Asda spectacles..argghhhh

the_devil_made_me_do_it

After reading the thread about how great Asda glasses were & how thin they were able to get the lenses, I decided to take the plunge.

Unfortunatly, when the glasses arrived instore they looked a complete mess. Both lenses were protruding through the front of the frame, so I rejected them & they were returned to the lab. The second time they arrived instore, the optician didn't even bother to show me them as they were apparently pretty much the same, so were returned again.

Finally when they arrived back instore, they were flatter at the front, the right lens didn't even look as if it had been shaved down. Now I have really short sight, so am not expecting super thin lenses, but these are really taking the buscuit. They didn't even look as if the anti-reflective coating had been applied to either lens.

Anyway, the dispensing optician said they have a locum optician coming in on Tuesday & he has his own lab. She is going to ask him if he can do anything with the lenses. So I really haven't a clue what to expect. I'm pretty miffed to say the least & wouldn't advise anyone with a high prescription to buy glasses from Asda, it's been a waste of time & money so far.

The optician had said that for some reason Asda had choosen to use a different lens lab than what they had used in the past. Strikes me they should've stuck with what they new, instead it appears they've choosen a cheap, inferior company who can't cope with high prescriptions.

I'm no doubt going to lose my money & end up having to go and buy glasses from somewhere else.

System

asda told me my dd didnt need glasses , a while later i wasnt so sure so i took her elsewhere where my suspicians were confirmed she did need them .

Oliver14

I'd ask for a refund and go to a proper opticians

the_devil_made_me_do_it

I don't exactly think it's the fault of the optician, it's the company ASDA have choosen to use to make the lenses.

The optician was very good, even discovered I was seriously suffering from eye allergies. She wrote to my GP to organize a prescription for some drops.

I have used "proper" opticians before & the eye test has rarely been as thorough as the ASDA test.

Obviously, I can't name the lens makers as I don't know who they are.

McKneff

I am majorly short sighted, the old hand in front of the face scenario.

My lenses are ultra thin, supplied by Specsavers, Frames were £125, the whole lot cost me £229 so I was quite happy.

And had a very thorough eye test, including field vision.

If yu want thin lenses there is no reason why yu cant have them.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

I have contacted ASDA head office & explained the situation to them. I made sure they knew I wasn't complaining about the optician. I suggested that their maufacturer wasn't up to the job & that ASDA shouldn't be advertising that they are.

I think part of the problem is you don't see examples of how thin the lenses are going to be until they are actually in the frame & the it's too late.

softuk

I had an eye test with a local optician, but couldn't find a frame that I particularly liked, and to be honest, the cost for thin lens and frame was going to be just over £300.
I went to Asda and chose a very nice frame by Jigsaw, the frame and lens were back in store within a week, and I am very pleased indeed with them. My husband also chose a pair, and he was delighted with his too.
I am very short sighted indeed, and the lens are thin and neat. No problems at all, and I would most certainly use them again.

andybrock

Took the offer of two pairs for £90 a while ago.
Frames were Nike and nautica,lenses fine and reasonable finish.
For the money supeb value

bastband

A couple of weeks ago I purchased 2 pairs of varifocal glasses from thier Stevenage store. On fitting, I advised that I did not think they were correct and was told to try them for a couple of weeks, as my eyes would adjust. I began experiencing headaches and severe neck pain when working on my PC as I have to tilt my neck back very far. I spoke with Essilor who manufacture the lenses and they advised me that because the depth of the lens is fairly narrow, I should have been advised their Short lens. With this information and my health problems, I went back to store and it was agreed that the lenses would be changed 1 pair at a time. My eyes were not measured further. On receipt of the first pair, these were not checked or measured on myself by the optometrist. Now I find, after getting them home, I have a blurred reading area and virtually no middle vision at all, making these glasses not fit for purpose.

dinobaby

I am a dispensing optician and in my experience some of the issues explained on this forum happen in optical places up and down the country, my advice to you is that if you know your prescription is very high then request to be dispensed by the dispensing optician and not a "dispenser", In defence of that varifocal problem mentioned earlier, the lab that made the glasses would have known if a short corridor lens was needed, and rather than saying this after they have been made, a quick phone call to the store advising of this then the whole problem could have been avoided, further more, if the VF wearer uses a VDU alot then stay away from shallow frames as the reason the labs can design a VF in a shallow frame is that they "compress" the intermediate portion of the lens thus effectively reducing the VDU area on the lens.
Whether its an optometrist, dispensing optician or a contact lens optician, we are all professionally qualified people who's job it is to look after the patient, you'll find 99.9% of us all maintain are very high standards and maintain duty of care to the patient and most problems can be resolved easily

dinobaby FBDO FdSc

mttylad

McKneff wrote: »

I am majorly short sighted, the old hand in front of the face scenario.
My lenses are ultra thin, supplied by Specsavers, Frames were £125, the whole lot cost me £229 so I was quite happy.
And had a very thorough eye test, including field vision.
If yu want thin lenses there is no reason why yu cant have them.

If your prescription is a very high one then I would suggest that going for cheaper glasses at Asda is not for you, one of the reasons why their glasses are cheaper is that they only cover a certain range of prescriptions.

If you pay £229 for glasses you can get thin frames, if you pay £70 for them then they are not going to be as thin.

The eye test at Asda is done by fully qualified opticians and is just the same as any other opticians.

And yes - it is not the fault of the staff there that Asda have chosen an awful lens supplier, unfortunately its the staff that bear the brunt of it.

In the end - you get what you pay for.