Buying Glasses Advice

squeaky

If you're not on a special prescription and only need glasses for reading you should know that reading glasses are just magnifying glasses.

My first ever pair cost me £130 at one of those Eyes'R'us type places. Big rip off.

In any chemist shop you'll see a rack of glasses and they're reading glasses. Try a pair - check to see if you can read the test print that's right there with them and pick out the right ones for you. IF you can see clearly without straining etc.

Cost? About £6 !!!!!!!!!!

To further save as your eyes drift away as you get older - like mine - I have kept all my old ones of a lower strength.

When I need to see a small something a bit nore clearly I wear two pairs of glasses to get me a close-up. Works a treat. Much easier than trying to use a magnifying glass to thread a needle for example.

Edit: I am not in any way advocating not having your eyes properly tested. I said it badly - but my point is that you can get your prescription for reading glasses filled at your local chemist far more cheaply than the high street Eyes'R'us type chain stores.

Chris25

They even have them in Poundland and have the prescription marked on the label.

Edinburghlass_2

I don't think its a terribly good idea to suggest to people that if they still can't read something they use 2 pairs of glasses :eek:

Yes its great if you know your prescription to be able to pick up a spare pair of reading glasses provided your prescription is not too long out of date.

Your eyes are a precious comodity and if you are having trouble reading you should get them checked out regularly. A lot more things can now be found by having a proper eye test.

Should this not be in the Health Board? In the olden days you inherited glasses from the rest of the family

Chris25

Edinburghlass wrote:

Should this not be in the Health Board? In the olden days you inherited glasses from the rest of the family

Possibly - but it's not a good idea to pass on your old glasses to someone else either.
Unless it's for a collection for developing countries.

squeaky

Edinburghlass wrote:

I don't think its a terribly good idea to suggest to people that if they still can't read something they use 2 pairs of glasses :eek:

Yes its great if you know your prescription to be able to pick up a spare pair of reading glasses provided your prescription is not too long out of date.

Your eyes are a precious comodity and if you are having trouble reading you should get them checked out regularly. A lot more things can now be found by having a proper eye test.

Should this not be in the Health Board? In the olden days you inherited glasses from the rest of the family

On that basis we'd never have magnifying glasses, microscopes or telescopes.

I'm not advocating not having eye tests I'm saying that if you need reading glasses you can buy them off the shelf instead of getting ripped off by high street chain stores. I'm talking about saving money. £124 in this case.

Again - I get my eyes checked then fill my prescription at my local chemist.

I can read perfectly well with my current specs - but to thread a needle I would still have to use a magnifying glass - and it's easier to wear another pair of specs than to use three hands holding magnifyer, thread, and needle.

squeaky

Chris25 wrote:

Possibly - but it's not a good idea to pass on your old glasses to someone else either.
Unless it's for a collection for developing countries.

I never advocated any such thing.

So this thread could stay in Old Style because it's about saving money, it could go in Health because it's about eyes, and it could go in rip-offs because that's what it is too.

So, where is best?

Trow

Well if it is anything to go by - I know an optician who uses chemist reading glasses - okay, usually he would make his own, but he broke his on holiday and bought a pair and has been using them ever since - so they can't be that bad!

Edinburghlass_2

Chris25 wrote:

Possibly - but it's not a good idea to pass on your old glasses to someone else either.
Unless it's for a collection for developing countries.

Thats what I do with my old glasses, often optians will collect them and they go to prisons for sorting before being sent off to other countries.

Squeaky, all the boards are Moneysaving Boards. The Health board is not a discussion board on Health but for trying to find ways of saving money connected with Health.

Actually just remembered the last lot of glasses I gave away went to local butcher who is a member of Rotary and they were collecting them.

Always a good idea to have a spare pair on holiday. I know someone who lost his in the sea, second day of holiday and was blind for the rest of the holiday

squeaky

Edinburghlass wrote:

Squeaky, all the boards are Moneysaving Boards. The Health board is not a discussion board on Health but for trying to find ways of saving money connected with Health.

Thanks for the clarification

But that still leaves me with Health or Rip-off? I mean - £124! saving. Or overcharge if you look at it from the other direction

And... you're right - I could have worded it better to say get your reading glass prescription filled at your local chemist.

If you say OK I'll pop up there and edit it to say so before moving it to...?

lipidicman

This is fine (maybe) if you have simple long-sightedness. It is possible however that you could have astigmatism, or the need for bifocals, or prism in your lenses. As you age you should have your eyes tested even if you have good vision as you will get an early warning of other eye related problems. If your test shows the need for reading glasses only then your advice could be OK.

In my case I have to wear my glasses all day every day so I dont even look at the price tag - I get the ones I want. I have a pair of normal specs and a pair of polarised shades. I am thinking of getting a 'transitions' pair and a cool 'mirrored' curved sunglasses soon.

juno

Primark have them at 2 pairs for £2 too!

I'm strange though, I actually take my glasses off for reading