get them for you if you specifically request them. Varilux are not necessarily "the best" but if you get on well with them then stick with them. Varilux make a range of different varifocals though, with varying prices, do you know what type you have? (expert/comfort/panamic/ellipse are the main ones)

Thanks for this - I don't know what kind I have - how would I find out?

wishiwasarichgirl · 21 October 2006 at 10:36PM

recovering_spendaholic wrote:

Thanks for this - I don't know what kind I have - how would I find out?

make sure they are clean and hold them up to the light, each lens will have an engraving about halfway up the lens near the nosepads(ish) it will be a circle with a symbol underneath, e = expert, e in a kind of circle = comfort, <e> = panamic, can't remember the symbol for ellipse sorry. it can be difficult to see if your spex are scratched or if you don't know what you're looking for. take it into any opticians though and they can tell you.

seaglimpses · 28 November 2007 at 3:07PM

all varifocal lenses come with at least a 30day guarentee so if u found this to be a major prob take them back. However ALL varifocals come with the markings to allow dispensing opticians to check the fitting and so on of the lens. As for which lens is best it all depends upon the patient for example some people find Varilux very good but some find Zeiss or Hoya better. Also it depends upon which design u go for, for example the essilor range goes from the liberty ( basic) to the ipseo ( custom) and u will prob find the more u pay for a lens the less abberations u get and surface astigmatism. U should always spend more on the lens than the frame if money is a concern. The higher your prescription the better quality VF u will need ~(generally). I think that often people are not sold the right product or think that all VFs are equal which is very misguided u would not spend £100 on a tv and expect it to be as good as a £1000 flat screen for example. Always remember that if ur vision is not HD ready u wont see ne benefit from the flashiest TV

suki1964 · 28 November 2007 at 11:03PM

recovering_spendaholic wrote: »

I was reading this thread with interest as my prescription has recently changed and I need to get new variofocals. The pair I currently have (which need the reading element to be stronger) I got from Costco and they were Varilux lenses - pricey at £160 plus the cost of the frames (£120) but they have been great and took no getting used to at all. This time I don't have that kind of money and have noticed that you can get cheaper variofocals from Specsavers etc. However someone told me that varilux are the only ones you should get as they are by far the best. I was wondering if any of you knew which opticians do varilux?

My first pair were varilux, cost me a fortune and a half just three years ago. When i needed a new prescription this year I went to specsavers and paid around half the price for two pairs of varifocals and to be honest Ive not noticed any difference in quality. I think with the varilux you get less blurring to the sides but to be honest I barely notice any on these, if there is any I got used to it quickly

Running_Horse · 4 December 2007 at 4:22AM

mishkanorman wrote: »

A quick fix to try ( very carefully ) is too push the nose pads slightly further apart, this will make them sit a bit lower on your nose and should drop the markings out of your line of vision. Its not an ideal remedy but may help till you can get back to the opticians.

mishka

This would of course alter the position of the varifocal height.

Not recommended for a driver who needs to use SatNav.

Specsavers Varifocals

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