To think £500 for reading glasses is just too much?

[Goldangel]

DH has just called to say he got his first pair of reading glasses for £500!!! Frames cost £200 the rest on lenses! I think he said yes to everything they suggested at the opticians, his eye sight isn’t that bad!!

We’re both late 40’s and been getting by using cheap reading glasses so this is a HUGE step up!!

In all fairness he doesn’t spend much on himself but I’m so annoyed at him as it’s something he’s likely to lose!

How much are average prescription reading glasses anyway?

AIBU to be annoyed he’s spent so much?

Thanks

Quite expensive, what is his prescription?. Has he had the lenses thinned? Even then £500 for single vision is extortionate .

I get mine from pound shops usually.

Superdrug do online glasses now. Mine were trendy style & £100.00: & I have v v high - 13 prescription.

How often will he use them? If all day, then he needs something he feels good in, so I can see why he went for £200 frames (although there are lots of good frames available for half that price).

£300 sounds a lot for reading lenses. I've had varifocal lenses with expensive "thinning" so the don't look like bottle tops, and with lenses that change tint according to sunlight, for less than that! It would worry me too because one your reading focus goes, it deteriorates so fast for the first few years, so you find you're changing prescription every two years.

But if he does keep them for two years, then it's only £5 a week. And if he loses them, it should be covered under your contents insurance.

Are they GOLD?!

That's mad! I get my lenses thinned, tinted and in designer frames for about £150!

I am short sighted, wear mine all day every day and even mine don't cost that much.

Interestingly, DH has just been to the optician today. He now needs glasses and can't pick up cheap ones as his eyes are both different. He's been told his lenses will cost approx £40.
He was however told that an el cheapo pair will suffice for quickly reading a menu for example, but anything more he will need his proper ones.

I'd get him to cancel the order!

What has he brought?

I've just this morning picked up a new pair of glasses. 210 all in which includes decent frames, anti glare, super anti scratch and they've been thinned out as well. The most I have ever paid is closer to £300

I would love to be able to get pound shop glasses but as I have a complex prescription I can't get what I need.

I've just bought two pairs of varifocals for £119 at Asda.

I sometimes wear contact lenses and use basic pound shop glasses for overreaders.

I can't see £500 being good value, myself.

I am horribly shortsighted and have an astigmatism, the most I have ever spent is £320, that includes thinning to the maximum and a nice brand rather than shop own brand. The shop have just done a massive upsell on him however as lone as he likes them I wouldn’t stress.

Im registered blind but can read with a 15x loop. My glasses cost around 270$ and are made in the US.

My glasses were horrifically expensive due to my complex lenses, and then I was going to need varifocals and knew it would go over £500.
Then I went to Asda - £129 for two pairs including thinning, varifocals, and all the weird lens things I need. Fantastic service

Glasses Direct are great. Cheap. Use your prescription. Try on several pairs at home. Dead easy.

£500 = big fat rip off.

Daysoft for contact lenses too.

I've got horrendous eyesight in one eye, and need to have one side of my glasses lens shaved to balance them out, and a few other bits and pieces done to compensate. I just recently had new glasses, and prescription sunglasses and it cost me £170 for both using the buy one, get one free offer my opticians were doing. £500 would really pain me!

My varifocals cost that much - frames less than £100 the rest on very thin lenses. How do you lnow his eye sight is not bad - are you an optometrist? Maybe the test showed he has other issues - £300 for lenses suggest that there are. I was told by my optometrist when I was in my early 50s that I done well to get to that age and not needed bifocals. £200 for frames is more than I would pay.

Shoulda gone to Spec Savers! Two pairs, one reactions lenses, about £80 including a fairly substantial test.

Mine cost around fifty quid for two pairs from Glasses Direct, or three hundred from Boots

I ended up at Superdrug Online Optician as Glasses Direct wouldn't do my high (-13) prescription. I think I got told - 7 was their 'limit'.

Are you sure they're reading glasses and not varifocals? I spent about £450 on top of the range varifocal lenses in mid-range frames (and they were better than my current pair, but that may be because of increased sight deterioration rather than the quality of the vari lenses, IYSWIM). Fairly normal eyesight for a 55 year old (i.e. it needs correction), plus a common or garden astigmatism.

How has he managed to rack up £300 on lenses for basic reading glasses?!

I have a complex prescription (one very long sighted eye and one very short sighted, astigmatism etc ) and even if I add every option available with tinting, lens thinning (essential if I want any nice frames as my lenses are so thick) anti scratch/anti glare coatings etc my lenses have still never cost more than £250.

The £200 on frames I can understand - I wear glasses and my 4 day to day frames (3 normal and 1 sunglasses) were all around the £150 range but I wear them 365 days a year so less than £2 a day. Also as I have a private health insurance through work they will reimburse the first £200 I spend on optical costs every year so I don't mind spending a little more. I have a couple of cheap £10 frames that I keep at work just in case my proper ones get broken to get me through till I get home but I can definitely tell the difference if I ever have to use them as they just aren't as comfortable or tailored to me as my proper frames.

Well it depends ? Is he going to wear them a lot - yes then over 2 years wearing a good quality pair of specs is definitely worth it. Also if he went for rimless then the lenses should be a stronger material so more expensive and the cost of drilling the holes into the lenses and edging ( all done by hand) will be more so £500 isn't that much also £200 frames mean he can probably put new lenses in next time. ( if he doesn't lose or abuse them)

I get mine at Specsavers; I have a complex prescription which requires the thinnest lenses possible, and varifocals. I still don't pay more than £200.

£300 for a single vision lens is ridiculous, even if he got the very thinnest lens it wouldn’t usually cost more than £190 as an upgrade.
As they’re a reading pair only, most good retailers wouldn’t recommend them being that thin, unless they’re a very high prescription or you’re particularly bothered about how they look or extra weight.
Is he sure he’s only got reading glasses and the one pair?

He has been ripped off if he just needs reading glasses as you can buy them in the shops for a couple of pounds. I buy them off the internet for about £5 a pair. Thinning of the lenses is only required if you are very shortsighted and need to wear them all the time. Are you sure that he isn't getting varifocals?

Hi
Thanks for all the replies, good to know I'm not being mean, they are not gold lol.

Do varifofals cost more?

I don't know what he's bought, just one pair with 15% discount at David Clulow, no buy one get one half price, but he did get a free eye test.

I actually think he expected me to congratulate him on his purchase! 😬

I'm not an optician but he's always had great 20/20 eyesight, I actually think my reading eyesight is worse than his. Thing is he can still read without glasses but we have both been using cheap off the shelves ones at around +1.5 prescription just fine.

He'll only wear them when he needs them at work and at home so not all day.

Good point about his eyesight prescriptions changing.

Didn't know glasses are covered under home insurance, good to know thanks.

Thanks for making me feel better.

Slightly different opinion here but I'm very short sighted so need glasses or contacts on at all times and my last 3 pairs of glasses going back approx 12 years have all been around the £500/600 price range. My current glasses have the slightest varifocal but the best possible ( prevents issues as they are wider than cheaper versions) and were about £550. I only wear them first thing in the morning and last thing at night as I wear.contacts all day every day but glasses have to be right!