Specsavers only offering nhs glasses every 18 months?

[TepidFossil]

Hi
I've got two boys (13 and 12) who both wear glasses and have done since they were 3-4. Specsavers have always given us the NHS free pair every 12 months. They are now telling us that it is every 18 months, and if the child needs glasses sooner we will have to pay for a pair.

My sons are now not due their eye test until June but my elder son really needs a replacement pair as they are very ill-fitting. He has complex lenses so before I shell out what is going to be £200+ for a pair of glasses for him, I wanted to check with other people if they've been told similar about the change to every 18 months to be entitled to a NHS glasses voucher?

I can't seem to find anything about this change from 12 to 18 months online? I'm concerned this is just a cost saving exercise for our specsavers, so interested to hear if this is being done nationally? Any one else had this? Thanks!

Yeah £200 is an estimate on my part - but he has complex lenses to correct a squint so its definitely going to be more than the shelf price.

Thanks for your reply

Not if you have a complex prescription and need thinned lenses, I've just paid £175 for an £89 pair.

I don't know the answer to your question I'm afraid OP.

@tocontinue1 do you have a complex prescription? It’s so expensive if you have child with a really high prescription who needs lenses thinned etc. My daughter’s cost around £200 at Specsavers- the cost is the lenses not the glasses themselves .

It depends on what lenses you need. The lenses I need would cost more than £89 before even factoring in the frames. The OP has said her son needs complex ones.

That is completely meaningless, you obviously have a very straightforward prescription

Has there been any change in his prescription normally if there is then the replacement glasses are covered even if earlier than due

200+ sounds really steep. My 13yo recently had new glasses from our local optician (in a very affluent market town, no reason for them to be cheap). He had rayban frames and also has complex lenses and it was £130.

I'd try a different optician.

If they are ill-fitting because they are broken they should be fixed for free/on NHS, including lengthening the arms - they can do that in seconds.

Not sure about growing out of glasses.

I've always been told a date for when they next want to see them (either 12 or 24 months depending on the child/prescription) but that if they have issues sooner they'll see them - but if their prescription hasn't changed I'd have to pay for the eye test (and presumably new glasses would be free if needed for a prescription change).

OP I wouldn't pay out for new glasses if it is just a case of him making do with what he has for another 6 months. As an adult, I often have to make do for a couple of years after my prescription is outdated, before I can afford new glasses - they don't have to be perfect.

Can you afford to buy some cheaper ones online? I just bought some from Firmoo and they’re great.

I understand where you’re coming from though. There’s no accounting for growth spurts. My son grew massively in his early teens and he’s glasses were tiny.

Yeah they didn't tell us the 18 months date - we turned up having booked eye tests in December to be told that they weren't due until June!

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think I'm going to give a few different opticians a call.

Also to add: my other child has glasses issued by the hospital and I was told that the NHS is getting really strict on prescribing costs for glasses and is limiting it to £25 per child. So maybe they have changed it and this is impacting on what Specsavers are offering?

My son goes every 12 months. Try an independent optician

Does your head grow significantly between appointments? Children’s heads can. It’s about fit.

Their heads are not going to grow significantly in 18 months

If it were me I'd agree - I went 6 years with a pair of very worn glasses. Unfortunately, with having a squint, its all about having the glasses in the correct position on his face to correct it. He's started saying he's having more difficulty seeing certain distances, and also his ears are sore where the glasses are rubbing.

I may just have to suck up the cost, which is fine, but I just wanted to hear if anyone else had been told 18 months.

Interesting someone else replied saying only £25 to cover costs of a new pair - everything is getting tighter.

Actually my boys' heads did - up until they were about 11, the glasses did not fit well at all by the time we went to the opticians for a new pair. Since they were 11, this has been less of an issue.

Yep!

Thanks everyone

Our local Specsavers has changed my child’s glasses every 6 months! On the nhs. Just had a new pair and it’s only 6 months since the last pair, same happened the time before. They never said there was a time limit at all. They’ve said to come back in 12 months now.

@TepidFossil if you end up having to pay try Asda opticians as they don’t charge extra for lens thinning. I have a very high prescription and find it cheaper to go here. I also remember being a child and sometimes getting glasses every six months or a year, if you go through a growth spurt your prescription can change quite significantly in that time frame.

Thanks! We've got one near us, I'll give this a go!