Buying Glasses Advice

geri1965_2

I need to get some new specs soon, and as I have a complex prescription they are usually quite pricy.

I wear contact lenses mainly so my glasses are for use mainly at home, or the occasional time that I might want to give my eyes a rest from lenses and wear them outside.

I was just wondering if there was any way of cutting down the cost - I have to pay for thinned down lenses, because otherwise I would never wear them out - but is it worth doing away with scratch resistance, anti-glare coating etc?

tidus

You should always have anti-reflection coating on thinner lenses. This is because they are more reflective (shiny) then normal thinkness lenses, and won't look very good without it.

In reality most very hi-index lenses come with the coating included for this very reason - you may struggle to find it without.

Many opticians give discount on glasses to their contact lens wearers - have you checked this out? Normally only applies to direct debit customers.

geri1965_2

Thanks, I am going to D&A and I know they do give discounts, but I get my lenses elsewhere (as I don't trust anyone else) and my contact lenses are gas permeable anyway, so I only buy a pair once every couple of years.

timestar

I know how you feel as I also wear contacts outdoors and keep specs for home and evenings. I had to update my prescription and had to go for high index lenses for same reason as you, i.e. normal would have looked awful. Luckily I am on a monthly lens scheme so I got a discount on the specs and a second pair free. Ask about such a scheme.

geri1965_2

I went for some black thick rimmed Fila glasses in the end, and chose to pay for the thinnest lightest lenses.

£380! :eek:

Just found a 10% off voucher on their website though.

kitschkitty

Spent all yesterday looking round the opticians with my friend as she has exactly the same problem.

Finally found some great designer frames in Boots priced really reasonably in their sale, but their price for thinner lenses was £115 on top of the price of designer frames (only £60 for boots frames). We know it costs more for thinner lenses in all the opticians and can depend on how much thinner and the frames... but what we are trying to find out is if my friend bought the frames is there anywhere that will do the lenses for less?

She was already quoted £110 just to put new lenses in her existing frames, but that's not an option as she can't go a week without any glasses at all.

We did look at all frames (though she would prefer designer! We looked at BOGOFFs too.

Went to Tesco, Asda, Specsavers (they'd give her a discount, but had hardly any plastic frames and none that looked great), and Boots. :rolleyes:

geri1965_2

All I can suggest is that she buys the frames she likes, and shops around for the lenses.

I think I could have got some cheaper than D&A but I needed them pretty quickly and didn't really have time to shop around.

Sausagecat

Just got a pair of specs for my other half with the absolutely thinest plastic lenses that Boots sell (as he has really bad eye sight). Boots have a "get a free pair" offer on at the moment but it excludes the price of the thin lenses so we asked if we could get a discount as we wouldn't be getting a second pair. They knocked 10% off straight away. Its worth a try having a haggling!

buglawton

The thin lenses costs are the big fiddle factor in all of this, the single reason I've hesitated getting new specs myself.

Savvy_Sue

geri1965 wrote: »

but is it worth doing away with scratch resistance,

I don't know how good the scratch resistance is, but bear in mind that even if YOU are super careful with your glasses at all times, other people might not be.

For example, DH always puts his glasses down with the lenses up, as you should (that is if you're not putting them in a case which he never does!) but sometimes other people move them. Or don't notice them and put things on top of them.

I'm still at the 'readers off the shelf' stage and have multiple cheap pairs where I need them, and I'm only aware of one pair being slightly scratched, and it doesn't bother me because I'm not usually looking through that part of the lense, but I can imagine if I was wearing them all the time it would annoy me intensely.