No Need to Cry over Spec's Prices

Xenshear

I am a Glasses wearer, and have just been recomended a web site called, [EMAIL="www.glassesdirect.co.uk"]www.glassesdirect.co.uk[/EMAIL] where you can buy a pair of glasses from £15.

I know it all sounds a bit too good to be true, Glasses usually costing up to and over £100, You do have to go and get an up to date prescription, and you don't have all the fancy "designer" styles. But you get a good pair of stylish glasses.

barginunter

Welcome to MSE - as a newbie you will not realise that there have been umpteen threads about online specs sites including the one you mention.

Diminutive

As a former opticial assisstant, I may be a bit biased... but the internet cant compare with an actual store in any way other than pricing!
First off, you have no idea what these glasses will look like when they're on...
Second off, you need whats called a pupil distance... though most do suggest you go to a real optician to get it done properly... but the tolerance for incorrect PD is like 2mm... if its wrong by over 2mm it can cause alot of strain.
Third off, Heights in bifocals and varifocals need to be measured properly to the way they sit on you.

There are ways to save on eyecare in physical options ... using promotional offers etc. I think our eyes are far too important to risk damaging them for the sake of a few pounds.

tawnyowls

As has been mentioned before, there are umpteen threads on here about this - the Great Glasses Hunt being probably the most authoritative (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=980721#post980721, (Also read Martin's article about buying online: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?newsid1134472921,5655)

but just to address your points:

Diminutive wrote:

As a former opticial assisstant, I may be a bit biased... but the internet cant compare with an actual store in any way other than pricing!

Probably not, but that's precisely why most of us have gone online, particularly those of us needing thin lenses - because we're fed up paying 200+ quid every year or two. Most of the online suppliers are in the UK and the specs are manufactured in the UK, so any argument that it's using sweatshops somewhere in Outer Mongolia doesn't wash. Simiarly, it's not necessarily putting small opticians out of business either; many of the people doing this opened up precisely because they wanted to run a business without needing to pay rent, rates and the like.

Diminutive wrote:

First off, you have no idea what these glasses will look like when they're on...

Incorrect - many of the sites show the specs displayed on a person's face, and some even let you upload your own photo and try the glasses on virtually. Most will also send you out sample frames for a small fee.

Diminutive wrote:

Second off, you need whats called a pupil distance... though most do suggest you go to a real optician to get it done properly... but the tolerance for incorrect PD is like 2mm... if its wrong by over 2mm it can cause alot of strain.

All the sites ask for a prescription not less than 2 years old, and when you get this, you can request your optician to put the pupillary distance on it - if you don't have it, the default is 61mm for women, 63mm for men.

Diminutive wrote:

Third off, Heights in bifocals and varifocals need to be measured properly to the way they sit on you.

Opinions vary on how necessary this is - it seems likely that bifocals are possible to buy online, but many suppliers won't do varifocals.

Diminutive wrote:

There are ways to save on eyecare in physical options ... using promotional offers etc. I think our eyes are far too important to risk damaging them for the sake of a few pounds.

No-one is suggesting that people shouldn't get their eyes checked as regularly as they do now - they are simply pointing out that their are other options for buying your specs rather than from the optician who did your eye test (which many people feel pressured to do) or from another high street optiician. Yes, I agree your eyes are far too important, which is why you should still get them checked as frequently as recommended. It is however, unlikely that glasses bought online will be incorrect, anymore than the manufacturers who supply your specs to your optician will get the prescription wrong, and you will be saving considerably more than a 'few' pounds; in my case, over £200.

monkeyshavingexpert

Following on what diminutive said - I have the same problem with online opticians - I only suit about 1 in a thousand pairs of glasses.

Here's what I've done a couple of times now to save money:

1. Go into a high-street optician
2. Find a few pairs of glasses that you like, preferably by a well-known brand
3. Note down the model numbers of each
4. Buy them online (just search for the model number in google)

You can't find every pair cheap online, but if you note down a few you've got a good chance.

I've done this a couple of times now. Once I bought the frames with lenses fitted from america. The other time I bought a pair of frames from ebay and had http://www.priceless-specs.co.uk fit the lenses (I couldn't find anyone who advertised this service online, but I emailed a few places & they were the first to get back to me). The whole thing worked out over £200 cheaper than buying in town.

jennynoo

Hello, I'm off on holiday to Canada and the US soon. Can anyone tell me if it would be good to get glasses over there ie. will my prescription be understood and will the glasses actually be cheaper than buying here. I guess it then depends if they can make the glasses there and then as we will be traveling around a lot, does anyone know of places that do this? Thanks for any advice.

40something

You're not going to do any better over there when they range from £15 here in the UK. Try http://www.ispectacle.co.uk/ I can't rate them highly enough.

Ted_Hutchinson

Diminutive wrote: »

Third off, Heights in bifocals and varifocals need to be measured properly to the way they sit on you.

I've just got my first pair of online specs from http://SelectSpecs.com]Select Specs
I ordered a pair (13TH May) that looked identical to the pair I had just broken.
I sent them the broken pair (so they could measure the PD) together with a photocopy of my prescription.
I paid £42 and got back on 22nd May my new glasses (and the old broken pair of varifocals) They fitted just as well as the previous ones but of course not being scratched at all they are much better.
Communication with the company was excellent. They notified me when they had posted to the glasses and they arrived the day after.

nuttywoman

I`ve used both glassesdirect - well son has - and selectspecs for me, both good companies plus the last pair i got were from goggles4u, bi focals for £25 and am impressed with those as well.

sandy2_2

Just recived my reglazed specs from Selectspecs, excellent service. New lens cost just £20

BelindaArch

sandy2 wrote: »

Just recived my reglazed specs from Selectspecs, excellent service. New lens cost just £20

I agree with all the above - you'll be hard-pushed to beat UK prices. Plus, what if something went wrong with your US ones??

I got two pairs of glasses from Fashion Specs Directfor £19.90 - delivered! Hard to beat that it the USA - even taking into account the exchange rate!:D