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Question about glasses (the ones you wear)

hazelalexa
Posts: 25 Forumite
Hi! I'm a 17 year old in full time education and I wear glasses most of the time... I've just somehow lost my only pair! I'm not due back to the opticians until September/October (I go to Specsavers every 12 months...) but I really can't go that long with glasses... although my eyes aren't too bad at all (short sighted, around 2.5/3), I rely on them on a daily basis. If I go to the opticians in the next couple of days, will I be entitled to cheap glasses? Last time I went I paid £30 for a designer pair (NHS voucher or something?) and I really can't afford much more than that this time. Thanks.

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You should be - as far as I know if you're in full time education the NHS will help pay for your glasses up until your 19th birthday."A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge." - Tyrion LannisterMarried my best friend 1st November 2014Loose = the opposite of tight (eg "These trousers feel a little loose")Lose = the opposite of find/gain (eg "I'm going to lose weight this year")0
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Even though it hasn't yet been 12 months between appointments?0
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My son managed to break his glasses beyond repair several times and the opticians replaced them for minimal charge, I think just the extra we normally pay for slightly nicer frames. I think as long as they feel it is a genuine accident / loss and not just someone angling for new fashionable frames then they will help.
It doesn't cost anything to ask and if they do want to charge then at least you will know what to expect.Decluttering, 20 mins / day Jan 2024 2/20 -
You don't have to get your glasses from the same place you have your eye test done....Why not shop around for the best "bogof" offer? Last year I got a pair of Gant & a pair of Morgan specs for £80 (I don't get any help with the cost) in Tesco - prescription came from Boots as always, and went to Tesco as I had a Double Points voucher plus some money off total spend vouchers which helped reduce the cost
This means I can have a pair of glasses in work and a pair at home (and if I lose either, I still have the others).
Tesco, Specsavers, Boots etc usually have a minimum spend for the Bogof offers, but you can then apply your voucher towards the cost. Or look at the own brand frames - some of them aren't as hideously out of style as you may think.2021 Decluttering Awards: ⭐⭐🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇 2022 Decluttering Awards: 🥇
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Those bogof offers for specs are normally a rip off. They charge twice as much as the independent places. The second pair is just included in the cost of the first one.
The OP has already said she doesn't want to spend much more then £30 so £80 for two pairs is hardly a bargain!Decluttering, 20 mins / day Jan 2024 2/20 -
oystercatcher wrote: »The OP has already said she doesn't want to spend much more then £30 so £80 for two pairs is hardly a bargain!
I didn't say it WAS a bargain....but if the OP paid £30 + an NHS voucher last time, they could probably get 2 pairs and then not have the problem they have now of having "lost" the only pair they have.2021 Decluttering Awards: ⭐⭐🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇 2022 Decluttering Awards: 🥇
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hazelalexa wrote: »Even though it hasn't yet been 12 months between appointments?
It shouldn't matter how long between appointments, they won't stop you buying glasses whenever, even if you lost them only a month after you bought them.
If you need glasses and you lose your only pair its better to go and get some new ones sorted out straight away than to leave it until your next appointment. Especially at 17, I know my eyes kept changing prescription constantly until I was in my early 20's so if your eyes are the same, then going without glasses for another couple of months isn't going to help.
HTH.
Amy:starmod: :starmod: :starmod: "Live like you mean it, Love 'til you feel it" :starmod: :starmod: :starmod:- The Goo Goo Dolls0 -
I agree with Oystercatcher. DS has had several pairs broken and the optician decides whether to repair/get a new pair.0
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You are probably not going to get any NHS help towards the cost of your new glasses, im afraid. Under 16's can get "repair" vouchers issued for loss or breakage between examinations, but not at your age. After 16 you get issued with an NHS voucher every 2 years if you still qualify, only more often if your prescription changes, so if you think your sight has got worse, book in for another sight test and you will get an NHS voucher if it has changed. If it has not changed you won't get a voucher.
If on the other hand, you think there is no change, you just have to buy another pair privately.0
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