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?

I am sure the Optician will help.
As someone who works in the industry a few points. It is impossible to compare 2 peoples pairs of glasses. A minus prescription has a concave lens , thinner in the middle and thicker at the edges
When the lens is glazed into the frame, the edges are cut away however the position of lenses in the frame is based on bespoke measurements ensuring the centre of the lens is directly in front of the pupil. As well as prescription, frame shape, facial measurements all add to the overall finished article. Many prescriptions also have an additional element at a specific angle on the lens and this is individual to the person.

My dd is a +13 prescription having normal lenses thinned is a waste of time as the result is what your dh recieved. What you need to buy is 1.75 high index lense they are the thinnest lense on the market, with these my dd lense is within the frame completely, frame shape and size is important as well and a good optician will know this.

You cannot compare outcomes for a prescription starting with + (convex lens required) to one starting minus (concave lenses). Lenses aren't actually thinned in the way many people think. A lens with a higher refractive index is used. The highest is generally a 1.74index although 1.76 is now available which depending on all the elements may give a better result. There really are a lot of variables & most Opticians will work with you to get a satisfactory results.

Good habit to get into: Take a photo of any receipt before throwing it away.

DH's over -10.50

Has metal thin frames like so many have said not to

My eyesight is absolutely shiteola and I pay to get my glasses thinned out to the max.

Asda opticians did THIS for me. They're fab.

Oddly enough that photo makes them look thinner than they actually are. Not sure how I managed to do that but its surprisingly hard to take a photo of my glasses without wearing my glasses

Really struggle on Mumsnet when people comment on things they aren’t knowledgable about.
The frame looks okay, you need a thicker plastic frame for a high prescription, but the lens will stick out for a high prescription. The only option for a thinner lens is a 1.9 glass.
There is nothing you can do about the image size magnification, (at the moment). They will make the sides of your face appear smaller and the person wearing them will see things smaller compared to wearing contact lenses.

You can get +ve prescriptions appear thinner as the thickest part of the lens is centrally, rather than at the edge.

Having said that, if he’s not happy - go back. They may just offer to swap for 1.9 glass for the difference in price.

Oh and if he’s -9.50 in contact lenses - he’ll be around -10.50/-10.75 in glasses depending on his facial features.

Ex optical assistant and owner of -11 eyes.
1.74 is the thinnest you can get. The higher the number the thinner they are. The smaller the frame the thinner they will be. If you imagine the curve of the lenses the middle bit is thinner getting thicker towards the edge. So the closer it is to the middle the better.

It doesn’t matter who you buy them from 1.74 is the thinnest in plastic. The other factors is to make sure that his eyes sit in the middle of the frame.

The other options would be glass which can be 1.8 or 1.9, therefore thinner but much heavier or to polish the edges which makes them look thinner.

Thank you to everyone that has contributed. I feel that DH can go to his appointment better equipped and more knowledgeable then he was before. At the very least he has expressed his displeasure with the optician and hopefully we will find a way forward. Before I started this thread I had the feeling that DH was just going to accept being unhappy with the glasses despite paying £500 for them. I’m not prepared to sacrifice that amount of money and now neither is he.

I feel for DH. I think being in receipt of these glasses has brought back all his old childhood insecurities about his bad eyesight and the incredibly thick glasses that he had to wear (and was bullied for) whilst growing up. I have never seen DH like this since I’ve known him and it’s made me realise just how much him wearing contacts allows him to be the confident man that he is.

**displeasure with the glasses to the optician

@tonyunclejohnny

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

This is not true.

I've always had glass, never broken a pair, they are not heavy due to thinning and they're no more expensive than plastic (which is prone to scratching). Did you last buy glasses in the 1970's?

Glass is heavier. I remember the first time I had plastic lenses and the difference was amazing.

Never broke or scratched glass lenses though.

I totally get the emotional side, I had to wear thick glasses full time from about age 8 and they were those hideous NHS ones that I got called names for, even when I could choose my own frames as a teen there was very limited choice and nowhere near the amount of advice there is now, I always felt different to everyone else and frumpy. Got my first contact lenses at 17 and it changed my life totally, my confidence soared. I don't mind wearing glasses once in a while now, I've always kept an up to date pair, but contact lenses are one of my favourite things in the world ever. I really hope he can find some glasses he is comfy with.

They look not dissimilar at the edges to DH's glasses.

DH goes to a specialist independent optician and choosing his frames took fucking ages but the sales assistant was an expert in assisting him over his options. Didn't mind him being there for hours, pushed him away from something that wasn't going to work now his lens had got thicker, was generally brilliant.

You could absolutely tell the difference between where I go - lots of people wanting designer frames - and where DH goes - loads of people who are blind as a bat.

I'd find another optician.

Sorry to hijack this thread slightly but the original posting was very timely for me as I was looking to get new glasses. I have a -9 prescription and popped into ASDA today. They said I could only have quite small frames as the 1.74 thinned lenses were only produced to a certain width (across the face) and therefore I couldn't get any of the 'big sexy secretary vibe' glasses I was going for. My question is: is that right? Or is it just because that's the maximum width that is cost effective for ASDA? It looks like I'll have to lay out for a pair of glasses I really don't like because of this issue so any advice would be gratefully received.

Glass is heavier than plastic is standard range prescriptions, but once you get to -10 ish, then the much higher indexes available in glass mean the lenses are thinner, and the weight differential is minimal.

As well as keeping the frame size down, he needs to be aware of his own PD (pupillary distance) ...ideally he wants to be looking through the frame as close to the centre of the frame shape as possible....this is the BEST thing to do with higher prescriptions as it means the lenses will be evenly balanced and even thickness at each side
If he has a small PD in a wide frame the lenses have to move in to match his PD to ensure minimal distortion and the outside edge will be really thick...I think this may be the case here, but those lenses are not well finished

In a frame like that it helps to glaze the lenses forwards a little, no one really pays attention to thickness at the front and it's possible to polish the lens edges to make them less noticeable. Sometimes the wearer can notice a reflection from this, but generally the improved cosmetics and just settling in means this is rarely a long term issue.

To sum up... try and find a Dispensing Optician to talk through the options, they should be happy to advise on lenses and suitable styles

Don't dismiss glass lenses, if thickness is the main concern then Zeiss 1..8 or 1.9 should be considered. Polished edges are an option. Watch the bevel position on the lens so you don't end up with everything stuck out the back and don't let them chamfer/run off the edges excessively it looks horrid.
Frame size, keep it DOWN and bear in mind that even if a frame looks slightly small on, once the lenses are in and making the face look smaller it weirdly does balance out, providing you haven't gone for the full Benny Hill look where the sides are splayed right out and the size looks like it should be a child's frame!
Plastic frames with a full well fitting bridge will be more comfortable than metal frame with nose pads.
Even lens shapes, soft ovals/rounds/gentle squares will be result in less exaggerated lens edges than deep aviator/large teardrop/deep or wide rectangle types

@JamieFrasersSwingingKilt

Sorry to hijack this thread slightly but the original posting was very timely for me as I was looking to get new glasses. I have a -9 prescription and popped into ASDA today. They said I could only have quite small frames as the 1.74 thinned lenses were only produced to a certain width (across the face) and therefore I couldn't get any of the 'big sexy secretary vibe' glasses I was going for. My question is: is that right? Or is it just because that's the maximum width that is cost effective for ASDA? It looks like I'll have to lay out for a pair of glasses I really don't like because of this issue so any advice would be gratefully received.

it's fair enough what Asda are saying...plus your sexy secretary look is going to fall pretty flat when you cannot hold your head up as your specs are sooooo heavy.

Honestly they aren't saying it to spoil your fun, it's because they want you to wear and be comfy in your specs. As I said above, for your best result your eyes should be as near to the centre (side to side and top to bottom) of the frame shape as possible to ensure neat lenses.

Big fashion frames are a complete misery and unsuitable for almost everyone who actually has even a small to medium prescription as they just exacerbate weight/thickness/fitting issues.

Thanks @LaurieSchafferIsAllBitterNow That's helpful to know. And reassuring. I've waited so long to get some new specs that it's just disappointing that I don't like any of the ones I can actually have!

@JamieFrasersSwingingKilt

Sorry to hijack this thread slightly but the original posting was very timely for me as I was looking to get new glasses. I have a -9 prescription and popped into ASDA today. They said I could only have quite small frames as the 1.74 thinned lenses were only produced to a certain width (across the face) and therefore I couldn't get any of the 'big sexy secretary vibe' glasses I was going for. My question is: is that right? Or is it just because that's the maximum width that is cost effective for ASDA? It looks like I'll have to lay out for a pair of glasses I really don't like because of this issue so any advice would be gratefully received.

Yes, completely correct. The size you choose with have no impact on the cost for Asda at all.

LaurieSchaffer, the I for about PD and choosing frames is very interesting, thanks. I think that explains why I have had some hits and misses with glasses (I use contacts daily but always have a current pair of glasses as a back up)

@JamieFrasersSwingingKilt

Thanks *@LaurieSchafferIsAllBitterNow* That's helpful to know. And reassuring. I've waited so long to get some new specs that it's just disappointing that I don't like any of the ones I can actually have!

Sorry to be a downer, but I've spent 45 years not being able to wear the trendy styles I wanted, due to my prescription. :(

Oh, and I now have the added complication that while it's preferable to have a smaller frame due to thickness of lens at the edges, I also need a bigger frame as I need varifocals and you need enough lens to actually use for the three different areas!

Honestly - Asda are great. I have varifocals and my glasses (which I love and are the ones I picked not just the cheapest) were £45.

I travel an hour coz it saves me a fortune.