Specsavers-incompetent eye tests have damaged my sight

nomoneytoday

Surely as part of the test they ask if you can see the bottom line / strongest colour etc?

suelees1

You could seek advice from a reputable firm of solicitors as to whether there is merit in pursuing a civil claim.

mishkanorman

Be VERY careful with a problem such as this, independent opticians will take great delight in bad-mouthing multiples but its rarely anything other than blustering to try and take customers away from them !

Can you put the details of the prescription here ? there are a few people who can decipher the details to see what difference there actually is. I wouldnt be concerned about changes from one script to the next as thats common, however massive leaps in prescription should be more closely looked at.

You written that you are now 7 steps and 5 steps up from the speccies prescription ? so you are now 3.25 on one and 3.75 in the other ? surely if you were coasting along with similar prescriptions and specsavers suddenly dropped you to a lesser one you would have noticed 2 years ago ? yet you've had no complaints ? any other possible cause given by your new optician - other than human error ?

Its not all adding up and i would strongly advise you either provide more detail here or return back to specsavers to give them a chance to find the explanation. any further opticians getting involved will add extra opinions in the mix but not neccessarily solve the problem.

HTH

Mishka

moonrakerz

mishkanorman wrote: »

Be VERY careful with a problem such as this, independent opticians will take great delight in bad-mouthing multiples but its rarely anything other than blustering to try and take customers away from them !

VERY true !

As as already been pointed out most Specsavers are franchises, so the chances of getting a good one or a bad one are the same as going to an "independent" optician.

So to some extent, criticising "Specsavers" is the same as saying that Bloggs & Co in Penzance are rubbish so don't go to Joe Sope & Co in Aberdeen !

If you wish to criticise a particular shop, fine ! but don't tar them all with the same brush. Take whatever independent advice you feel you need - that is unlikely to be a rival optician.

I have used (2 different branches) of Specsavers for years and have always been extremely satisfied with them.

joanne1984

Thanks for the replies. The optician has been careful not to bad mouth SS but has also clearly stated that the condition of my eyes has been damaged by wearing undercorrected glasses for so long. She is more concerned with making sure I will now get the correct lenses which to me shows she is a good honest person.

I left them my past prescriptions so wont get them back until Friday but to give an indication of the severity of the difference from what I can remember 4 years ago my eyes were roughly 3.5 and 4.25 (sphere?). Specsavers then lowered me to about 1.75 and 2.5. After yesterdays thorough testing I am now 5.25 and 6.5 with severe amblyopia caused by chronic eye muscle strain. I think anyone on here in the industry or versed in opthalmics will confirm this is gigantic difference.

I realise SS are a franchise and I'm not tarring them all with the same brush. Their customer service has been great but something has clearly gone wrong with their tests. It has always taken a little while to adapt to new lenses so I have never felt the need to question things before as I have trusted their professional abilities.... or at least I did until the last test which flew by at a rate of knots and didnt include some of the usual basic tests I've always had before.

After talking to a solicitor friend I am planning to visit another independent optician for a second opinion before taking things further. I'm also going to ask my GP to be referred to a specialist. Will update on Friday!

toxic1990

If you can get 2-3 independent assessments saying the same, than I don't see why you wouldn't have a legitimate claim.

wendy_ogilvie

Hi, I've only just joined this forum but I have also been given the wrong prescription by Specsavers (twice)! The second time was recent and I had a second test yesterday as I couldn't wear the new glasses Specsavers prescribed. I wanted to know also if I am entitled to a refund as I only picked the glasses up a couple of weeks ago and haven't worn them except to try them out for 5 minutes.

suelees1

I bought some very varifocals which were very expensive as the prescription also inc a prism. I wasn't happy and got a full refund immediately. I know they do this within 30 days specifically for all varifocals.

In general they also have a no quibble guarantee for three months but not sure if this means they'll put things right or refund your money.

Like anything else your glasses must be fit for purpose and if they're not you have a statutory right to your money back.

Jules22

joanne1984 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. The optician has been careful not to bad mouth SS but has also clearly stated that the condition of my eyes has been damaged by wearing undercorrected glasses for so long. She is more concerned with making sure I will now get the correct lenses which to me shows she is a good honest person.

I left them my past prescriptions so wont get them back until Friday but to give an indication of the severity of the difference from what I can remember 4 years ago my eyes were roughly 3.5 and 4.25 (sphere?). Specsavers then lowered me to about 1.75 and 2.5. After yesterdays thorough testing I am now 5.25 and 6.5 with severe amblyopia caused by chronic eye muscle strain. I think anyone on here in the industry or versed in opthalmics will confirm this is gigantic difference.

I realise SS are a franchise and I'm not tarring them all with the same brush. Their customer service has been great but something has clearly gone wrong with their tests. It has always taken a little while to adapt to new lenses so I have never felt the need to question things before as I have trusted their professional abilities.... or at least I did until the last test which flew by at a rate of knots and didnt include some of the usual basic tests I've always had before.

After talking to a solicitor friend I am planning to visit another independent optician for a second opinion before taking things further. I'm also going to ask my GP to be referred to a specialist. Will update on Friday!

Just a few questions....

You would have noticed a huge difference when they lowered your prescription that much straight away.
Why didnt you?

And why has it taken 4yrs for you to realise that you couldnt see through your glasses to bring it up now?

As you also stated that there is Glaucoma and Diabeties in the family why were you not having yearly tests done?

wealdroam

Jules22 wrote: »

Just a few questions....

You would have noticed a huge difference when they lowered your prescription that much straight away.
Why didnt you?

And why has it taken 4yrs for you to realise that you couldnt see through your glasses to bring it up now?

As you also stated that there is Glaucoma and Diabeties in the family why were you not having yearly tests done?

Just want to say that joanne1984 hasn't posted on MSE for over nine months.

It seems unlikely that you'll get answers to your questions.

:beer: