Need some advice about paying high costs for glasses please

[SaltyDragon]

Posting here for traffic.

I have Diabetes, and as such, my vision changes quite regularly. About three months ago I began struggling to see properly with my close to glasses, unable to read books properly anymore or thread my sewing machine. I kept having to take my glasses off and get up very close to see. My long range glasses are not as bad, but still not working properly.

Booked an optician test to be told that my glasses are now too strong and I need to get them changed. However, even with an NHS voucher one pair of glasses is going to cost me £700 and I simply don't have that money, or anyway of borrowing it (think COL as everyone is struggling as well)

Does anyone know of any charities that can help with costs of items like this? I am getting headaches, bleary eyes and exhaustion from this. I am making an effort to save a small amount, but often need to use it for more important things such as food shopping or bills.

Any advice would be really appreciated. Just as a note, the vast majority of the cost is for the lens, I have varifocals and something to adjust for my astigmatism.

Are these varifocal? If you can continue with 2 pairs would that be cheaper?
Your opticians cheapest frames may be 150 but you can definitely get cheaper ones in Specsavers etc and also online.
My high end glasses with fancy thinned lenses still only cost me £800 all in and the frames were at least 300.
Definitely get your prescription and shop around. Check online too. It's not ideal but sounds better than your current setup

I highly recommend:

https://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/

They will send you up to 4 sets of frames to try for style, and then you send them your prescription, and they sort it out from there. Very reasonable even for varifocals. Why not send them your prescription and ask what they charge BEFORE you chose your frames OP?

@Feelingstrange2 i presumed high prescription was 7 to 10 but google suggests it is over 5 so they may do 5 to 7.

I get my glasses from glassesdirect.com after obtaining a copy of my prescription from the opticians. They offer free trial lenses too and you can send back a pair of glasses with the finished lenses in for a full refund if for some reason they don't work out for you (I've done that with no issue- not sure how they make money!?)

I paid £185 all in for my fairly high, astigmatic prescription varifocals at Iolla. It's a Scottish company and I think they are only in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester, but they have a great selection of frames, and include thin lenses in the price if needed.

If they are close to you, or you fancy a weekend city break, I would recommend them.

Asda - you just pay the cost of the frames. I have complex lenses including varifocals and thinning, and paid £60, but could have chosen cheaper as they start at about £20. They've lasted me 3 years so far.

I always struggle to adjust to new glasses so this quote puts me off online purchases "Varifocal lenses require particular measurements that include the distance between your pupils and where your pupil sits vertically in the chosen frame order to have the distance, intermediate and near vision sat in the correct position. The frame size and how it sits on your face also affects this measurement. When ordered online, they are either set as a Standard' position or the website encourages you to try and measure it yourself. If the measurements aren't correct it can cause issues being able to adapt to the lenses."

Fair enough. I've not got my prescription in front of me. I may be - 4.75 or something. Definitely about that level. It feels high when you see the thickness of the edge of the normal lense!!

Try a different optician. I have all sorts of fancy requirements with my lenses and fairly expensive taste in frames. I’ve just bought three pairs of glasses, one clear bifocal, one sunglasses bifocal, and one pair of occupational, and it cost me £500 total, including £150 being the frames of one pair. I think the other frames were a bit cheaper. I hate it that advertising has affected me to the point them I’m quoting it but honestly, you should have gone to specsavers!

go to Specsavers. I have varifocals and astigmatism and I paid about £250 for my last pair. You are clearly getting it done at an expensive independent shop. Chains are much cheaper. I found Specsavers to be much cheaper the boots or vision express. Had my classes there for well over 20 years and never had an issue.

Oops! Doesn't look like the do the free try on at home thing anymore, but still very reasonable.

I have the exact same problem. I also have a very small face and I am usually limited to the children's frames, which very often have dinosaurs or barbies on them.
To find a pair of petite frames, and bear in mind if you are a long-term spectacle wearer , they form part of your FACE. You need to find a pair that you like and make you feel reasonably attractive. It is very very difficult, without spending a lot of money. On top of that, I have a complicated prescription and need my lenses thinning, and I also must have the reactions as I'm sensitive to light. One pair of glasses usually ends up by costing me around the 800 mark. It is depressing as fuck.

My prescription is -11. Not all frames are suitable for high prescriptions as they can't take the weight of the lense even if they are super thinned they are still big at the edges!!

No advice but you have my sympathy as complex prescriptions are expensive. Are you eligible for an NHS voucher?

Definitely shop around @SaltyDragon

I have varifocals and astigmatism. I can’t get the varifocal setting/ measurements right with online places like glasses direct but Asda opticians have been brilliant. A couple of years ago I got 2 pairs for £120. I’m going back next week and don’t think their prices have changed significantly.

You can use your Blue Light Card too if you have one to build up money in your cash pot.

4 options
get a signed prescription from the optician and buy online - if you've purchased recently you should have an idea of what style/sizing suits you. I've had good deals from Just Good Glasses and Glasses Direct.
If your vision is the same in each eye, buy over the counter or from Amazon or reading glasses.
SpecSavers - I think they start from about £30, if you but two pairs & one is £70 or more, the second pair is free, Careful, they do try and upsell on different type of lenses.
Do you use a computer for work? - your employer may legally have to pay for your eye test and VDU glasses (not reading or long distance ones).

@TurquoiseJasper do you have any brands you can recommend as I need 47 width and kids ones dont have long enough arms? Find it almost impossible as they cant be rimless and need to be right shape for varifocals. I actually found a pair in specsavers hence being so annoyed when they wouldnt make the lenses. i like the optician to use their own frames or they wont remake if there is a problem with vision

Why are they so expensive?

If you can get to an Asda optician (even via train) they give you free lenses and slim down to the necessary amount for your prescription for free. They also often have deals on the frames. For example, I have -11 vision with astigmatism, I got 2 pairs of glasses with maximum lens thinness for £120 in total.

Specsavers would have charged something like £150 per pair just to slim the lenses.

opticians.asda.com/our-complete-price-on-glasses

I used to work in an opticians. Since I left I get my frames and lenses from Asda. Varifocals with thinned lenses, quite high prescription and astigmatism. Cost £160 for 2 pairs and they are good. I have had top end lenses from an independent and the Asda lenses are actually good. You pick the frame and whatever lenses you need are included in the frame price.Please do not try to buy varifocals on line, they need individual measurements taken whilst wearing the frame and each eye can measure slightly differently. Correct measuring is required to determine correct vision.

@TurquoiseJasper I do usually get mine below £800 but with a lot of negotiation!

Mine are really expensive as well - I have varifocals with a prescription of +2 and -8.5 and an astigmatism. The optician did tell me that if I get to -10 the NHS will make a contribution! I do get free eye tests each year as my Mother & her Father had glaucoma. I use Specsavers and tend to pick the cheaper plastic frames (my lens, even when thinner don’t look good with metal frames as they are still pretty thick). Mine were £500 with the 2 for 1 deal (I got some sunglasses as well).

I use “ace and Tate” my glasses - with their strong myopic and asthmatic prescription- and thin lenses were about £220.

@allmycats do asda do minus 10 prescription varifocals with astigmatism made thin? Do they have petite range? O would I be OK to bring my own frames as would risk it is the prices are that cheap? I have never thought to try them as we dont have an asda anywhere near.

Where do you live? Is there a university that runs an optometry course? They have clinics which can be very cost effective.

What are the details of your prescription? I get mine from Specsavers and I’m a -10. The cheapest frames are about £20!

I have found Asda cheaper in the past for lens thinning.

Are you eligible for an NHS complex lens voucher? I actually sympathise OP, I haven’t always been able to afford glasses when my prescription has changed and my lenses are so thick an optician won’t sell them to me unless o pay for thinning. Plus glasses aren’t something you can go without!