Glasses Buying Cost Cutting Plan Article Discussion Area

patman99

The PD is left-off so you have to go back to that store for your glasses. However, there are now walk-in spectacle retailers who will measure that for you when you order anyway, so the original shop loses out.
The mark-up on frames at places like Boots, SpecSavers and VisionExpress is horendous. They pay no more than £30 for a designer frame that they then sell to you for £200+.

Up until this year, I had a really complex prescription for glasses, with my eyes being -10.5 distance and -8.75 near. SpecSavers quoted me £375 for their best lenses in the cheapest frame and without any coating.
I took my script to Dennies who are a local (work from home) outfit who sell glasses. I had a pair of frames for 60% less than Specsavers were charging for the same ones and a set of even thinner, more high-performance lenses with anti-scratch and anti-glare coatings and paid £250 for them.
Now, after cataract surgery, I can get reading glasses from Poundworld.

Steve_xx

patman99 wrote: »

The PD is left-off so you have to go back to that store for your glasses. However, there are now walk-in spectacle retailers who will measure that for you when you order anyway, so the original shop loses out.
The mark-up on frames at places like Boots, SpecSavers and VisionExpress is horendous. They pay no more than £30 for a designer frame that they then sell to you for £200+.

Up until this year, I had a really complex prescription for glasses, with my eyes being -10.5 distance and -8.75 near. SpecSavers quoted me £375 for their best lenses in the cheapest frame and without any coating.
I took my script to Dennies who are a local (work from home) outfit who sell glasses. I had a pair of frames for 60% less than Specsavers were charging for the same ones and a set of even thinner, more high-performance lenses with anti-scratch and anti-glare coatings and paid £250 for them.
Now, after cataract surgery, I can get reading glasses from Poundworld.

Did "Poundworld" have the equipment, resource and experienced personnel that diagnosed your cataract? And, should you develop glaucoma, diabetes or tumour, do you imagine for a minute that "Poundworld" will have the equipment, resource or personnel to diagnose any such sight/life threatening conditions?

Here is an extract from an article published this week in The Runcorn & Widnes News. Have a good look at it and the decide what value you place on your eyesight:

Runcorn hairstylist’s sight saved in routine check at Halton Lea

Nov 17 2011 by Sam Yarwood, Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News
A WOMAN from Runcorn has had her sight saved after a routine eye test at an opticians.
Carol Brinkley, 30, received a reminder through the post to say that she was due a check up.
The hairstylist booked an appointment at Specsavers in Halton Lea and was shocked when optometrist Jon Medley spotted something in her right eye.
After dilating Carol’s eyes, Mr Medley saw a tiny hole in her retina and discovered a similar scar in her left eye.
He said: “This can be a telltale sign of retinal detachment, which can cause blindness, so I referred her immediately to Warrington General Hospital.”
She has since received corrective surgery on both of her eyes.

Here's a link to that article:

http://www.runcornandwidnesweeklynews.co.uk/runcorn-widnes-news/runcorn-widnes-local-news/2011/11/17/runcorn-hairstylist-s-sight-saved-in-routine-check-at-halton-lea-55368-29795799/

Patr100

Irrelevant to buying spectacles. Who is saying you should expect to get an eye test at Poundworld?
Or not get a proper routine eye check up regularly?
It's like saying it should provide diagnosis and full time care for cancer because you buy a paracetamol in PoundWorld and someone who would , doesn't place any value on their health?
Or someone who has had an artificial limb fitted by the NHS after amputation should not buy cheap slippers on the High St because the staff at Shoe Express aren't medically qualified.
Pointless comparison.

Steve_xx

Patr100 wrote: »

Irrelevant to buying spectacles. Who is saying you should expect to get an eye test at Poundworld?
Or not get a proper routine eye check up regularly?
It's like saying it should provide diagnosis and full time care for cancer because you buy a paracetamol in PoundWorld and someone who would , doesn't place any value on their health?
Or someone who has had an artificial limb fitted by the NHS after amputation should not buy cheap slippers on the High St because the staff at Shoe Express aren't medically qualified.
Pointless comparison.

Before you say how pointless the comparison is, you should fully understand the complexity of a sight test and the cost of the training of suitable personnel, along with the equipment needed to ensure that you are prescribed correct spectacles for your individual requirements.

Clearly you do not understand how critical these things are. When and if you do learn to understand the complexity here, you will then begin to understand that a suitable pair of spectacles cannot be provided for just £1.

bitemebankers

Steve_xx wrote: »

The point is that the PD measurement is needed for a dispensing.

The point isn't strictly correct then. The PD is not a pre-requisite for dispensing - the PD measurement is part of the dispensing.

Before you say how pointless the comparison is, you should fully understand the complexity of a sight test and the cost of the training of suitable personnel, along with the equipment needed to ensure that you are prescribed correct spectacles for your individual requirements.

That says to me that the sight test fee is absurdly cheap (which it is). Glasses are still a very high profit margin item though - they have to be to subsidise the sight test. It's a ridiculous pricing model so you can't blame consumers - in fact it's the very essence of moneysaving - to get the ludicrously under-priced sight test and then buy the specs elsewhere.

JC_Derby

Steve_xx wrote: »

Before you say how pointless the comparison is, you should fully understand the complexity of a sight test and the cost of the training of suitable personnel, along with the equipment needed to ensure that you are prescribed correct spectacles for your individual requirements.

Clearly you do not understand how critical these things are. When and if you do learn to understand the complexity here, you will then begin to understand that a suitable pair of spectacles cannot be provided for just £1.

So that cost isnt covered in the price of an eye test?if not then Opticicians are using eye test in loss leaders then recouping that in the profit markup on specs. That does not make the cost of glasses/specs 'right'.

JC_Derby

bitemebankers wrote: »

The point isn't strictly correct then. The PD is not a pre-requisite for dispensing - the PD measurement is part of the dispensing.



That says to me that the sight test fee is absurdly cheap (which it is). Glasses are still a very high profit margin item though - they have to be to subsidise the sight test. It's a ridiculous pricing model so you can't blame consumers - in fact it's the very essence of moneysaving - to get the ludicrously under-priced sight test and then buy the specs elsewhere.

DANG didnt read the bottom bit of this post:o

Steve_xx

JC_Derby wrote: »

So that cost isnt covered in the price of an eye test?if not then Opticicians are using eye test in loss leaders then recouping that in the profit markup on specs. That does not make the cost of glasses/specs 'right'.

Frankly no, the cost of the provision of such expertise is not covered by the eye test fee. Therefore there will be occasion on which the cost of the spectacles is 'loaded'. In the instance that a customer takes their prescription away from the testing optician then the testing optician is clearly losing out here.

Obviously everyone wants their spectacles at the lowest possible cost. However,my view is that if internet providers continue as they are at present then the UK optician model may very well change to suit the circumstances. It could well spell the death nell for the high street optician as it is today and it could be that high street opticians become nothing more than eye testing houses. If this comes to fruition then you can expect the cost of the eye test to rise markedly.

In other words, at the moment you can have the toffee and the halfpenny as well, but that I'm afraid will not continue indefinitely.

nedmundo

The main issue is that about 80% of eye exams are NHS, who pay a little over £20 for a service that costs over £60 to provide. The likelyhood of them paying us properly in this economic gloom and when there are supermarkets prepared to subside eye exams from grocery sales is zilch.

Until that situation changes, then as a profession, Optometrists will be stuck in this cross-subsidy from spectacle sales model.

bitemebankers

Steve_xx wrote: »

If this comes to fruition then you can expect the cost of the eye test to rise markedly.

You might be right there. Either that or the UK will go to a two-tier sight test like in the US.