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

Does the arm itself break or does it come off? If the latter, get a snapit repair kit, they cost about £6 so it's a lot cheaper than replacing with a new pair!

Except it’s ridiculous that I should have to spend £500+ a year just to be able to see.

I have two pairs of varifocals with thinned lenses (one pair are polarised, which cost me about £40-£50 extra). Total cost was around £200 for both. Lens thinning is free and they have £40 off when buying two pairs of glasses and you can choose from three ranges of £80, £100 and £130.

DH got his first pair of distance glasses from Specsavers, and they cost him £300. Within a week he had sat on them.

Goggles4u, same prescription and similar frames = £29. He hasn't broken them and he's had them 6 months.....so far.

You don't.

Plenty of cheaper options in the high street never mind online.

Who do you think should pay though? Should everyone else pay for your glasses? (Through taxes). The NHS is already on its knees.

You can get them much cheaper. I paid £550 for mine but I wear them all of the time so wanted nice looking, sturdy frames and some of the lense coatings and thinning. I dont mind as cost per wear is low, and I justify paying more for an independent optician as they will do fixes and tweaks for the life of the glasses for free; which has been a life saver in the past!

I think people just want everything for free.

Incorrect.

I have a very strong, complex prescription and have no choice but to spend what I do.

Yes, I do think the NHS should pay - they pay for all kinds of other things, why not glasses so that people can work and be functional members of society.

I’m incredibly lucky that my family can help pay for mine, but I suspect a lot of people are stuck wearing glasses that are broken or not powerful enough simply because they can’t afford a replacement.

You can’t always get them cheaper - I’m not sure what people are failing to understand about this 🫣

Yes, if you have a fairly basic prescription you can go online or to ASDA but many of us can’t do that. I tried ASDA once but their “thinnest” lenses were still far too thick for my frames and they gave me such bad migraines I had to go back to my old pair.

Really? I find Specsavers very expensive so I dread to think what others might cost.

Just to say don’t rely on the additional scan if you have retinopathy- had a scan at my eye test, told eye health fine.
Within 3 months of that scan, I had my diabetic eye screening and needed urgent laser surgery to save my vision. So if you are diabetic please attend any eye screening appointments even if one of the optician scans says your eye health is good

You don't NEED to have them super thinned. That's a WANT rather than a need.

I will add my tip which is not for the fashion conscious.

When I go to specsavers I always get the same frames. That way I can swap parts from an old frame to a new frame if something breaks.

Also, if you get silver frames they mark up a lot less than other colours, which scratch to reveal the bare metal. The silver frames look the same whether they are scratched or not.

Yes, I paid £350 last time at the optician. It’s ridiculous!

No - I need to have then super thinned or they give me migraines and I can’t function at all. Even on the thinnest option my lenses are still ridiculously thick.

Agree with this ^
replacing lenses in the old frames costs ridiculously expensive. I sent out mine online once and it was significantly cheaper.

OK it was a few years ago but my small, independent optician in the UK used to change the thinned lenses in old (or bought elsewhere) frames for hardly anything (albeit this was in my pre-varifocal days). Maybe worth shopping around?

Me too. People don't seem to understand that others might have eye issues that aren't the same as theirs and may need different solutions. I don't know why.

It’s bonkers isn’t it - imagine thinking you know more about someone’s needs than they do 😂

I’ve got glasses from Vooglam (the UK site not the USA one).

Two pairs with -6.5 prescription (you just upload your prescription details) and they’re always great frames.

There’s always discount codes and I used a 30% off plus half price second frames and, including paying for £14 quicker delivery, they’ve come to about £79 each pair.

Really happy with them and always get compliments when wearing other specs from them. In comparison, I got some glasses from Specsaver last year and, with the cheapest frames, they were still about £120 and they had a limited selection too.

These are my favourite and ordered a second pair with my new prescription
m.vooglam.com/goods-detail/2408

Yeah I'm plus 5 and plus 4.5. I have varifocals from glasses direct that cost under £100. Eye test was a tenner at specsavers on a special offer

I can’t use those online opticians as my ears are different shape where the arms sit. Plus one sticks out. As the optician technicians spend an age adjusting the arms. If I did this myself, I would break the frames

I buy frames which suit me. Not frames that are in fashion as most frames look stupid on me.

Do you use VDUs visual display units for work? Including handsets, tablets as well as computers? You may need to seek out your employer’s policy re eye care.

I get free eye tests once a year- should be every other year but got to submit evidence of my eye condition. I voucher for £50 towards a pair of frames.

I paid £250 last week for advanced eye test and two new pairs of glasses with upgraded lenses. I thought that was pretty reasonable.

I was shocked at the price of my last pair (£500 ish which was cheap frame but very expensive lens due to my prescription) but even so it is cheap compared to the cost of private hearing aids which are extortionate.