Eye test without being forced to buy glasses

C_Mababejive

Well my perception is that things have been getting tougher for optometrists for a number of years due to market forces. The last thing I and presumably most people want is to see the demise of this vital profession. We need people who can make a reasonable living out of the profession and who are passionate about delivering excellence in eyecare and indeed other healthcare issues which may be detected by the optom.

The manufacture of specs has now been largely exposed as blatant profiteering . Maybe the answer is increases in statutory fees or dispensing charges that optoms can charge which presumably would help alleviate the situation?

I am a big believer in supporting your local independent optometrist. I would highly recommend that everyone visits an optom annually if you have eye issues and at least 2 yearly even if you have no eye issues as other conditions can be detected by the optom and ocular issues which are not causing apparent issues can be detected early before they become a problem and possibly before its too late !

Its a small price to pay for something which is taken for granted but is priceless .

HimAgain

A customer has the right to get all data held by an organisation using a "subject access request". It may be worth a try to get PD - pupillary distance by requesting all data from a major chain of opticians who are bound to use a computer for dispensing and are likely to store the PD for each customer.

An adult would only need to do this once from an optician previously used.

Undervalued

HimAgain wrote: »

A customer has the right to get all data held by an organisation using a "subject access request". It may be worth a try to get PD - pupillary distance by requesting all data from a major chain of opticians who are bound to use a computer for dispensing and are likely to store the PD for each customer.

An adult would only need to do this once from an optician previously used.

Indeed. I thought the subject access request route had been mentioned earlier although I can't quickly find it. Perhaps in another similar thread.

As you say it is not going to change for an adult so anywhere you have used in the past should have it and are obliged to disclose the information.

I suspect with new orders the chains will try their best to frustrate this requirement by only phoning the number through to the manufacturing company or similar and not writing it down. They will probably also not measuring the PD until the last moment, after they have taken payment!