Problem with my glasses prescription

Curlywurli

Sorry, I think this might be in the wrong place, but not sure where to put it and it's long.
On New Year's day I broke my glasses- literally split in two. Went to my local branch and asked about getting a new pair. She checked if I needed an eye test and found that I wasn't due til August this year. She phoned up the branch I normally use and got my prescription details. She used those and ordered me new glasses.
When I went to pick them up I had my contact lenses in because I cannot see without my glasses and they were broken beyond repair. I tried them on with the fit and they were fine. Tried them on at home but one eye is blurry.
Went to my usual opticians today to see them and they basically said that my eyes have probably changed and that I will have to pay for new lenses to be put in. I I explained that my contact lens prescription has not changed at all in about two years, which they agreed with but they say that this is because contact lenses sit closer to my eye which is why they might not have changed. I know that my eyes have not changed in this time- I drive and would notice but have agreed to a new eye test. (When I first went to my new opticians they said that my prescription was far too strong for me)
Basically is there anything I can do? Do I really have to pay for new lenses, that I've only just bought?

cattie

A couple of years ago an optician at Specsavers gave me a lens prescription stronger than needed. I felt kind of sick & dizzy when wearing these glasses & after about a week I went back to challenge the optician in question. She tried to fob me off by saying I needed to allow myself more time to get used to them, but I knew they were far stronger than needed & insisted on a new eye test & new lenses. She wasn't happy, but I got the proper lenses & vowed never to return to any branch of Specsavers.

Stand your ground, you as the lens wearer know whether the prescription is suitable for you or not & as you query, why should you have to pay for unsuitable lenses?

lawrenson

Hi,

you should have a copy of your prescription.

If you take your new glasses into an opticians, and ask them to check the prescription for you FROM THE GLASSES then they can.

Then see if it matches your prescription.

Cheers,
Karen

needaholiday

Specsavers put the wrong prescription in my glasses a few years ago. I had no problem having them re done. Obviously these mistakes happen sometimes. I agree that the first thing you need to check is that they've put the correct prescription in yours as suggested by lawrenson.

hiccup

I had an eye test at Specsavers today and cant believe the arrogance of the man.
Told me I needed three pairs of glasses. One for computer work and one each for close and distance use.
Trouble is he didnt ask how far away I sit from the computer or how far I hold the newspaper away from me when I read it. He adjusted the near vision during the test then when I told him I couldnt read anything off the page he told me to hold it closer. LOL I always hold away from me and I am mever that close to the computer screen. Didnt realise till I was paying for the test and the sales assistant noticed he had made a mistake in writing out the prescription, optician had deleted most of what he had typed in and retyped it as he got it wrong the first time".
When I voiced my concern to the manager owner she just shrugged.
So do I pay for three pairs of specs or do I demand another test.
I think I will have another eye test.

valk_scot

You don't want to be doing all of this with a different optician. You need to go back to the branch and optician from whom you got the glasses and ask for them to be rechecked. Glasses like everything else have to be fit for purpose and if you can't see properly out them then they clearly aren't fit, whether because of wrong prescription or a mistake. But it's the responsibility of the prescribing optician to get it right and her problem if it isn't.

lawrenson

Hi,

i did actually get some contact lenese from D&A a few years back.

The left eye was a bit blurry for distance.

I mentioned this to the optician, who said it was fine.

I asked for a second opinion, and got one. Was also given different left contact lenses free....

Cheers,
karen

yummymummy888888

Was the place you got the new spex the same company as where you had your eye test?
Optical Assistants should only take a prescriptions over the phone if that is the case.

If she/he took it over the phone from a different shop, she/he is taking on the responsibilty for any mistakes. (This happens often to get a sale). It is practise very much frowned upon within the industry. A paper copy signed by an optomotrist can easily be obtained.

Get a copy of your prescription SIGNED by your optomotrist. Any good one will pop it into the post for you. Take that into wherever you got your spex and ask them to check it IN FRONT OF YOU. Any errors and you have every right to ask them to correct it at their expence.

With regards to your contact lenses, the difference in vision you state has happened with your new spex would almost certainly affect your contact lens vision as well.

If however they were made up correctly and your prescription has changed, it is an expensive lesson learnt. Most peoples eyes need testing every 2 years. I would ALWAYS try to steer a customer to a new eye test after a prescription is 12 months old. Glasses are just too expensive to mess about.

Hope you get this resolved.

Curlywurli

I know that my eyes haven't got worse, I can't see how they can say that my contact lenses are different so I wouldn't be able to tell from looking through them. I wonder if the optician got it wrong when I went to him and he told me that my previous prescription was too strong. I wonder if he lowered it and shouldn't have done hence the left lens in my glasses being too weak.
I'm normally quite strong, but I know that they'll end up walking all over me (they were trying to blame me at the opticians) and I'll have to buy new lenses for my new glasses, but I won't and I'll end up with a useless, very expensive pair of glasses!

jenniewb

Is your prescription done via a chain of optitions?

Just asking that because for example, I am with Vision Express, when I wanted new glasses, they were able to "read" the prescription from my lenses via a machine. You could get a different branch to do this with your lenses, then check they are the same as your prescription says (obviously get a copy of your prescription first).

I would even go as far to say go into a vision express store and ask them if they will do this for you, I know for a fact that if you have bent up glasses, even if you did not get them done with any of their stores, they will fix them for you. I would imagine if you wanted to check the prescription was correct, as long as you explained why (you thought your optitions were at fault) they would do this for you.

Pssst

hiccup wrote: »

I had an eye test at Specsavers today and cant believe the arrogance of the man.
Told me I needed three pairs of glasses. One for computer work and one each for close and distance use.
Trouble is he didnt ask how far away I sit from the computer or how far I hold the newspaper away from me when I read it. He adjusted the near vision during the test then when I told him I couldnt read anything off the page he told me to hold it closer. LOL I always hold away from me and I am mever that close to the computer screen. Didnt realise till I was paying for the test and the sales assistant noticed he had made a mistake in writing out the prescription, optician had deleted most of what he had typed in and retyped it as he got it wrong the first time".
When I voiced my concern to the manager owner she just shrugged.
So do I pay for three pairs of specs or do I demand another test.
I think I will have another eye test.

Go to an independent contact lens practitioner do yourself a big favour and switch to daily disposables. You will see a lot better and wont need 3 pairs of specs. worst case, disposable lenses and a cheap pair of readers.