Eye test felt like a sales pitch?

I don't know how close you are to London but if you do have a strong prescription and want to make sure your eyes are sorted I recommend seeing if you can get an appt at Moorfields Eye Hospital via the NHS which shouldn't cost you. SS probably aren't specialised enough to offer you good services as a lot of their opticians are really newly qualified. At Moorfields you'd see an actual doctor.

With the enhanced imaging they keep the pictures, it’s useful for them to be able monitor changes over time. I’ve got Sun spots on the back of mine so keen to make sure there are no changes.

The scan is worth every penny and saved my DC eyesight. Within five minutes of the scan the opticians were on the phone to the hospital arranging for him to have a detached retina repair.

Mmm I don't know

The eye scan thing. I presume it's the same as the one I had at my last eye test. I found it really interesting. It was the first time I'd had an eye scan like that. I already had high blood pressure which is being treated (and optician knew). But she showed me the scan after and she said she can see where the blood vessels have enlarged from the blood pressure (I might have got that slightly wrong can't remember the exact wording). But she said that's ok cos I know you've already got it and it's being treated but if not that would have been when I referred to doctors.
I never knew that you could see you've got high blood pressure from the eyes. Fascinating to me

They barely break even on the basic eye test and need to upsell to make any profit. they are a business at the end of the day not the nhs.

I've had a really good experience with them recently

I don't get on with prescription changes so they kept mine the same
When my glasses weren't right and I explained, knew instantly what was wrong and corrected it
The most amazing one was that they found me contact lenses I can wear for a full day which I haven't been able to in about a decade

I still like Specsavers, I have quite a complex high prescription so I do always pay the bit extra for the lens thinner. But I have noticed them become a bit more sales pitchy these last couple years. I have been standing my ground so far, quite proud of myself, as I am not the most assertive of people.

I went to vision express as specsavers couldn’t give kids eye appointments in a reasonable time frame, I think it’s the same everywhere ds got a very minor prescription and the optician offered £350 glasses that might slow sight decline and was tried to make me feel bad when i declined.

I've found Specsavers good, but I had to be firm about the upselling. It's very easy to get sucked into the sales tactics.

DH had something wrong with his eyes 2 weeks ago...Urgent care at the hospital assumed infection, sent him away with antibiotics. It didn't clear up, he went to specsavers where they measured his eye pressure, found it was really high, got him an appointment at the county eye clinic the same afternoon. Turned out to be panuveal uveitis, if he hadn't got initial treatment to get the pressure reduced that day he'd very likely have had permanent damage to his optic nerves. Longer term treatment and full diagnosis is ongoing but we're bloody grateful for specsavers!
We always get the retinal scan there too, I've got familial history of glaucoma. They've never tried to push me to get prescription glasses rather than off the shelf readers.

No they've got a point op. If you wear contacts all the time, there's a risk that you can start to grow blood vessels underneath the lens which can lead to a) blindness b) never being able to wear contact lenses again.

I wore contacts for 30 years and recently did the advanced eye check (it's commonly offered at Boots) to check on my retina health.

I'm with Specsavers and my experience was nothing like yours. I had my test 2 weeks ago and I was asked if I wanted the extra scan but there was no pressure. I have been asked the last few times and I'm sure it used to be £20.
I was advised to get new specs as my prescription improved but when I said I wanted to come back with my contacts in, the person helping me said fine, just come in whenever you like.
I do sometimes hear bad things about Specsavers but I've only ever had good experiences at mine.

The enhanced test is now £5. I had it yesterday.

I had the eye scan test at Specsavers and they found I had holes in my retinas, contacted the local NHS eye clinic for me, and I was seen that afternoon. The were really good with me, and didn't charge me for the test in the end.

My local branch is excellent. I have paid for the enhanced eye scan the last two visits as I think it’s worthwhile being 60. Didn’t pay for it when younger.

I also think their menu pricing is good. You have choices of what you want from glasses or contacts. You can decline or accept the extras.

Specsavers is a franchise... you won't see the same optician each time... they got my prescription wrong.. didn't notice l had type 2 diabetes or dry eye syndrome or beginning of cataracts... the eye clinic at the hospital diagnosed all these after going to my GPs with scratchy dry eyes.
The specialist at the hospital told me to avoid having eye tests at Specsavers.

I've experienced the same.

I felt obliged to choose from their selection, it won't happen again.

It cost me hundreds of pounds and they weren't clear about the choises available.

They said last week that that was fine, they'd do that for me.

See now I have just had an eye test in Specsavers and they're the first opticians in years that have made me glasses that actually work. Over the years, various issues:

Been shouted at in Boots when I said everything was very blurry

Had glasses made for distance when I made it clear that I need glasses for close work

Told that I could see through them and had the stinking headache they gave me was dismissed as irrelevant

Was treated as if I was talking out my bum when I said that individually, the lenses were fine, crystal clear, but trying to look out of both, it was like looking out of a pair of water filled goggles.

The ones I have just got, tiny text is crystal clear. For the first time in ages, I can read properly.

My Dad's eye consultant at the hospital recommended Specsavers for eye tests and spectacles. The enhanced eye scan is, to my mind, an essential given a family history of eye issues and when I had it last week was £5 extra. There is no pressure to have it, I just booked it online with my appointment. The technology they have now means they don't need to do a long test with you looking at loads of charts. They do offer upgrades when you are buying your glasses but a simple no thanks suffices. Specsavers also have a contract with the NHS where the do direct referral for cataract surgery.

I am all for supporting small local businesses but if an optician can't offer that level of eye health diagnostics, on top of just sight corrections/glasses I am not going.

If you have a ‘very high prescription’ you would be unwise to decline a £10 OCT scan (which is very cheap for this kind of imaging). High myopes are at increased risk of a variety of retinal complications and an OCT will pick these up.

I think the £10 extra test is common. I have had it at Boots and a local small opticians.

It was worth it as it picked up something early.

Can't comment on SS as haven't used them for years. Can't actually remember why I stopped.

I paid for the £10 test and was very impressed that a necessary appointment was made for me only a fortnight later at the hospital eye clinic.

My eyesight was, and still is, very good. I'm still having checks and treatment at the hospital. I'm glad l paid the £10.
I wonder if the scanner for the test is expensive and that's why it is charged extra?

I’ve always had a great experience with Specsavers. I’ve had lots of eye problems and they always squeeze me in that day and then make a referral to the eye hospital for that same day - the eye hospital won’t see you without a referral from optician or gp.

I always say straight away that I’m poor so looking at the cheapest options. I’m so over being embarrassed about it. Everone has always been great - no hard sell, no making me feel awkward, still happy to take their time and help me choose frames etc.

In fact, last time I got glasses I needed ones for distance and ones for close up for the first time (had only needed distance ones previously) and when I said I could only afford one pair they give me the other for free!