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Contact Lens Cost Cutting article discussion

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  • So I'm midway through my trial.

    Yesterday my eyes were tired so I dropped into SS and yes they were due to close in 10mins or so but they didn't seem that interested in having a look at my eyes.

    I called them today as I realised I was almost out of solution and they said "you don't need to wear the lenses every day, wear your glasses but make sure you wear your lenses when you come in on Sunday 27th"

    I am not impressed with the level of service. Another opticians said I should have started wearing them for 2-4hrs from day 1 and then increase the time. I wore them for 10hrs from Day 1.

    So, I will go to SS on Sunday and see how it goes.
  • suki1964
    suki1964 Posts: 14,313 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    rwalton159 wrote: »
    So I'm midway through my trial.

    Yesterday my eyes were tired so I dropped into SS and yes they were due to close in 10mins or so but they didn't seem that interested in having a look at my eyes.

    I called them today as I realised I was almost out of solution and they said "you don't need to wear the lenses every day, wear your glasses but make sure you wear your lenses when you come in on Sunday 27th"

    I am not impressed with the level of service. Another opticians said I should have started wearing them for 2-4hrs from day 1 and then increase the time. I wore them for 10hrs from Day 1.

    So, I will go to SS on Sunday and see how it goes.

    Well seeing as your werent impressed with your SS right from the start that you were seeing another optician for advice I wonder why you stayed with them as long?
  • rwalton159
    rwalton159 Posts: 467 Forumite
    edited 24 November 2011 at 6:27AM
    suki1964 wrote: »
    Well seeing as your werent impressed with your SS right from the start that you were seeing another optician for advice I wonder why you stayed with them as long?

    The trial only started just over a week ago. At the outset the service was good.

    Why did they not supply me with enough solution for 2wks
    Why did they not tell me to wear them for a few hours and then build up.

    I think the trial may last a little longer than they expected, so wont be signing quite yet!
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  • sorry to be a pain but there's so much info & i'm just making sure i've understood this correctly, can anyone confirm -

    i have my eyes tested every 2 years at a local opticians, £40 eye test & great, friendly service. i'm short-sighted with astigmatism & wear glasses all the time. i had my eyes tested yesterday & nothing much has changed from last time. i'm going to my opticians tonight for a 'free' contact lense trial.

    from what i've read, i understand that i'll probably need to sign up to a monthly plan with them for approx. 2-3 months while a suitable lens is found & the necessary checks are carried out to make sure they're ok.

    but, after this initial period, once i have my suitable lens prescription, i'll be free to cancel with my opticians & buy lenses online (unless my optician can price-match, which i doubt). 6 monthly checks will then be needed which seem to be reasonably priced at the moment at asda/tesco at £15'ish (or perhaps Costco? i wasn't too impressed with their service the last time i tried lenses, but that was about 5 years ago so things could well have changed). if no problems are found with me wearing lenses, it would then be 2 year eye tests/any new prescription for lenses.

    have i got this about right? :o

    many thanks :)
  • suki1964
    suki1964 Posts: 14,313 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Your trail should be free - as in all the lenses you are given to try till you and your optician are happy with your vision and comfort. This could be as little as one pair of lenses and one week - or like me - about 8 different makes and strengths and about six months. Only when you and the optician are happy will your trial be complete and your prescription issued

    When it comes to the high street chains its at this point you are asked to go monthly DD. If you dont they then have every right to charge for your trial and if you dont go DD they will charge for your prescription ( specsavers who I use charge £15)

    You will be asked for a check up at 6 months and a year at the start - if you are not on DD they can charge you and once again with specsavers its I think about £18

    The DD scheme with most opticians factor in any checks you might need and usually a few free replacement lenses ( and toric lenses are never cheap)
  • pmduk
    pmduk Posts: 10,682 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    A contact lens assessment only lasts 12 months before it needs repeating.
  • Altarf
    Altarf Posts: 2,916 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    but, after this initial period, once i have my suitable lens prescription, i'll be free to cancel with my opticians & buy lenses online (unless my optician can price-match, which i doubt). 6 monthly checks will then be needed which seem to be reasonably priced at the moment at asda/tesco at £15'ish

    SO why bother with the local optician and why not go to Tesco/Asda in the first place?

    I was very impressed with my local Tesco Opticians (despite not being a fan of Tesco generally) when I decided to try contact lenses.

    I started off with daily disposables, with the usual number of appointments for fitting, before deciding that I quite liked the concept and wanted to change over to monthly lenses, so restarted the fitting and check up process. And then I decided that I wanted to try monovision contact lenses (which now work nicely) so again a few more fittings, with them supplying the trial lenses for free, to get that right.

    And all for £10 a year and them being quite happy that I buy the contact lenses online.
  • thanks for the replies/info :)

    fitting etc went well last night & i'm having a go with the extended wear lenses. i'll wear them for increasing times during the day over the next week & overnight for the night before i go back for my next appointment. no cost last night & £5 will be due at my next appointment, i don't really know any cost after that at this stage as i guess it will be dependant on the type of lense i opt for.

    i've got nothing against asda/tesco, asda is closest to me & it's always really busy. i had my last pair of glasses from them & the service was ok but a little rushed. i guess that's why i've opted for my optician for this trial, but i'd be happy to give asda/tesco a go next time.

    we'll see, quite literally! :D
  • nedmundo
    nedmundo Posts: 1,160 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Something to bear in mind is that there is an increased risk of problems with that contact lens wearing modality. If you decide to take your specification elsewhere and run into trouble, then it's worth considering service levels as well. Would you be seen as quickly at Asdas or wherever, compared to your local Practice?

    Sometimes, the best value includes factors such as service, convenience and peace of mind, so it isn't always the cheapest price.
    Beware the character seeking personal gain masquerading as a moral crusader.
    :beer:
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