To think nowadays you need a mortgage if you need glasses?

Asda. Two pairs of varifocals for £130. Brilliant service. Wouldn't go anywhere else now.

For those of you who use the online suppliers, how do you arrange to have them fitted? Mine always needs the arms bent as I have non level ears. Plus bending in the middle usually too.

I used Specsavers and got £30 glasses. It was BOGOF so I got two pairs for that price in a sale.

If you want fancy ones then yes, it will cost more.

If you use screens for work, your company by law has to supply a voucher for a free eye test and they pay up to a certain amount too for the glasses.

I guess the point is why are we expected to be so severely out of pocket for eye care, rather than it be covered by the nhs, unlike other types of healthcare?

I just did £140 for two pairs no thinning anti glare on one including eye test and photo at specsavers.

If I needed thinning I’d probably go to Asda as I’ve heard that’s included.

I’ve just paid £1100 for ultra thin, customised varifocal with reactolite lenses in Tiffany frames - they will last me at least 2 years - so for £10 a week to look good, feel good and have the best vision I can get it’s worth it
I had to give up contact lenses due to dry eyes with aging and I miss them so much but this is the next best alternative

I paid £700 just for l lenses and had them put in last years frames. I’m -10.5 and -11.25 with an astigmatism and being this short sighted is very expensive. £300 would feel like a bargain to me.

My school aged child has a complex prescription, even with the NHS voucher it’s around £350 for glasses

This, my family have had a lot of success with GD
unfortunately my prescription is too complex but I think -5 would be fine

Please at least get a proper eye test regularly even if it costs. I was extremely short sighted all my life and glasses were always around the £500 mark then I had cataracts so don’t need glasses all the time. I just buy cheap reading glasses and varifocals for work but suddenly last year I had an issue with one eye I got an emergency optician appointment straight away and was then sent straight to hospital for an op which saved the sight in my eye. I have family members who are blind believe me they would pay any amount of money for glasses if it helped them.

“ Thinning “ does not cost the supplier nothing! Thinner lenses are made from a different more advanced material, they are more expensive because of that. If it was just shaving the lenses to make them thinner that wouldn’t be a thing - in fact opticians will advise you on frame shspe and size and order the size of lens to make your glasses look as good as possible ( or they should be…) but there is only so much that can do which is why the new materials were invented in the first place.

Boots £55 for normal eye test!! What a rip off

Get your prescription and then glasses direct

I got the free frames at Boots and nothing done to the lenses. 50.00 for two pairs.

Costco eyetest 19.99

A few years ago someone on here liked to glasses direct:
https://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/

I have had 6+ pairs from here now, started with standard prescription sunglasses and recently brave enough to order my varifocals which I now wear daily.

The frames can be plasticky but very robust. I measure the arms/width of my favourite specs to filter the styles to my preference.

There's various deals on and there's usually 10% cashback available on Top cashback too:
https://www.topcashback.co.uk/ref/Casi1231/?source_id=4 (cheeky link to TC).

I'll stick with the independent, family run, opticians I've been going to for 30 years thanks, who know me by name, also treat my parents and husband, and know me so well they noticed I had a new bag when I went in last week. Didn't pay for my eye test, additional imaging, or contact lens check as that's covered by having the lenses and discount off my new specs too as my prescription has changed and these frames are knackered.
If I wear them every day over the 2 years before the next eye test, they're less than about 75p per day. Can't drive without them etc, DH basically cannot function fullstop without his.

I have a -5.5/-5.75 prescription, wear varifocals, thinned down to the thinnest lenses I have ever had, free tint, anti scratch and something else I can't remember, got designer frames and paid £120 from Asda.

I have been using them for a few years and they start at either £40 or £50 for frames including all the extras.

Got quoted from an another opticians for the same and the price was £465, Asda only do one type of varifocal lense and its the most expensive one that all opticians try and upsell you too.

I don't work for Asda or the Opticians just love getting a bargain in eyewear when I can't see a thing without my glasses.

Please give them try

I pay between £45 to £65, I just get standard lenses and the cheapest frames. Then I make sure they fit me perfectly and get them adjusted and pop back in if they become lose.

I use Glasses Direct too. I wait for decent deals and usually spend around £50 a time to get a few pairs in different colours so I can swap them around as much as I want. Eye tests are free here too (and this has reminded me I actually need to get booked in soon for it). They do try the selling afterwards but I just tell them I can’t at that moment.

I don’t expect change out of £400 tomorrow at my appointment. -11 and -12 here. I have to pay for the thinnest lenses and I am very limited in frame style and size to fit.

I am minus 7.5 and it’s so hard to get glasses under £500 because of the lens thinning needed. I buy crappy frames because of that.

Tbh my glasses have always cost around £300. I get super thin lenses and scratch resistant coating as wear them all the time.
Plus mine will last me a good 2 years so work out like £3 a week. I spend more on coffee

I’m sorry but I just thought that’s not too bad. My DH’s glasses have been costing us £700 + for years my sons cost £200 even with an NHS voucher. So I figure anything under £300 is cheap. I should add we don’t skimp on the thinning and have transition lenses because they have such high prescriptions. (Long sighted)