Glasses Buying Cost Cutting Plan Article Discussion Area

deco105

I've used Cilliary blue once or twice , to swap the plastic lenses from sunglasses with prescription ones, I remember calling and leaving a message, they called back within a few minutes, got my details, send a little box on the post for me to put my frame, and a week later I received my sunglasses with the new lenses. I was happy with the result, specially because I had paid twice as much to do the same thing at my local optician. I went through a phase of buying really discounted designer sunglasses at TKMaxx and had to change the lenses on 4 of them.

jamesperrett

I realise that this was mentioned near the start of the thread but I think the main article should mention that if you use a computer screen for work for any length of time, your employer is legally obliged to offer you regular full eye tests. Some will have a deal with a particular optician while others will ask you to claim back the cost on expenses. I hadn't realised this until the optician that carried out my eye test mentioned it.

lisgray90

Absolutely shocking advice in this article

happy to tell people to buy online for them to save money so they are not paying for the expensive equipment when that equipment is checking the health of the eye.....and to get the glasses online then go into high street opticians to get them fitted....all opticians would be shut down in a month if everyone did that...then who would look after the health of your eyes.

Steve_xx

lisgray90 wrote: »

Absolutely shocking advice in this article

happy to tell people to buy online for them to save money so they are not paying for the expensive equipment when that equipment is checking the health of the eye.....and to get the glasses online then go into high street opticians to get them fitted....all opticians would be shut down in a month if everyone did that...then who would look after the health of your eyes.

That's the problem really. People don't always appreciate the full service that an eye test affords them. They think it's solely about whether a person need spectacles or not. Joe average just doesn't appreciate that a visit to an optician could reveal something as serious a a tumour, or glaucoma or macular degeneration, retinal detachments and all.

Patr100

Steve_xx wrote: »

That's the problem really. People don't always appreciate the full service that an eye test affords them. They think it's solely about whether a person need spectacles or not. Joe average just doesn't appreciate that a visit to an optician could reveal something as serious a a tumour, or glaucoma or macular degeneration, retinal detachments and all.

And tests are still charged for except for some exemptions , are they not? I expect you will now tell us that it is subsidised by the glasses, Well let a high st optician charge the full rate for tests and provide more affordable specs and lenses, instead of the inflated prices they do and see if they can compete.

Steve_xx

Patr100 wrote: »

And tests are still charged for except for some exemptions , are they not? I expect you will now tell us that it is subsidised by the glasses, Well let a high st optician charge the full rate for tests and provide more affordable specs and lenses, instead of the inflated prices they do and see if they can compete.

You can expect correctly. You can't expect a quality service to come buck-she. Well you can expect it, but you wont get it for nowt. You wouldn't like it if your local optician charged you what they'd need to if they removed the cross subsidy. In any case even if they did do as you suggest the two costs combined would have to come out the same as that's how much the practise needs to remain profitable. For a 30 minute test you could be looking at £60.

Sanstesticles

Got my prescription sorted for £7.50 at Specsavers Guildford. Just go to their website and take a snapshot from their offers page, with the code.

Dug around here and elsewhere on the net. Out of the well reviewed choices, I went to Spex4less first. Easy site to navigate, plus they offer codes for free extras if you sign up, which I did. They offer (payable) extras, but it's all up front. Only extra is postage, which was only £6 for Special Delivery (other options available).

Long story short, I've ordered a pair nicer than my current, broken pair, for under £31, all in. I went for the thin lens + anti glare option with my code, which actually took a penny off the price. Woo hoo :j

This has got to be the future of buying glasses. Quick, easy and super dooper cheap. This is about a third of what I normally pay for specs. I know all the naysayers give it all :mad: about the so- called problems, but really, it's just fear talking.

Now, I'm off to spend that penny I just saved :wave:

Steve_xx

Sanstesticles wrote: »

Got my prescription sorted for £7.50 at Specsavers Guildford. Just go to their website and take a snapshot from their offers page, with the code.

Dug around here and elsewhere on the net. Out of the well reviewed choices, I went to Spex4less first. Easy site to navigate, plus they offer codes for free extras if you sign up, which I did. They offer (payable) extras, but it's all up front. Only extra is postage, which was only £6 for Special Delivery (other options available).

Long story short, I've ordered a pair nicer than my current, broken pair, for under £31, all in. I went for the thin lens + anti glare option with my code, which actually took a penny off the price. Woo hoo :j

This has got to be the future of buying glasses. Quick, easy and super dooper cheap. This is about a third of what I normally pay for specs. I know all the naysayers give it all :mad: about the so- called problems, but really, it's just fear talking.

Now, I'm off to spend that penny I just saved :wave:

It's not all about the purchase of the spectacles. A proper eye exam is critical.

Sanstesticles

I agree, which is why I got Specsavers to do one for me Steve, for £7.50. They didn't know I wasn't going to buy from them, so I'm sure they didn't hold back doing a 'real' exam on me

Steve_xx

Sanstesticles wrote: »

I agree, which is why I got Specsavers to do one for me Steve, for £7.50. They didn't know I wasn't going to buy from them, so I'm sure they didn't hold back doing a 'real' exam on me

Let's hope Specsavers don't cotton on to that then. Because an eye test cannot be provided for £7.50 forever, for everyone who doesn't go on to buy their spectacles from Specsavers!


Make hey while the sun shines.