to question how I am meant to get my child glasses?

[SometimesIquestionmyownsanity]

My ds has poor eyesight. His prescription is so strong that he HAS to have the lenses thinned.

Today I have contacted 3 opticians to ask if they can supply any glasses (specsavers, vision express and an independent) for his prescription that don't require me to pay anymore. All 3 have said no and I have to pay for the lenses to be thinned on top of the NHS voucher.

This has ranged in price from £60-£120.

My ds is currently wearing an old pair of glasses, as until next payday I cannot buy these for him.

Not benefit bashing, genuine question, what do/or should people do who are on benefits or very low incomes do? Do their child not get the glasses?

All 3 opticians have said they are unable to make the prescription up, as they would not fit into any frames they have without me paying for them to be thinned.

AIBU to think this is shocking?

I am floating about in the same boat as seventieschick. I pay the best part of £200 just for the thinning and get the stupid £13 toward glasses because of my complex prescription. I don't turn my nose up at the free eye test however.

I have plastic frames, and a lovely optician once gave me advice about the specific size frame I should look for to minimise thickness of lens. (sizes on arm of specs).

Oh I didn't mean seventies turns her nose up at anything, I meant that I turn my nose up at the stupidly small amount of £13 help towards a lifelong condition that I have to pay for.

I would shop around the opticians, try ASDA or Tesco opticians or the independents.

I def take the free eye test :) but £13 what help is that! Then they say ooh you get a free case with these ones. A free case I just gave you £450!!!!

I have the same problem OP. My last prescription was -11.5 in one eye and slightly worse in the other (or however you write this its very bad anyway!).
I cant have the lenses at full thickness (i.e cheap) its not just cosmetic it is actually that the majority of frames simply will not hold the size of lens I would need.

My eyes have got worse since then especially one which is significantly worse and i need a new higher prescription but the cheapest price I can get them for is £450. I dont have 450 at the moment so i am stuck with my old prescription which gives me headaches and is so far behind what i need I cant read for example a tv guide on screen from the couch.

Without my glasses I simply couldnt function on a day to day level, I can pretty much see to the end of my nose and thats it its a blur after that. There SHOULD be more help for people on high prescriptions and especially whe those people are children it is a medical need after a certain level of eye sight problems.

My DS is also 8 and his prescription is +6.25 in his worst eye - so less than your DS but he has had this since he was 3 and has never had thinned lenses. We just choose our frames based on 'toughness' as recommended by our local independant optician and are generally advised to have the smallest lenses to help with the thicknness issues - no problem with them loooking ridiculous or being too heavy. We pay a small amount for fashionable frames now he is older as he has to wear these all the time so want him to be happy - but it is only a small charge.
I'm afraid I prefer an independant optician as I find the advice better than in the big chains - I'm a glasses wearer myself - (or maybe I have just been unlucky in the past) - but I figure you get 1 go to get glasses he likes and then he is stuck with them for the next 12 months.
I suspect as he gets older DS will need thinned lenses as the frames will have to be bigger but I struggle to understand why there is nothing available for you at this age.

Dirtydishes - does that prescription not qualify you as partially sighted? I know my friend who was -10 got help with costs because of this

My prescription is fairly mild in comparison to some here but the frames available would only take thinned lenses. I'm not even fussy about style as I wear contacts most of the time so glasses are backup only.

Op - I think you need to go back to the optician who wrote the prescription, there should always be the option of paying nothing for children's glasses.

Um,

Silly question, but are contact lenses and option? I've been there as a child, although myopic. I had contact lenses at nine because there was a questionable theory that they could (being solid) slow down the growth of the eye, and thus the myopia. Twaddle I think. Anyways I was fine with them and managed the cleaning and hygiene ok.

I have no idea if the vouchers cover it but if they did the price may be comparable...

Just a thought

he's only 6 though so dont think contacts would be an option

tyler I dont think so as my vision can still be corrected with glasses? I know i can get something like £20- £40 towards the glasses or at least that what it was last time it may have changed slightly now, but that doest make a huge difference to the over all cost!

Mine are +7.25 and I don't get them thinned. All that "they'd be falling off your face" guff is just so they can wang on the extra charges.