Independent optician vs Specsavers?

[Elephantina]

I've used Specsavers for years, all good no complaints - other than that they don't seem to be very helpful when I ask about specific issues that I have.

For example I have a squint and a lazy eye, double vision, astigmatism (not a big deal I know), long sight now as well as short sight so I use varifocals, and extremely poor night vision with blind spots. Ive started clay shooting which I love, but can't hit daylight despite endless lessons and the instructor simply can't understand what I'm seeing.

I have repeatedly asked the optician if there is anything else than can be done to improve matters and they seem to shrug and suggest that's just the way it is and I'm stuck with it.

I'm happy to accept that as the truth - but is it worth seeing an independent optician as a last attempt, before I give up and accept my Magoo status for ever?

Glad you've had some answers.

I've got incredibly complex eye needs and would also go independent over Specsavers.

I was with SS for a few years. The one thing I really didn't like was that you see a different person every time you go, not personal at all. I'm now with an independent opticians and they're brilliant. I've been seeing the same one optician for years now. Any sudden problems and she'll always squeeze me in at the end of the day because she's aware of my issues. Fantastic service.

I use SpecSavers and never had any issues with them. I started using contact lenses with them and the help I received was excellent, very kind and amazingly patient as I faffed about with the lenses. My husband always uses SpecSavers and they were concerned about his eyes and referred him to a specialist.

Perhaps the branches in small towns have less staff turnover - I have always seen the same optician.

If you want a specialist to look at your double vision / potential for depth perception ask your Gp to refer to your local Orthoptic department ! They will advise if exercises or prisms would help !

Hi, ooh I wondered if there might be MNer's out there with it too! Statistically it seems likely. My mum took me to the GP when I was small saying I looked cross-eyed, and you can see it in photos of me up to the age of about 5-6 when it seemed to become less obvious. GP said I'd grow out of a mild squint so nothing was done - that was how it was in the 70s though.

Do you find it affects you much? I just seem to get a lot of ghosting and outlines, I can't focus cleanly. I can see fine, it's just never a 100% crisp image so night driving is horrible and I struggle to read signs etc. The airport the other evening was a nightmare haha.

I also think it causes my very mild underlying anxiety (and a desire to study the street view of a location closely before leaving) about "finding" somewhere when driving - it takes me a couple of extra seconds, compared to DH anyway, to work out exactly where I need to turn, visualise the layout of the road etc - maybe that's the poor depth perception, who knows.

Interestingly, unless I'm driving an HGV it is not on the list of reportable conditions for DVLA. That's a relief, I'd be screwed as I drive virtually for a living.

I've got a follow up with the optician next week smeg, for the particular purpose of looking at prism - I already have it in both lenses of my specs, but she is not convinced that I need it at all (or perhaps more in the left and none on the right) and it may be contributing to the ghosting. She wants to see me at the end of a day when I've been working in front of a screen!

Cheers for the tip about the referral though, I'll keep it in mind. I have medical insurance, maybe I should tell them about it.

My friend’s brother is an optician. He said the best way to do it is to get your eyes tested at an independent and get your glasses from Specsavers.

Which is fine if you want your independent practice to go out of business.Dispensing - the sale of glasses - subsidises the eye exam.If you have your test at an independent and take your prescription elsewhere you are leaving them out of pocket.You've got every right to do that of course,but if everyone did it the independents would be gone!

I thought that Curve - as much as I know I'm entitled to get the specs somewhere else, the optician who has diagnosed me (after a few dozen opticians over the 35 years before her missed it), wouldn't actually earn a penny from me if I did that.

It might sting my pocket a little bit more than usual but that's her living.

I had a terrible experience with Specsavers. Independent x