Glasses Direct Varifocals - Good and Bad Experiences Please

thriftytracey

Hi
Please can MSE'ers post good and bad experiences with this company with regard to varifocal lenses.  I have today requested a home trial.  Specsavers quoted me £225 for rimless including add-ons, thinner lenses, protective coating etc, however I believe that included a discount for a second pair of single vision sunglasses, so that figure may increase as I only purchased the sunglasses at that time.  After entering all the details on Glasses Direct to get to "Basket" and with the discount Glasses Direct are a fair bit cheaper (again rimless with same add-ons) but I am a bit worried about measurements as these are very important with varifocal lenses.  Thank you.

thriftytracey

Just to add - the TrustPilot web site have very good reviews of the company but the reviews don't mention varifocals specifically.

Undervalued

I am currently using varifocals ordered online from SelectSpecs which is a similar operation. I find them excellent. 

As you say where varifocals sit is very important so are you comfortable with adjusting the frames yourself? If you have existing varifocals you can send them in to be measured (certainly with SS so I assume GD would be similar). Otherwise the transition will just be set in a normal compromise position. The strength of the upper and lower parts of the lens will also affect this plus different VF lens designs give varying amounts of mid range. Finally, if there is a significant difference between your two eyes it can complicate matters a little.

I should add that I am not a typical customer. Although not an optician I do have a decent understanding of optics from my work and I am used to adjusting intricate items on a workbench.

thriftytracey

I am currently using varifocals ordered online from SelectSpecs which is a similar operation. I find them excellent. 

As you say where varifocals sit is very important so are you comfortable with adjusting the frames yourself? If you have existing varifocals you can send them in to be measured (certainly with SS so I assume GD would be similar). Otherwise the transition will just be set in a normal compromise position. The strength of the upper and lower parts of the lens will also affect this plus different VF lens designs give varying amounts of mid range. Finally, if there is a significant difference between your two eyes it can complicate matters a little.

I should add that I am not a typical customer. Although not an optician I do have a decent understanding of optics from my work and I am used to adjusting intricate items on a workbench.

I am hoping that, if I decide to order I can speak to someone to discuss the measurements.  I can't send my glasses directly to them as I would be as blind as a bat but they may be able to help me take the measurements.  There are some YouTube videos on how to measure.  One eye is 3.50, the other 4.00 on the distance, 1.0 for both eyes on close up, so not sure if that would be categorised as a significant difference.  My OH does have the tiny tools for glasses adjustment.

Undervalued

thriftytracey said:

I am currently using varifocals ordered online from SelectSpecs which is a similar operation. I find them excellent. 

As you say where varifocals sit is very important so are you comfortable with adjusting the frames yourself? If you have existing varifocals you can send them in to be measured (certainly with SS so I assume GD would be similar). Otherwise the transition will just be set in a normal compromise position. The strength of the upper and lower parts of the lens will also affect this plus different VF lens designs give varying amounts of mid range. Finally, if there is a significant difference between your two eyes it can complicate matters a little.

I should add that I am not a typical customer. Although not an optician I do have a decent understanding of optics from my work and I am used to adjusting intricate items on a workbench.

I am hoping that, if I decide to order I can speak to someone to discuss the measurements.  I can't send my glasses directly to them as I would be as blind as a bat but they may be able to help me take the measurements.  There are some YouTube videos on how to measure.  One eye is 3.50, the other 4.00 on the distance, 1.0 for both eyes on close up, so not sure if that would be categorised as a significant difference.  My OH does have the tiny tools for glasses adjustment.

No, that is not a big difference. And yes, -3.5 to -4 anything beyond your hand in front of your face will be a bit blurry without your glasses! I assume with a reading addition of just +1 this is your first time with VF and maybe your first go with any sort of reading glasses?

The measurement you are talking about is your PD (distance between your pupils). That is the bit they are not legally obliged to put on your prescription! Yes you need to find that out fairly accurately.

The other measurement that would be taken if you were ordering at the opticians is how high or low the lenses sit, which of course depends on the frames and how the nose pads are adjusted. Often they look at you and draw lines with a felt tip pen on the blank lenses in the display frames. This is to judge where the transition in the VF lens sits. Too high and things are not very sharp when you look straight ahead. Too low and the reading area is very small! All an online place can do is set this in an average position. If your frame has adjustable nose pads then it can be fine tuned a little when you get them. It is also important with VFs that they sit level. This can involve bending one or both arms slightly and is a bit counter intuitive until you get used to it. They need to fit well and not move around for VFs to work well.

Spoonie_Turtle

Not for varifocals, but when I used Glasses Direct they did a measuring thing with a credit card above your eyebrows, you take a photo of it and they use that as a known scale to accurately measure/verify the PD.  (My eyes are -3.5 and -5.25.)

thriftytracey

No, that is not a big difference. And yes, -3.5 to -4 anything beyond your hand in front of your face will be a bit blurry without your glasses! I assume with a reading addition of just +1 this is your first time with VF and maybe your first go with any sort of reading glasses?

The measurement you are talking about is your PD (distance between your pupils). That is the bit they are not legally obliged to put on your prescription! Yes you need to find that out fairly accurately.

The other measurement that would be taken if you were ordering at the opticians is how high or low the lenses sit, which of course depends on the frames and how the nose pads are adjusted. Often they look at you and draw lines with a felt tip pen on the blank lenses in the display frames. This is to judge where the transition in the VF lens sits. Too high and things are not very sharp when you look straight ahead. Too low and the reading area is very small! All an online place can do is set this in an average position. If your frame has adjustable nose pads then it can be fine tuned a little when you get them. It is also important with VFs that they sit level. This can involve bending one or both arms slightly and is a bit counter intuitive until you get used to it. They need to fit well and not move around for VFs to work well.

I've watched a YouTube video on measuring the bottom of the frame to the middle of the pupil, that looks quite straightforward and to repeat several times for accuracy.  We have the tiny screwdriver to adjust nosepads.  I have had varifocals for many years, just fed up of paying hundreds.  One pair cost £500, (and this is going back 15 years or so), because I was talked into selecting a superior type of lense, I think it was Zweiss.  It may be that I don't like any of the frames sent by Glasses Direct although they appear to  have a better selection of rimless type than my local Specsavers.  

jonnynation

I just bought 'varies' from GlassesDirect, and I cannot fault them. These are to replace the pair I spent £280 on through SpecSavers last summer, which have fallen apart after 11 months.

For my new pair (which are a lot more sturdy that my old ones), I paid £280 again which included a 20% discount, as I chose not to get a second pair. I can see better now than I have been able to over the last year!

GlassesDirect varifocals...🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Their customer service is a *bit* slow, but amongst the best I have ever received.