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

YABU to buy your glasses at the opticians and THEN complain about the price, yes! Everyone knows opticians hike the prices up to a ridiculous amount! I haven't bought my glasses from the opticians for years. I have 3 different prescriptions, and I usually need 2 or 3 of each one, plus a couple of prescriptions sunglasses, as I tend to leave them around and then temporarily lose them! So when I get new prescriptions, I end up with between 8 to 12 pairs of glasses. Last time (March this year), they cost me just shy of £200 for 9 pairs, including the sunglasses . Just ask for your prescription and take it elsewhere. There are several places, including online, that are much cheaper than opticians but their frames and lenses etc are just as good (and in many cases, better).

...and wtf , lenses about 2p worth of plastic , usually, and frames 2p worth of mild steel or plastic ...made in their millions so probs cost about 0.002p in materials ...jeez what a rip off !

This ! Though my driving glasses cost me £50 , from Boots, the glasses I use all the time the ones from Home Bargains £1.49 ...do the maths !

I have discovered over sunglasses. The cost of them is around £20 and go over your normal glasses. If you really want, you could buy a few pairs of different colours

My vision in my right eye is much worse than my left. Think its -6.75 and -1.25. I remember when I was on UC I was entitled to £210 on voucher D due to my right eye. Have keratoconus in both eyes - right the worst and its stable.

Now prescriptions change due to human lenses. I require my right lens to be thinned otherwise walk lopsided and headaches.

Think I get charged one lot of thinning for both frames.

Agree totally. I get by with my £2 reader glasses from Amazon for now because I have 3 teens who eat all my money. Not ideal as I know my prescription is different in each eye.

Been reglazing same pairs of glasses via an online company for close to 20 years now, long enough for the styles to come in and out of fashion! Cheap and reliable. High Street opticians are a ripoff imho

My eyesight is starting a fail. I need to go. DH, DD, DS all wear glasses, it’s an expensive condition.

With my -13 going to asda is the only time I've ever had spare glasses. I normally wear contacts but now I can keep a pair of glasses in the car and at home.

-8 here with astigmatism and my varifocals cost £600+ with all the thinning and coatings and whatever.

So it's not at all surprising that people go online or try to find cheaper options. I've used Asda in the past but the glasses weren't that well made, in terms of the optical axes and alignment between the left and right lenses. With a lower prescription or if I still had some accommodation that might not be a problem, but higher, complex prescriptions really do need careful measurement and fitting.

Obviously others may have found no problem with cheaper options, but I found small errors in the optical fit gave me headaches and poor vision, whereas the specs from the high street optician didn't.

Just saying!

I have +9 and +10.5 with a -6 and -7 astigmatism so I'm completely unable to see without glasses. Luckily I'm partially sighted too so I get free eye tests but the lenses and frames are extortionate! I haven't been for over 2 years now and my lenses are scratched, I really need to go but I'm putting it off because of the cost

Massively short sighted, astigmatism in both eyes, plus I need varifocals. I also drive, and need them to be spot on for that. I need the ultra thin, best varifocal type. We're talking hundreds. I got my last three pairs online, but, although pretty cheap, it's a bit bit and miss whether they actually suit or not, despite all the 'try on' gadgets they provide. Also it's a bit tricky getting the prescription typed in right, especially if, like me, you only have a phone to do it on. It takes me ages!
All in all, it's worth it for me, simply because of the money saved.
Saying that, Asda opticians is three quarters of an hour away, but from earlier remarks, I might try there next time!

I just bought a pair of transition glasses with all the added extras, thinning, blue light, protected coating etc, plus a pair of prescription sunglasses for £65 including delivery on goggles4u. Most of my friends buy online too. The only two who don't freely admit that they can't be bothered to put all their prescription details on.

My lens alone are £425!
My dad was an optical engineer and he says these lens cost no more than 50p to produce.
Absolute rip off.

2025 I paid £600+ for varifocals. And that was with a 30% discount as a contact lens plan customer. I only wear them first thing in morning and after dinner.

I need two pairs of glasses every year but my optician has an eye plan where I pay £9 a month and get 40% off. They are independent which might be hard to find, but worth it!

I paid about £400 only to bend them, try to straighten and made the arm worse. Then went back and told I need varifocals npw which are looking like £500. Minus ten eyesight.

I get my glasses from glasses direct. Put my prescription in and choose the frames. I’ve got astigmatism in one eye and shortsighted. Specsavers wanted £600 off me because the lenses pushed the price up. Got two much nicer pairs for £100 online. Refuse to pay it. It’s healthcare at the end of the day and everyone deserves to be able to access it depending on their needs.

I get a test and then gets loads of glasses and sunglasses from goggles4u. Cost about £30 a pair

I’ve just checked and they do up to -17 and the 1.74 ultra thin lenses are only £49. If people go for cheap frames you can get glasses for less than £60. I really don’t know why people pay high street prices - it is so easy to order online.

I get my prescription and order online. So much cheaper!

Go to asda.. My prescription is - 13 and they do them.

Ive decided just to go deaf.

YANBU I was paying hundreds a year - complex prescription, needed lens thinning, needed several pairs as couldn’t get varifocals to work for me. I coughed up the £9k for lens replacement in the end, as I thought the cost would even out over the years, and more to the point it would cut out years of hassle of multiple glasses, that often weren’t quite right for whatever I was doing anyway.

Yeah, I have an eye appointment at the end of this month. I figure it will cost me about $1000 once I've bought new glasses, as I need progressives. It sucks