NHS Glasses - Wales advice please

welshbabe88

Hi - not been out since covid started and don't want to visit optitians or have one to the house just yet with numbers rising again.

I have a HC2 form entitling me to free sight tests and full cost of glasses (I have distance and reading ones).

I have my old prescription from 2019 GOS2W but when I rang Specsavers where I had my last ones from they would not let me have free ones without a sight test.

I have tried another local optitian who was tyrying to be helpful but said I needed a GOS3 - presumably from Specsavers but they were not inclined to be flexible before - they were happy to replace the lost specs so long as I was paying - but once I sad I had the NHS form they said I had to be seen first.

Currently I am using 4yr old specs as I have managed to lose my last new ones somewhere so would like a new set if I could - wondering if anyone had any advice?

Undervalued

If you don't mind being a bit economical with the truth you could order from one of the online opticians. You just key in the information from your prescription and tick a box to say it is current!

Obviously you should still have your eyes tested ASAP, not just because your prescription may have changed but more importantly to check the health of your eyes.

welshbabe88

Thanks -yes I did wonder about just ordering my own like that.

pollypenny

Are you shielding?   I can reassure you that our local Specsavers has excellent measures to protect patients and customers in place. 

North Wales

unforeseen

pollypenny said:

Are you shielding?   

As with England shielding has been paused so OP will be self-isolating through choice

welshbabe88

unforeseen said:

pollypenny said:

Are you shielding?   

As with England shielding has been paused so OP will be self-isolating through choice

thanks Unforeseen.  Yes, we have kept oursleves to ourselves for the whole period since March 2020 and will still continue to keep away from people as much as possible so do not really want to have any close contacts unless we really had to.  We both have bad health already and think this is the best way to protect ourselves by avoiding any unneccessary contacts - though we have had our jabs.

Spoonie_Turtle

Depending on when in 2019 your last test was, your prescription may be current still - online opticians that I've looked at tend to say within the last 2 years.

(Also I totally understand about shielding - a vast number of people have been all along, and many more who have ventured out since feeling a bit safer will be mostly or fully shielding again when restrictions are lifted in England on Monday.  Freedom day for the virus, not for people like us.)

welshbabe88

Agree Spoonie - it was in July so jut about current - at the moment I'm wearing older glasses anyway as not much had changed at all.
Anyone know of the best online optitians - the ones where you can send off a scan of the prescription rather than trying to work it out?

unforeseen

I think people who continue to self-isolate because they were CEV (I won't say shielding because it is not) will find that any support for them that is still there will disappear as the rest of the country attempts to get back to a version of normailty.

They will be forced to leave their little safety bubble and will then realise that it is not as bad as their imagination is making it.

They will have to leave for their flu + booster as they will not  be considered housebound now unless there are other reasons for it. 

As a CEV I spent the whole period shielding and to be honest that took its toll on me both physically and mentally. It was a relief to get back to work. I was not in a position to ignore the advice and carry on working as my employer's stance was that CEV employees were not allowed on the premises as they would not guarantee their safety.

welshbabe88

I think with 2 million + with long covid it is just as bad as we think it is.

We did travel out for the jabs - but I would think that was more essential than an optical or dental check up.

Spoonie_Turtle

welshbabe88 said:

I think with 2 million + with long covid it is just as bad as we think it is.

We did travel out for the jabs - but I would think that was more essential than an optical or dental check up.

I didn't really want to get into discussion about this, but exactly.  Many of us have a very low level of health, already debilitated by our illnesses, and feel the risk of losing what little health we may have is just too high.  What each of us feel is essential personally may differ, but the case numbers show none of us can afford to be complacent.

welshbabe88 said:

Anyone know of the best online optitians - the ones where you can send off a scan of the prescription rather than trying to work it out?

What part are you having trouble with?