Spectacle Wearers Unite!

Batty_3

Those of us with severe eyesight problems know that in reality the NHS vouchers, will buy you very little.

If our prescription is above a certain strength, we’re forced into paying for Hi-Index lenses to ‘thin’ the lens down. Not for ‘vanity’ I hasten to add, but purely because the frames we select cannot carry the thickness of the lens that we need to be able to see. Also if we CAN find frames that carry our prescriptions the sheer weight of the frames, plus single vision 1.6 lenses, will have us with a headache after a few hours wear, plus a permanent ‘dent’ in the bridge of our noses.

With my current prescription I have to have 1.9 lenses which for the lenses alone can cost £250 depending on which retailer I go to.

I’ve yet to come out with a pair of glasses costing under £400. As I have to have a new pair every 18 months or so, this is quite a sizable chunk of money.

A friend of mine directed me to glassesdirect.co.uk as she buys several pairs in different colours for £15 complete.

Unfortunately having selected a nice frames, I discovered that Ultra-Thins lenses were an extra £130, but as it was still under £200 a pair, I proceeded.

BUT

They don’t cater for prescriptions above +/- 8.00 and so I’m back to the High Street merchants.

I’ve been told to stop wearing contact lenses and I’m unsuitable for laser eye treatment.

It’s all very well advertising complete spectacles for £75 or BOGOFs, but when you enquire, that’s for single vision lenses and not Hi-Index.

I’m desperate to be able to see. I can’t see road signs now, so I’m using public transport as I know I’m not safe. I need an Eye Test and have a free voucher from a well known retailer, so that covers that. I have no intention, (if I can help it), of giving them my trade, Once I have the prescription I can go where I like, but I’m coming up against this stumbling block with the ‘terms and conditions’ of these offers.

I’m being penalised for having bad eyesight and there’s no help for those on low wages or benefits.

Does anyone know of any other websites that do above a + or -8.00 strength? I’m currently -9.50 (L) and -9.00 (R) but I suspect this will change to -9.75 and -9.50 this next test.

Incidentally I’m considering writing to my MP about this. If I get a response I’m considering a petition to try and cap the price Opticians can charge for lenses. I’m a small voice in the wilderness, but it’s not as if we can manage without!

(I'd love to see this exposed on 'Tonight, with Trevor McDonald' :T )

saintscouple

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere (please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

desiman

Hi,

I'm in a similar position with my prescription however thankfully am able to afford to pay £300 as a one off for my glasses. I know there is no help for low earners except for the voucher which entitles you little off.

Best advice is to shop around and get the best deal then maybe purchase on a 0% credit card and spread out the payments?

When shopping around, I would go to all the major retailers and ask them about their prices. In the end I went to an independent optician as they gave me the best deal, but I knew D&A do some kind of scheme where you get 50% or so off the frame (you can just join the scheme for one month then cancel)

If I remember correctly, Asda did some hi-inde lens as well but they may just go up to 1.74 index.

Do you really need 1.9? My prescription isnt too different from yours and I have a 1.74 with a good frame which hides the lens thickness quite well.

The optician I went to is in Leeds and is quite reasonably priced. Let me know if you want further info.

All the best.

Batty_3

desiman wrote: »

Hi,

I'm in a similar position with my prescription however thankfully am able to afford to pay £300 as a one off for my glasses. I know there is no help for low earners except for the voucher which entitles you little off.

Best advice is to shop around and get the best deal then maybe purchase on a 0% credit card and spread out the payments?

When shopping around, I would go to all the major retailers and ask them about their prices. In the end I went to an independent optician as they gave me the best deal, but I knew D&A do some kind of scheme where you get 50% or so off the frame (you can just join the scheme for one month then cancel)

If I remember correctly, Asda did some hi-inde lens as well but they may just go up to 1.74 index.

Do you really need 1.9? My prescription isnt too different from yours and I have a 1.74 with a good frame which hides the lens thickness quite well.

The optician I went to is in Leeds and is quite reasonably priced. Let me know if you want further info.

All the best.

I've been quoted £175 for 1.74 lenses, so it' still a bit out of my league
I don't want to apply for credit card. I'm being made redundant and have 4 credit cards to pay off with my severance money. I cut the cards up about 10 years ago.

It's just that once I pay my debts I wont have any money left. when I worked iI paid into a Health Scheme that paid for my Glasses/Dental. Once I leave work that's it gone! The money I paid in I wont get back £300 is a lot to find out of IS especially as I need a pair every 18 months. I struggled when I worked! The scheme only paid the first £150 of any glasses I claimed for

I'm not sure if we have any independants in this town they've been pushed out by 'should have gone to' etc. and I don't live near enough one of the Supermarkets that do them

Will carry on the internet route for now.............. If I can see the screen! :rotfl:

Horace

I have the same problem - I began having free eye tests years ago because my prescription is so complicated. The last time I bought a pair of spectacles (from my then local independent optician), I paid £400 for the lenses alone then I had the frame cost on top of that:eek:

Now I have problems with my eyes that mean I have to attend my local eye hospital regularly and so I have my eye tests done there and then I pop into their on-site dispensing optician - he makes me angry by telling me that the glasses he provides should only go to those people who cannot afford glasses (I am now one of those people). One thing that he hates and won't dispense for me anyway is glass lenses and so I am getting used to plastic ones. I visited him last year and bought a pair of quite trendy frames with thin, transition lenses - the cost for the glasses including the extra thin lenses was £175.

I do get money back from my glasses because many years' ago I joined something called the Birmingham Hospital Saturday Fund, I pay in an amount each month and then claim for hospital stays, glasses, dental work etc. - It helps. I think there are similar schemes out there e.g. HSA. I joined the Saturday fund when I was at work and when I stopped working I contacted them and now pay a different amount each month but I have been allowed to keep it. Sometimes, it pays to ask if the scheme can be kept.

Personally, I wouldnt buy glasses online because they cannot fit your glasses and when you visit your optician he does this for you so that they fit without rubbing or sliding.

One thing that I did manage to buy at my opticians was a pair of sailing goggles - it was difficult for the manufacturer because they had never made any with such thick lenses before, it was a waste of money really because I don't wear them because not only are they too heavy but my prescription has changed yet again:mad: I have also bought a similar product online and didnt have the best experience - they have removable prescription inserts, next year when I have my cataracts done then I will be able to ditch the inserts altogether and wear the glasses as normal sunglasses.

My prescription is -13.5 (L) and -9.25 (R), due to central vision loss due to glaucoma in my left eye leaving me with a limited amount of peripheral vision I now have a balancing lens in the left side of my glasses which makes life a lot easier.

I certainly think that more should be done to help those of us with complicated prescriptions - maybe we need to have a change in government before this can happen?

Februarycat

I'm the same, just paid around £375 for some new specs, I do belong the HSA and got about £75 back and then got some knocked off with the NHS voucher, which helps but still expensive.
I did get some prescription sunglasses from Optical4less last year and they cost around £85 and they are not bad and I do wear them in the summer, think they were 1.74 lens.
I think we should get more knocked off the lens.

beedeedee

I have similar problems with spectacles - but at my local Specsavers I always ask and get 10% discount for being a regular customer. Not a lot, but it helps! I don't tell them I alternate with Boots Opticians and there I can get very narrow modern frames and I find I don't need really thin lenses as the sides of the arms hide the thickness of the lenses. I had an eye test there a couple of weeks ago and he told me I could have two pairs (one for reading and one for distance, i.e.different prescriptions) at 2 for £99. I double checked with him on that and he assured me I could!

swake

i have an appointment at specsavers on tuesday morning. My eyesight is terrible and my last pair of glasses cost just over £400. I am currently recovering from major surgery though so i will be intersted to see what discounts i get due to my incapacity benefit.

I have been specsavers customer for a while and have never really had a problem with them. I will be interested in how much the NHS voucher saves me also.

Batty_3

I found this:

How much is your NHS Optical Voucher worth towards your spectacle purchase?
The actual value of your NHS Optical Voucher depends on the power of your spectacle prescription. This is indicated by a code (A, B, E, or F) written on the front of the GOS3 Optical Voucher form. A box next to this code is ticked if tints or prisms are prescribed by your optometrist.
Code
Value: A£34.60 B£52.60 E£59.80 F£76.00

mishkanorman

Glasses are something you need not want, and although they ARE expensive you shouldnt cut corners with such a high prescription. Even if you did find an on-line retailer who supplies such a high prescription you should always buy your glasses from a practice you can visit. For many many reasons.


The NHS optical voucher scheme mentioned above applies to those on a low in-come claiming the appropriate benefit, however there is a smaller amount taken off for complex prescriptions automatically.


mishka

shewhoguards

Unfortunately, having investigated this for my own glasses lately, the OP's eyes aren't quite bad ENOUGH to count as 'complex lenses' for the NHS. Gotta be -10 or above for that.