to think Boots Opticians could mention 'the rules' in a letter

[LisasCat]

Apparently 'the rules' say that they can't give out a prescription of contact lenses if your sight test is overdue. So perhaps they could mention that in the letter they send, reminding me that my sight test is overdue. Or they could mention it in the telephone message saying that my contact lenses are now in stock if I'd like to pick them up.

Either way, would it kill them to mention it to the 8 month pregnant woman who has a 50 minute round trip by foot to get into town to pick up the aforementioned sodding contact lenses, which she is then not going to be allowed to collect because of 'the rules'!

And before you ask, I didn't book my sight test because in my previous pregnancy my sight was all over the place, so I was waiting until the baby is born and my vision settles down. Otherwise, it strikes me as bloody pointless to have a sight test now anyway.

So apologies to the poor 18 year old lad on the front desk who had to deal with the crying hormonal woman, but perhaps tell head office not to be twats with their communication next time.

I came a few days ago to have my eyes checked (Guildford store), so I saw the optician, who is supposed to be the one redirecting people to Doctors if necessary,

During the eye test we realised that I cannot see from one eye. I was very surprised as I never had eye issue.
His advice: "Come back in 6 months, and let's see if it goes worst!"

This is unacceptable, as I had to insist that he refers me to a doctor.

The day after I went to my GP, and they sent me directly to the hospital, and it seems that I have an dangerous inflammation in the eye (uveitis)

I wanted to let them know that I actually got something bad in my eye, and nicely, with a smile, they did not care at all, and gave me an address to complain to the store manager!

I would never go back there as you imagine,

I am 100% in support of Boots Opticians for this.

Imagine if you were being prescribed a medication from the doctor for a really important body part. And the doctor said to you, "you will be due for a check up in one years time, you can still maintain on this medication, but we just need to know that this important body part is ok with the medication and you are happy with it." ..... Now imagine a year goes by, and you get a call from the doctors saying that you cannot get any more of this medication until you come in for your assessment. You would go wouldn't you? If you went to pick up your prescription from the doctors and the receptionist said you are due your check first, please make an appointment... then surely it is your responsibility, with your concern over your medication to make this appointment in due time, in order to keep receiving this medication.

So my question is this, why do you need to be reminded? With something as vital as the health of your eyes, it is the opticians responsibility to not give you contact lenses if your prescription is 'due for renewal' if you like. They are your eyes. Take responsibility, mark it in a calendar that from one year from your last check you are due a test. Problem solved.

Many opticians will allow you to pick up enough lenses to carry you on until your appointment. So if a three months supply of lenses is waiting in store for you, and your appointment is in one week, then you can request a weeks worth of contact lenses to last you until this appointment, and the optical consultant will be more than happy to provide you with these.

And no optician on the planet, would make you wear the same pair of contact lenses for 3 weeks instead of giving you fresh ones, if you had planned and managed your eye care in advance then you would not be in this predicament. If they optician refuses to give you contact lenses... then why not wear your glasses for a couple weeks and give your eyes a rest from contact lenses? Seems perfectly plausible to me.

You would not be allowed to drive your car without a yearly MOT and no-one sends you letters about that, until you are pulled over by the police. Take responsibility they are your eyes.

Just to be clear it is a criminal offence to supply contact lenses if they last eye examination is two years or more ago. It is also a criminal offence to supply enough contact lenses to go beyond the two years. so a 23 months they could supply you with one months worth but not three years.

As someone who wears them it would be annoying not to be reminded by my optician in plenty of time. Whilst it is my responsibility my view (pardon the pun) is that I am paying for the customer service including aftercare and them reminding me. I pay more than if I buy them online and I expect extra value for that extra price.

Just to be clear it is a criminal offence to supply contact lenses if they last eye examination is two years or more ago. It is also a criminal offence to supply enough contact lenses to go beyond the two years. so a 23 months they could supply you with one months worth but not three years.

As someone who wears them it would be annoying not to be reminded by my optician in plenty of time. Whilst it is my responsibility my view (pardon the pun) is that I am paying for the customer service including aftercare and them reminding me. I pay more than if I buy them online and I expect extra value for that extra price.

Can I ask does an ordinary glasses eye test check for protein, etc?

I stopped my contact lens scheme nearly three years ago and haven't had a lens check since then. I still have loads of lenses as I Only wear them for odd nights out.

They did this to me too. I get that they have rules but they need to warn you. I just marched into the shop and, as other posters have said, pointed out they'd already had the money for those lenses so I was having them.

You don't need a prescription to buy them online though

I haven't been to an optician in at least 6 years, I just buy them online.

How come the online folks aren't subject to this 'legality' then?

I remember I only used to wear my dailies on holidays. They were even an old prescription, bit difficult to put in, but I could see well enough.

When I ran out and had to have a check, years later, the bloke laughed and said they would be difficult to put in, slightly wrong shape, and asked how well I could see with them. I said I managed, he laughed some more. Eyes were very healthy though, apart from myopia.

they are breaking the law, but as retailers and not professionals there is very little comeback.

LaurieFairy Cake - online suppliers usually not UK registered and so General Optical Council has no influence

I'm with Boots on this one, although they should let you know via letter in case you don't already know the rules.

I am terribly negligent with my contact lenses. I have a backlog of them from about 5 years ago that I'm still wearing. Daily Disposables, but I wear them for days at a time including sleeping in them. I'm aware this is really really bad so please no ranting at me, luckily I've never had a problem and my eyes are always perfect when I have check ups. They're no longer the correct prescription though because my eyes get steadily worse year by year, partly by one being hit by a brick when I was a teen.

Evening Laurie

They are subject to the same legality and as Cats states they are breaking the law. Any reputable provider will ask for the prescription or check with who ever provided your last prescription. Also, of course it is a matter of choice, but I would not feel comfortable not having a check for 6 years but still putting lenses in and if they don't care about the law I wonder if they care about the quality of product they supply?

I spent many years working in different opticians.
I too find the idea of a "Proper Ophthalmologist" ridiculous.
Just so you all know, the person who tests your eyes in a high street store is a "Proper Ophthalmologist". An optician is actually the person who dispenses your glasses.

As stated above, its not 'the rules' but actual real legislation.
Companies can dispense online because you need to have an annual prescription that you have to have done with a contact lens check from and optician, or a "Proper Ophthalmologist" if you prefer. Either way you have to have a contact lens check every 12 months.

I appreciate that you should have been told before collection that your check was due OP, but they had no way to know that you are 8 months pregnant. At the time of your last test you weren't and I can't imagine you told them before hand.

As for everyone else, you should have your contact lenses checked every year whether you like it or not, or don't bother, I mean, it's only your eyes, what does it matter if you fuck them up.

Nursey!

Mind you sleeping in them now and again is ok. They have advanced over the years. I have a few months build up but that is because I wear glasses at least once a week to let me eyes breath. No ranting as requested but you know shouldn't do that .

I've been with several opticians and none of them will give you your lenses if you aren't up to date with your checks. I agree with them - why would you mess with the health of your eyes? (And have you noticed that most don't wear lenses themselves?)

I love the fact that with boots I can go in and get any little thing with my eyes checked for free and I can collect points and get a discount off their own brand products.

Vivabeaver - no, a general sight test does not check for protein deposits. This check involves drops being put in your eye and checked with a piece of equipment used during a contact lens check, not a sight test.

Prescriptions from doctors very different. If a patient won't come for a check up you may not be able to stop the medication as it maybe too dangerous. Loads for some reason do not want reviews.
Would be interesting to know re responsibility if someone had an accident from not having lenses prescribed/ issued. That is the most similar to doctors.

honest Thankyou honest for not ranting I know it's really bad it's a terrible terrible habit I've gotten into. I do wear my glasses much more now too.

The product quality are the same as everywhere else - sealed boxes obviously (focus dailies) and in date.

It's feelgoodcontacts.com I think - must be uk based if not registered as I always get them within 1-2 days.

Until last year I used Boots (a fomer Dollond and Aitchison branch). For the last five years or so I bought the lenses elsewhere using the Boots prescription, but Boots / D&A did used to write to me and tell me my check was due and that it was illegal to sell me any lenses once a year had elapsed.

Asda (who I bought the lenses from online) were very strict about it too - I used to buy a years worth online as soon as I'd had my checkup and they always rang my branch of D&A to verify my prescription and checkup date. It was a bit of a rigmarole because D&A would refuse to tell them under the Data Protection Act, so Asda would ring me and tell me to ring D&A and give permission for Asda to have my prescription. Saved a fortune though.

My current optician (I switched because of moving, not because of any problems with Boots) rang me about 3 weeks before they would have had to stop supplying lenses to tell me I would have to have a checkup before I could get my next lot.

And no, sleeping your lenses is not ok, to whoever it was that said that. Yes, some lens materials allow more oxygen through so can be used for extended wear (sleeping in) but this should be something your optican knows about and has agreed, and not all lenses are suitable for this.

Eyes aren't like teeth - if you ruin the ones you've got you can't just fit a false pair!!

an ophthalmologist is a doctor specialising in eyes, usually found in a hospital/clinic setting

an ophthalmic optician or optometrist (more modern term) will be the one examining your eyes in a high street optician (chain or local one man band)

a dispensing optician will be the one in charge of matching your prescription to lens choices and frame suitability and may also fit and supply contacts on completion of extra training

hth :o

Bugsylugs - Lenses are not classed as a necessity. You are responsible for ensuring you have up to date spectacles, so if you are overdue for a lens check you can wear those.

And similarly to someone else upthread - you don't NEED to keep wearing your lenses for 3 weeks over the length of time they should be worn. You wear your glasses. It's not the opticians fault if you over weari contact lenses. If you're in a profession/do a sport etc where you feel glasses aren't suitable, then take responsibility of your eye care and ensure your checks are always up to date

Vivabeaver - no, a general sight test does not check for protein deposits. This check involves drops being put in your eye and checked with a piece of equipment used during a contact lens check, not a sight test.

There are two different tests. A contact lens check and a sight test. They can often be done by the same person one straight after the others and you may not realise that they are two different things.
The contact lens check will check the fit of your lenses and be done with the lenses in. The sight test will be done with them out and will check your general vision and give you a prescription for glasses.

Oh, and while I think about "proper ophthalmologist", one opticians I used to work at had the optom from the local hospital come and test a couple of Saturdays a month, he did it as locum work. He was the worst optom we had. His sight tests were very short and didn't go into nearly enough detail. There was nothing on his notes and the test were about 10 minutes long. If fairness though his actual prescriptions were very accurate.