Children and Opticians question

linni

My optician will not see children (even teenagers) on a Saturday. We have to wait until school holidays or after school Are they allowed to do this? Surely this is age discrimination? I understand they are too busy at weekends and have plenty of customers as they are a very good opticians. Not sure if I have posted this in the right place, if not, please move.

kazzieg

Just had DS eyes tested and nope you are not alone, my opticians does exactly the same, you can get lucky and ask for an after school appointment but you have to wait about 4 weeks like I did.

linni

Doesn't seem right to me. You would think they would want to keep your custom because they will be adults soon enough.

System

take them elsewhere .

linni

Yep, I think I will have to look around for another optician. Maybe try Tesco's as it is nearer.

aconitum

Had to post this as a comment in addition to the sat appoint problem......I had to take my daughter to an independent optician as school thought there was a prob and specsavers couldn't see her for weeks. The new optician said she needed glasses and started rattling off prices. I demanded the prescription to take elsewhere, as the big national chains offer a huge selection of non designer kids glasses that are covered in full by the nhs voucher and I am not talking nasty thick tortoiseshell numbers but quite trendy frames. All kids get this voucher, although may of my friends didn't realise. Anyway the optician soon backed down and we were walking out with the glasses he previously wanted to charge forty quid for. Know your rights and stand up for yourself.....I know they need to make a profit but they can't be doing to bad considering the new shop refit they have just had.:D

linni

I always take the prescription too, but I usually pay at least £50 per child on top of the vouchers because mine like the nicer frames too.

nedmundo

Doesn't it make sense to get them tested where you are planning to get their glasses? It saves a lot of hassle if there are any problems.

melorablack

I have used the same optician since I was3 years old and my mum always got me after school appointments. Now when I go they still give me appointments after 4pm :rolleyes: I have never gone on a Saturday and getting an after school appointment was never an issue because they book the next appointment before you leave after each visit, even if it is 6 months or a year away.

Steve_xx

nedmundo wrote: »

Doesn't it make sense to get them tested where you are planning to get their glasses? It saves a lot of hassle if there are any problems.

Of course you have a choice here. You can buy your glasses at the optician who tests your eyes, or you can take your prescription elsewhere to have them made up. There should be no problem associated with having your eyes tested at one optician and taking your prescription elswhere.

Steve_xx

aconitum wrote: »

Had to post this as a comment in addition to the sat appoint problem......I had to take my daughter to an independent optician as school thought there was a prob and specsavers couldn't see her for weeks. The new optician said she needed glasses and started rattling off prices. I demanded the prescription to take elsewhere, as the big national chains offer a huge selection of non designer kids glasses that are covered in full by the nhs voucher and I am not talking nasty thick tortoiseshell numbers but quite trendy frames. All kids get this voucher, although may of my friends didn't realise. Anyway the optician soon backed down and we were walking out with the glasses he previously wanted to charge forty quid for. Know your rights and stand up for yourself.....I know they need to make a profit but they can't be doing to bad considering the new shop refit they have just had.:D

You shouldn't have to "demand" the prescription. You are entitled to have it.

The cost of the glasses is made up of a variety of factors, all of which have to be paid for. Opticians use expensive equipment to test your eyes and there are other charges related to running a business, like rent, rates, heating etc. All of these have to be paid for from the proceeds of the eye test fee and the glasses sold. And as you point out, "shop refit". These don't come cheaply and in a clinical environment you would expect to note that things are pristine.

Also, you may feel that Specsavers offer a fair range of frames for the price and I wouldn't dispute it. There are other things that will determine the cost of the complete pair of glasses, perhaps most notably being the type of lenses supplied. Bog standard lenses are fairly cheap whereas if you were very short-sighted you would no doubt prefer high-index lenses, as these are much thinner, but these will come at a premium.

Your optician should be able to talk you through these options and the associated variance in price.