How much for glasses? £500?

[DustyLee123]

I don’t wear glasses, so no idea how much they cost, but DH came home last week and said that he’d spent over £500 on a new pair. It seems extortionate to me, or is it normal?

It really does depend. I buy a frame for around £89. But because I need varifocals that bumps it up, then I pay extra for the wider vision field (those who don't know varifocals tend to blur at the edges). Then as I have a very high prescription I have to pay for thinner lenses so they fit in the frame. £350 for one pair plus the test wouldn't be unheard of. So I can see why he may have paid £500 especially if he needed all the bells and whistles for lenses plus designer frames

"I wouldnt dream of talking it through/consulting my OH on what I pay for my glasses!!!!

What a strange comment"

I totally agree with this. It's not a frivolous purchase it's something that's essential.

My partner knows how much my hlssses cost - but only because I usually grumble about how expensive they are. And his response is always but you wear them all day long every day.

But consulting him on how much I should spend on them? No way.

For those of us who have worn glasses for many years it’s an expense you know is coming up - you don’t randomly walk into an optician and spend £500. You generally know your prescription isn’t working properly for a while and that you need new glasses, so it’s a ‘I need new glasses, around £500 probably, how’s the finances looking - this month or next’ type discussion.

Only if you have a simple prescription.

@SirChenjins yep, I agree, but sometimes your glasses break or get lost and you do end up in a position where you have no choice but to spend £500 with no notice.

It's shit - but glasses aren't covered by the NHS in the way most other essentials are.

I don't think it's horrendous.

My last frame was £190, my prescription is -7.5 diopters, astigmatism, some ling sight thrown in. I have varifocals and thinning. My optician is fabulous. My last glasses were £997.

My glasses sit on my face and I'm certainly not stinting or compromising on something I wear daily and other people see. I buy what looks the nicest, not according to the price tag.

What I don't understand op is your comment about you would have a expected a conversation. Are you saying your husband should have sought your approval? If so, that's horrendous. I wouldn’t contemplate referring to my husband or anyone else in relation to a personal purchase.

This isn't about your dh's glasses, it's about control.

Well, it's like How long is a piece of string?

Even before I got varifocals, my prescription + a good frame was around £400.
Frame normally around £200
super thin, the thinest of thin lenses
non reflective coating
My prescription is -7.5 plus a couple of extra issues which all need to be taken into account

I wear my glasses every day so they need to fit, I need to love them. With my prescription I can't wear rimless/partly rimless glasses, and that takes out a huge chunk of available frames.

When DH started wearing glasses with a lower prescription, no further issues we were around the £250 mark.

I had varifocals, mid range frames and I paid £299 last month.

And agree with this.

The family finances would be far more impacted if I can't drive or work.

Its not optional spending - it's a necessity. And as such i budget for it. But the cost on they day - not up for discussion by anyone. I need glasses. That's the bottom line.

It's not optional spending - it's a necessity. And as such i budget for it. But the cost on they day - not up for discussion by anyone. I need glasses. That's the bottom line.

Exactly.

I have an eye test booked for a couple of weeks. DH knows and he knows I'll need to buy new glasses but the cost isn't up for discussion - it is what it is. I get free eye tests and a percentage off my lenses but it still costs several hundred pounds due to my prescription and other issues.

I'm self employed so no glasses = no work. If I needed to go into debt to pay for them
I would.

If it's a simple prescription, OP, then £500
Is expensive - likely he's been 'encouraged' to have expensive frames and all the optional coating extras.

I have progressive combi lenses and mine come to about £280 for just the lenses, with the cheaper frames around £80 on top.

If you have a joint account, wouldn't you discuss a purchase that large?

Perhaps you have the sort of account where you wouldn't notice £500 suddenly disappear, but many people, myself included, would!

DH is picking up his new specs this week. I know how much they are because we discussed it beforehand.

Neither of us control each others personal expenditure on a day to day basis. But I'd be pretty cheesed off if he'd spent £500 without any discussion. And vice versa!

I used to get the extra thin lenses as my prescription was very high but non-branded frames.
The lenses used to cost a small fortune so it was £500 a pair.

I wouldnt dream of talking it through/consulting my OH on what I pay for my glasses!!!! What a strange comment

I don't discuss how much my glasses cost when I am buying them, but of course I tell DH when I get home. He knows I have a complex and expensive prescription, and we have to factor the cost in every time I get new glasses.

For most people (who aren't highly paid mumsnetters) just forking out £500 for anything would merit a discussion before purchase, I would have thought.

As others have said it depends entirely on your prescription.

I have very short sighted vision, an astigmatism and need varifocals. I just got new lenses put in old frames last time and it was still £340.

I have no idea why I should have discussed paying that with my husband though as the alternative is being blind. It’s kind of a necessary expense to suck up.

The first post nailed it. There is no need to waste that kind of money on a pair of specs. I go to the well known High Street store, they usually do 2 for 1 so I get 2 pair for about 100 and they look OK. Their function is to help me see not be a designer fashion accessory. I never look at other people's specs and think ooh I wish I had those.
If you have a prescription you can also get them online quite cheaply. The pair I use a lot were bought online, they look more expensive than they were.
Give you husband a bollocking for spending so much, he could have spent £100 on his specs and spent the rest on you

For most people (who aren't highly paid mumsnetters) just forking out £500 for anything would merit a discussion before purchase, I would have thought.

I'm far from highly paid but I'm not sure what benefit a discussion would have, really.

I need glasses. They're not optional. If we didn't have the money in the bank I would have to pay for them on a credit card. DH could discuss it all he liked but it wouldn't change the outcome.

It would have been different during the time that I was a stay at home mum and reliant on my husband financially, but other than that it wouldn't occur to me to tell him how much I had spent on something like glasses - they are an essential and it's none of his business how much I spend on them.

My prescription is -9 plus I have astigmatism, so my glasses would be extremely thick if I didn't pay for the special thin ones.

My new glasses were £700 full price, but I got a discount as I subscribe to the opticians contact lens scheme.

DW always knows exactly how much my glasses cost because she comes with me to pick frames - I can't see clearly what new frames look like on my face when I'm not wearing my glasses 🤣.
To confirm what others have said though. I couldn't read anything, work or drive without my glasses so I have no choice but to wear them during all waking hours. They are clearly an essential expense for me.

Well I dont know what to say to you. I have my own money, just like OH has his own money, any money going in the joint account is shared but I dont buy my glasses (or anything for me)out of that joint account, why on earth would you

But basically, no it isnt anything to do with my OH what I spend on my glasses or anything else I buy for myself

As others have said, it massively depends. However, for what it’s worth, I don’t think it is unreasonable for something that you wear on your actual face every day.

Glasses that look cheap, particularly with some low rent designer brand plastered on the side, are not the way to go. However, it is clearly entirely possible to get something reasonable for less money.

I've spent that much at my independent local opticians, basic frame price, it was all on the lenses, I have to go for the ultra thin ones as got poor eyesight and otherwise they look like bottle bottoms.
These days I'm much wiser and go to Asda Opticians where I can get 2 pairs for £100 or something. Including varifocals, thin lenses and whatever else it is I need to not look too awful.

Depends on your prescription. Mine were £89 but my mum’s are varifocal, thin lenses, treated with something or other and pretty strong and cost 5 times that.

For reading / TV /driving glasses that would be expensive. Full time glasses wearers with high prescriptions would often spend that if they have nice frames and thinned lenses from an independent.