Adult frame glasses for my 13yo son

stefano

My 13yo son is needing glasses, but the children frames will not fit him any more. We are looking at adult frames, which, I fear, may be a lot more expensive than the kids ones.
We usually pay an extra £20 for a plastic frame, which really lasts the whole year. He used to have the wire frames, but the screws would come undone an we always had to get back for a repair.
The plastic ones did have benefits, like the nose pads would not move, and never hurt his little nose.
I know I can go elsewhere for a frame, but are there any online shops O can go to for a good value frame?

peachyprice

You can use his NHS voucher against any frames, child or adult.

Have you looked at Specsavers? They have a good selection of £40 frames that will be free with his voucher or you can get a more expensive pair and put the extra towards it. You don't have to do their buy1 get 1 free offer either.

I wouldn't buy online unless you've actually tried the same style on in a shop, you can't tell how they will feel without trying, and as my OH tells me, there's nothing worse than uncomfortable glasses.

Sezzagirl

We go to Specsavers too. If you choose any glasses from the "standard" adult ranges, the NHS voucher covers the cost. If you choose from the "Designer" adults ranges, i think we've paid about £30 per pair. You certainly don't have to pay anywhere near full price

I don't understand why you've had to pay extra for plastic frames in the pst? At Specsavers, we've had a wide ranges of frames - plastic and wire - and the NHS vouchers has always covered the whole cost unless they were Designer, then we pay about £10.

Before I sound like an advert for Specsavers, I think my friend has had the same sort of choice for her daughter in Boots

I would suggest you may need to look at other high street opticians rather than buying on-line for your child

peachyprice

Sezzagirl wrote: »

Before I sound like an advert for Specsavers, I think my friend has had the same sort of choice for her daughter in Boots

We found the range of mens/boys glasses in Boots was very limited unless you went up to the mega bucks designer ranges. they did seem much better for ladies/girls though.

kingfisherblue

I'm a fan of Specsavers - both my sons have always had their glasses from there. My younger son no longer needs to wear them, but my older son has poor eyesight and will always need glasses. His lenses are quite thick, so Specsavers have them thinned out for him. He has Down's Syndrome and has a low flat nose, low small ears, and it can be difficult getting the right fit. His face is quite round and wide. Specsavers are always great and we usually have the same members of staff, which means he has developed a trusting relationship with them. He has worn adult glasses for a couple of years now, and we've always had lots of choice and plenty of help. I've never paid any extra.

stefano

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We have worked out that he needs the 50 measure, which not many kids glasses go up to. I now understand what these measurements mean, I will take him to a Specsaver shop and try some different pairs.

vickynleon

i would also like to recommend specsavers, we found out when my son was 18months that he needed glasses and it was a bit of a shock, we shopped around and kept getting told that because his prescription was so strong that he would have to have thick round ones and i was not impressed.

We then tried specsavers and they had plenty of choice even for his age, he now looks forward to going to pick his glasses and is due to pick up his new avengers ones this weekend

Plus the staff in my local are very very good with him

kingfisherblue

Specsavers_company_representative wrote: »

Thank you. We're very glad we could help.

We go to the St. Helens branch. We've been going so long and have been in so often that many of the staff know us. I think it's great that a few work hard to develop a rapport with my son. He loves going in, and one chap in particular is attentive to my son's needs, spending considerable time with us to choose the right frames. He talks directly to my son (as do most of the staff there) and listens to what he wants. He then guides my son towards a choice that is suitable, whilst taking into account his wishes.

stefano

My son, being autistic, has very little patience, and therefore does not llike doing anything that varies from his routine. Going to a different optician is going to be a very difficult task.
How would I measure his face to work out which frames would best fit him?

clarabelle41

stefano wrote: »

My son, being autistic, has very little patience, and therefore does not llike doing anything that varies from his routine. Going to a different optician is going to be a very difficult task.
How would I measure his face to work out which frames would best fit him?

This should help, or there are guides on Youtube. http://www.specsavers.co.uk/glasses/buyers-guide/frame-size/

nedmundo

In this instance, my practice will dispense an adult frame at a reduced price, as we subsidise kids eyewear.

It might be worth having a chat with the original practice and explaining your situation - it can't do any harm.