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

I'm desperate for new glasses. Only last time I bought them it was over £400 and that was peak COVID times. I dread to think what it'll be this time round but I'm not sure I can put it off much longer.

Nothing compared to Europe, let me tell you! My mother and I both have terrible eyesight - we must have spent thousands on glasses over the years - and that was with the health insurance discount of €300 each every two years! Coming to the UK and getting 2 pairs for £350 (at my last appointment in December) was a pleasant surprise!

My specialist lenses cost £700 alone. Specsavers and co cant do them. They,ve tried numerous times in various different shops...hopeless. Im dreading going back.

You aren’t wrong, I had a shock in July at specsavers at how much they wanted for a pair of glasses, like another poster I’m
8.5 and it upsets me how much I have to pay for thinning
the service was so poor in specsavers I went to ace and Tate (stores in most cities) and thanks to their summer offer got 2 pairs for £450
sidenote- I collected them Saturday, couldn’t see, dud a test their, specsavers had made errors on the prescription for varifocals so got to get them redone 🙄

I get my eyes tested and buy my specs online…mine are only reading glasses tho.

Try the dentist. Mine told me I need a tooth removed.
The quote for extraction, bone grafting, implant and crown is around £7k. My insurance will cover around £2k. I can afford the £5k luckily enough but what do most people do. Bankers. And that’s just ONE tooth!

Must vary depending where you are then, just had mine done and it was only £5 for the scan

I recently got my first pair of varifocals. Went to Costco. Designer frame was £120 but lenses were almost £300!

My last bill for reading glasses, eye test, retina scan and all that jazz was £500!! I go to a lovely private family run shop who we’ve used since the late 90’s. There’s no hard sell, they don’t do buy one get one free, prescription is always spot on. Not cheap but a great service. They even give tea and biccies and bring selections of frames based on face shape.

I had laser eye surgery on my -8.5 prescription. Best thing I ever did. It’s expensive too but it removed £500 a year of glasses and tests and contact lenses and ballache. I don’t have perfect vision and you have to be prepared to lose the super power of brilliant short sight (if you are short sighted) which I wasn’t expecting and took time to get used to. If you can manage the cost I highly recommend.

Having purchased expensive frames I just changed the lenses on them £350

I couldn’t agree more! I know I need new glasses and a check up but I can’t afford to go.

How do they fit the pupil distance, and the height for varifocals?
What happens if you need the arms adjusting?

I'm so pleased my DS who has SEN has stopped breaking people's glasses, it was getting very expensive!

Firmoo are great - I see a lot of previous posters are saying they’re no good for complex prescriptions but mine is fairly complex and I’ve had several pairs now, all have been great

Varifocals, over -10 both eyes, over £600 😭

£600 for me! And that was with a cheap £130 frame.
Unfortunately when you have a more complex prescription or bad astigmatism, cheaper online retailers are no good and so you are at their mercy.

I always worry about getting varifocals online. They do so many measurements in the opticians to fit them that surely you can’t get with an online glasses provider?
my standard is specsavers top version, how would I be able to compare the lens quality with that before ordering?

I do buy single lens glasses and sunglasses online but never yet varifocals.

Had varifocal lenses stitched in 7 years ago best £5000 ever spent - no specs ever again!

This! I went to my local optician to get the prescription for readers then plugged it into GD, picked the cheapest lenses and glasses were £24.

Again, not possible if you have a complex prescription.

Should have gone to Specsavers.....
I have been extremely myopic since childhood and have slight astigmatism. I am therefore very experienced in having eye tests and glasses, as I'm now 73.

Specsavers are just as good and thorough as any opticians I have ever been to, and much more reasonable.

My daughters lenses cost me £180 6 months ago. They tried to change me £220 this time. Shes bloody 6. NHS voucher was £45.

Firmoo is the way forward.

Two pairs of glasses for £45.

Eye test for £25 and it was paid for by my work because I work with screens.

My last pair were £700 - the lens were £500!!! I wear them all the time, I can't see anything without them. I can't lose them as I don't take them off except to sleep.