DH, high prescription and new glasses that are too thick

[Rollergirl11]

DH has very bad eyesight, his prescription is -9.5 in both eyes. For one reason or another he has not owned a pair of glasses for the entire time I’ve known him. So 20+ years. He wears daily disposable lenses but recently had a burst blood vessel in his eye that made wearing contacts uncomfortable and has prompted him to finally get some glasses. He picked them up yesterday and he absolutely hates them as the lenses are sooo thick. He says that they said they are the thinnest he could have them. I wasn’t with him so I’m not sure what amount of “thinning” that he went for. But my daughter has -6.5 prescription and we paid to have her glasses thinned as much as we could and they look absolutely fine. DH’s have that coke bottle effect and the lenses are so thick that from the side they protrude very far out from the frames.

The upshot is that DH says that he won’t wear them other than at home as he hates how they distort his face. This totally defeats the purpose of getting them as he as planning to wear them instead of contacts some days. They were £500+ and I think I that’s a ridiculous amount for him to pay and not be happy with them. Is there anything we can do at this point? Can we ask the optician to return the glasses and make the lenses thinner? Is this even possible or is it because his prescription is so high?

DH has a prescription of 10+ (free eye tests now 🙄 helps so much financially)

Spec savers his cost £300 he had a choice of 2 frames - small glass area, they are super thinned but still very chunky.

Independent opticians messed it up one time, tried to cover up but FH could hear him on he phone to the lab!!! Anyway they always cost £500+ and that was 10 years ago...

I get my glasses at asda, so does my partner, we both have high prescriptions but they thin them loads. I can't remember the cost of mine but my partner got two pairs for £120. Maybe he could return the glasses (I've done that before because they were unwearable, it was an optician chain and they were too thick and it distorted everything in my peripheral vision) and try somewhere else.

I always find it strange that contact lenses are so, so thin but then glasses are so thick. I know there's obviously a reason but the difference is huge!

This is an independent optician. When we had DD’s thinned we went to Vision Express so it was t the same optician. I’m just trying to work out if this is as good as it gets or if he could get them thinner. And is it too late now that he actually has them?!

It may be because he chose a big frame. Smaller frames are much better.with a high prescription. Specsavers will change glasses for any reason within a certain time frame (3 months?). Who did he buy them from?

Yes it's ridiculous amount to pay and not be happy but optician will correctly say he chose them.

But yes it's possible.. but might be easier to start again due to cost of replacement lenses.

Asda do 2 pairs for £120 or 2 for £180 designer. A prescription like his always gets a thinner lense at no extra cost.

My eyesight is between your DD and DH. I'm always advised to get a small frame, not to wide so lense stays thin at edges but never frame less so can hide lense width. Mine are fine. I would never wear coke bottles as they look terrible and are very heavy/uncomfortable.

Did he choose thin wire frames?
Did he choose large frames?
I always go for small as possible and a frame that will cover as much of the lens as possible.

At the edges (not the middl) DH lenses are 6-7mm as I just measured.

The frames are small as optician said they would need to be to allow for the high prescription. He thinks he has paid for some form of thinning but he doesn’t know what level. Then they came back and said he could have thinner with glass rather than plastic which he said no to.

The opticians is Leightons, there are a few dotted around but not a high street chain.

I have a very strong prescription (-10ish) and my tips are
Asda opticians- amazing! So cheap! (comparatively)
Pay for as much thinning as possible
Small area but chunky frames

Can you post a photo of his glasses? Front on and from the side?

It may be that the opticians have done what they can but if your husband isn’t used to wearing glasses it will feel very strange. My lens only just peek out of behind my frames (I can get my DP to help me post photos if that helps) maybe 1.5mm?

Ha our old one was Leighton's !!!

DH has glass lenses as they can be thinner from what you say.

Oh and I have plastic lens.

My prescription is around that and I have a pair of glasses for emergencies only which are thinned to the second greatest possible. I paid around 500 for that with cheap frames at vision express so it is possible he could get more thinned ones. I was told another 200 for maximum thinning. He needs to go back and talk to the optician about options.

Sorry I've misread your post for some reason I read 20 as the prescription not number of years. At 9.5 I would have thought they could have been thinner.

Post a pic of the frames from the side and front on and from top down please

I’ve just measure them and the lenses come out 8mm at the edges (including the frame).

Don't get glass, they are heavy and prone to breakages and they'll cost a fortune. Not practical at all.

You could get those thinner, the frame looks like the wrong shape for his prescription, he needs small round to cut most of the thickness off the lens edge. And if he asks for the edges polishing it'll look better cosmetically.

Here are the other pics...

If you hold them towards a light does the light reflect as white or a colour usually green or purple

There is no way I'd let any of my patient have a frame that shape with that prescription. The combination is awful

DH is -10.5 with astigmatisms and varifocals. ( m plastic lenses)

They can definitely be smaller the dispenser spent a long time researching which lens would work best.

Talk to another optician for a second opinion.

@tonyunclejohnny DH says they reflect as colour?

DH frames are a similar size and his prescription stronger and has severe astigmatism but as Inside the lenses are thinner at 6mm at the edges.