Getting prescription from opticians but buying glasses online

[LifeInAHamsterWheel]

I'm thinking of doing this after someone in work did it and has two fab pairs of glasses that he says were a fraction of the price he'd have paid in the opticians. I'm not sure if I'd have the nerve to ask for my prescription and just leave though! I go to Specsavers. Is it frowned upon to do this? Or totally normal?

Of course it’s fine, especially as you pay for your prescription it’s yours! Only thing they are unlikely to do is give you your PD measurement; but you can do that yourself.

I get my prescription from Specsavers and buy my glasses from Glasses Direct; but as I saw earlier they have suspended the home trials, so may try Firmoo this time

Totally normal. If you’re embarrassed just say you’ll come back to choose glasses another day.

It's fine. I think I'd feel more comfortable doing that if it was a chain, rather then a small, independent options as with the former they don't seem to care!

I do this and have done so for years. I get my eyes tested at Boots and get the glasses from Glasses Direct. I got a pair of prescription sunglasses and ordinary glasses last time in lovely frames for £70 total. That was a third of what Boots wanted for similar frames.

It’s fine, but I find the ones in opticians to be much higher quality lens wise. You could always buy frames and get the opticians to put the lenses in if that’s a thing?

I like my eyes tested at Boots because of their advanced scanners but tried Asda for glasses after seeing how cheap they were. I just say to Boots I don't have time to choose glasses at the moment and head straight to Asda.

Ive done this for years. They don’t care

My optician always gives me a copy of my prescription anyway. I have bought online before but had to send a pair back as the lenses weren't right. You also may need to find a way to bend the arms in the right place to get them to fit properly

its fine ethically, the actual glasses are a separate thing to the eye tests and prescription. I only need straightforward reading glasses, I just buy off the peg ones.
But practically, may not be a good idea if your prescription is complicated eg varifocals. DH always seems to have to have his fitted carefully, and more than once they’ve had to remake them because they’ve got the spacing fractionally wrong.

I have just been to the opticians because of this very thing. My online-bought varifocals are not quite right. They have adjusted the frames but there's not much more they can do. I'm not due another eye test for 6 months but if my prescription has changed I will be going back to getting them in the store, despite it costing more.

I do this every time. I’d buy my glasses at the optician if they weren’t so incredibly bloody expensive, the solution is in their hands.

Your prescription is just that, YOUR prescription, there’s no need to feel bad for not buying from them.

I have done it, but I find the glasses from the opticians much better quality. I tend to buy cheap ones from Glasses Direct for keeping in the car and as spares but then normally get two pairs from Specsavers on one of their deals, a pair for wearing most of the time and some prescription sunglasses.

The issue is that the person who dispenses the glasses is responsible for making sure you are happy with them. If you’re not happy with the vision etc from a pair of glasses bought online it’s not the original opticians problem. Which means you can end up stuck with a pair of glasses you can’t use and no means of getting it sorted without paying for further eye tests etc.

I get my eyes tested at specsavers and my varifoxal glasses from asda. Never had an issue until this year, when I tried then on I couldn't see.
They refunded me and I went back to specsavers to check the prescription. It was correct so it was asda who made the mistake.

Specsavers quoted me over £300 for one pair with reactions lenses and various coatings. I went home and ordered from goggles4u......£63 and they are fab!

I've done this. Cost of glasses online was 120, same pair, same lenses in opticians quoted at 600. No brainer. The difficulty is that there isn't anyone to fit and adjust them for you but most opticians are happy to do this for free if you pop in at a quiet time. You are entitled to get your prescription whenever you have an eye test so there's no reason why you have to buy glasses at the same place.

I do it all the time. Opticians are fine with it.

I do it all the time.

My prescription is pretty stable so I say that I might come back on a different day to buy glasses then buy elsewhere.

My DS has always gone this! I tried but I wear varifocals some of the time and I didn't have the patience.

I've done it. Not a problem. When you ask them for the prescription, which they normally give you anyway, also ask them to write on your PD .. pupillary distance ... as this can also be useful.

But you get given your prescription anyway ?

Everyone does this. The opticians don't bat an eyelid as they see it all day every day.

It does create a vicious cycle though - far fewer people are buying frames from opticians now so they seem to have put the prices up. I recently bought some frames for £150ish online that were more than double that in the opticians.

The issue though, as pps have said, is that you don't get the same adjustments as you would at an opticians. For that reason I still always buy the kids' glasses in store at Vision Express and just do cheap versions for myself.

Opticians won’t do that, in case the frame from another seller is broken while attempting to put the lenses in. It’s understandable. I tried with Specsavers , asked them just to tighten the frame as they were loose on me - they wouldn’t. I’d bought many pairs of specs from them in the past, got some from GD, but they won’t touch any specs that aren’t bought from them

I use select specs. 2 pairs Inc post £18. They are good. You can send prescription or fill in on line. The lens are coated which is perfect for hubby who is always welding and grinding.

Thank you all so much! I've never been offered my prescription at Specsavers so if I was to say "oh I can't decide today I'll come back another time" that would be no use, I'll have to actually ask for my prescription. Delighted to hear that lots of people do it, I won't feel so bad now!

I think it’s expected by opticians now. I’ve been getting my prescription and order glasses on line for the last 20 years and the optician never even tries to get me to look at their selection of glasses now. I’ve got a fairly standard prescription and I rarely pay more than £15 for a complete pair of glasses. I order them from a company in China and they arrive in around a week.