glasses refund?

worried123

Hi, I wonder whether anybody can tell me of my right regarding glasses..

Never worn prescription ones before but had my eyes tested at Boots - last appointment of the day and was also suffering from a pvd (which affects vision - big floaters etc) and optician wanted me to go to go straight to moorfields or my local hospital emergency eye clinic first thing in the morning to check i didn't have a tear etc...(she couldn't look herself as the drops to dilate pupils blur vision and i was driving) all is fine by the way and just a pvd).....so she told me to deal with this and come back for my glasses. she gave me a prescription and letter for the hospital. (the only reason i mention all of this is because i had an eye test and maybe my vision wasn't right because of the floaters in my eye etc)

Bit of a long ramble....in the interim somebody said...take your prescription to Asda as their prices are very good. I was hesitant as i think we tend to get what we pay for but i have had and still ongoing a lot of expensive dental fees lately so money is tight.

i decided on two pairs of glasses....both varifocals.....one transitional for summer...(cheap, cheap, cheap....£178 for the two pairs.)

Collected them yesterday...hate them, hate them, hate them.....Told the lady in shop that even reading is blurred through the bottom part (bit clearer if i hold the glasses half way up my forehead.....they feel uncomfortable - hate them....she did some adjustments on the arms of the glasses....I was told that varifocals need some getting used to.....believe me i will never get used to these......

Was told not to worry...to keep them for at least a week and if i cannot get on with them they will change the lenses to normal lens rather than varifocals providing i bring them back within a month - she was very nice and helpful

I am going to ask them to test my eyes again in asda in case the prescription was not right in the first place...and have them changed to one reading pair and one long distance.....and also not transitional.

The changes would be £60 less than the price i paid......i have looked on asda website about refunds for glasses and they do actually do them but it only talks of when they arrive in the post if you ordered them online....you have 7 days to get a full refund...(when i told her yesterday they arent even right...cannot see clearly she said `we cannot change them now - you have to try them for a while to get used to them)...they feel uncomfortable - she kept saying they didnt look straight and she altered the arms. I hate everything about them. (they look very cheap as well...the lenses are. thick, look plastic and mark really easily)

its my hasty mistake....but can i `expect` and therefore should i ask for a refund of £60 if i have the lenses changed from vari and transitional to normal please....She did say they lose no money if i have them altered....i know that £60 isn't much but i dont want to `ask` for a refund in the difference in lenses if i am not entitled.

sorry for long ramble - thank you.

ps - i am 60 so will not have to pay for another eye test with asda optician.

usefulmale

Some people simply cannot get on with varifocals. I certainly can't.

I just have a 'normal' set of glasses and take them off for close-up stuff like reading.

RichardD1970

Just had my first pair of varifocals, from Boots, incidentally.

I have had no problems adjusting to them but then again I did spend an awful lot on them and had the top of the range Carl Zeiss lenses which minimise the distortion and transition areas.

alanq

The trouble with taking a prescription to a place other than the optician that performed the test is that there is this doubt whether the prescriber was wrong or the dispenser. Getting glasses from the place that performed the eye test removes that doubt.

There is extra room for error with varifocals. On a couple of occasions in the past I have had varifocals from Specsavers where the zone boundary was in the wrong place meaning that I would have had to hold my head down to see in the distance. (I believe that is the responsibility of the dispensing optician to make this measurement.) The glasses were remade correctly at no charge without any quibbling.

N.B. Over 60s are only entitled to a free NHS eye test every two years unless there is a clinical reason that justifies a retest. This may or may not apply in your case.

worried123

Thanks everyone. The problem is they arent fit for purpose at the moment and i simply cannot stand wearing them. Just looking at a desk top computer is blurry - no matter what part of the glasses i look out of.

You are right of course that I dont know whether its the prescription that is wrong or Asda. Which is why I think I think I should ahe another eye test.

I dont mind paying for another eye test but perhaps the NHS thing may apply given the fact that I had the initial test whilst suffering a PVD with masses of black floaters in my vision.

Certainly cannot get on with varifocals - in fact the boots optician said that some people cannot get on with them.

Glad that your glasses are all good Richard - I believe we get what we pay for.
Glad you got yours sorted out Alan.......

I shall just ask them whether i can have a refund of the £60 difference. I never thought i could hate wearing prescription glasses so much...was looking forward to collecting them as my eyes are quite tired and strained....loads of night driving and computer work...thought i would put them on and miraculously see everything clearly......also with these glasses you have to keep moving your head in a different position to see anything marginally clearly....hate them soooo much.

comeandgo

You need to give varifocals a chance, I took about three weeks before I could be comfortable in them, but they were £500, I’m struggling to think what sort of materials, workmanship went into two pairs for £178.
I can understand your comment on having to keep moving your head, to start with I felt a bit like a nodding dog.

worried123

Thank you comeandgo.....the problem is that despite the fact that i have to change my head position all the time - if i just look out of the reading part its not clear either....they are just so very very wrong.

I do agree they were cheap and despite `designer` frames the whole of them look cheap....you do get what you pay for but this came at a bad time having spent a fortune on dental treatment this year....i should have waited. My £5 reading glasses from the chemist and TK Maxx are better than these.

pmduk

I believe that using a computer requires yet a third measurement as it's somewhere between reading and distance use. I wonder if this is your issue? There are a couple of optometrists who use the health & beauty board who may be able to give general advice. You may be better PMing a board guide to move this thread to that board.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Varifocals are something you try when you are 41 yrs, 3 mnths and 5 days old. This is when your near vision that was good until this day, suddenly becomes as bad as your far vision. You pay a vast fortune to an optician like B or SS to then realise why mummy, who equally had bad eyes, never wore varifocals!

NotRichAtAll

as stated above varifocals are not for everyone they can make you feel quite sick, i also opted for Carl Zeiss lenses in mine maybe 6yrs ago and never had any issues with seeing stuff.

worried123

Thanks everyone....i will talk to the optician when i take the glasses back and mention the third measurement for computer work...apparently you can just walk in at any time to see the optician without an appointment. I will ask for another eye test.