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.

Yes, Asda do -10 and they have a reasonable range of frames in various sizes.

Interestingly, I was chatting to a dad on a school trip last week, who is an optician, previously worked for Asda, now Soecsavers, and previously worked for an independent. He said that the price difference is almost entirely down overheads, and that Asda sells specs as loss leaders to get the footfall in what would otherwise be dead space.

My lenses alone are around £350. I contacted my MP about this about 6 years ago as an NHS voucher doesn't even come close & at that time, I genuinely couldn't afford my glasses. Their advice was to register as blind. I was speechless.

Like you, I have an expensive prescription. I have one bad eye, one terrible eye and two fairly unstable astigmatisms. But my last pair of glasses, lens plus frames was about £350. I also go to a private, family-owned opticians, who I've been going to since childhood. The service and attention to detail is fantastic.
But no way would I pay £700 for one pair. I'd shop around a bit if I were you.

@IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads thank you for confirming what I said a few pages ago from the horses mouth.

Another option is if you like your existing frames is to get just the new lenses put in them. I was quoted a ridiculous fee from Vision Express to do this for my two pairs so went online and found 'lensology' who did it for literally half the price! Excellent service - you can see prices on their website for different thinning etc, sign up to request a quote, they send you a box and you send back your glasses and prescription (via email or form), they see what they can do and for how much *which was the same as their website plus a discount, call/ email you and you agree and only then do they charge you anything. I got my glass back then in 2 days!

I can’t use Glasses Direct and other online opticians. As how do you get the arms and nose pieces adjusted? As I need them adjusting as both ears are different at the back.

Specsavers with NHS voucher (due to poor eyesight in one eye). Free eye test as unemployed, £150 for three pairs (2 glasses, one sunglasses) - thinning of lens and polarisation of sunglasses..

Frames in specsavers start at about £20. The ones with flexi sides start at £89 so I start there. I have found them to be great and so much cheaper than private opticians or vision express. I have verifocals with thinner lenses and my prescription has been -12.5/-13. They are always super helpful and will make changes if there is anything you are not happy with.

The problem with that is you don’t have your previous prescription of glasses, then you have no glasses to wear for a few days. So you use your previous prescription frames to update prescription on

Though sometimes it’s cheaper to start again with new frames.

Are you sure your diabetes is adequately controlled, @SaltyDragon ? If it is, why would you need to change your Rx so often?

If your diabetes has escaped control I'd start with that. Consult with your GP in the first instance, but also ask for a referral to a diabetologist.

Asda opticians are cheap and good quality.

@SaltyDragon How are you getting on? Not being able to see well is no fun.

For everyone saying use the NHS voucher it's practically worthless. I got £14 off a £700 pair of specs last time. Bloody pointless.

Do you work OP? And do you use a computer at work?

If so then your employer has to provide an eye test and suitable glasses / contacts for you to do your job.

They only need to be the basic so not the extra thinning but you might be able to negotiate with your employer that you pay for part of the glasses.

And £150 for frames is a rip off.

They only have to provide them if you need glasses solely for using the computer and no other reason.

I was going to say the same.

I think may last voucher was slightly more, because it had just gone up, but no where near the cost of the lenses.
I go to a local independent. The whole family use the same one. I don't know anyone with complex lenses to compare prices, but we go there due to the level of care they provide. They are not located in the best area, and so prices are unlikely to be inflated. The frames I buy have been comparable prices with other high street chains when I have compared them ( brands so was looking like for like).

I think about this everytime I have to have new glasses. My prescription is -7 / -7.75 plus astigmatism, plus long sight I have varifocals, thinning, with a high quality provider. My specs are usually about £700ish at Boots.

I am lucky because I can afford it. If I couldn't, I guess the option would be one pair for short sight and one pair for long sight, neither with thinning. They would be like milk bottle bottoms but would do the job for less money. It's what people had to do in the 50s and 60s before bifocals came in.

I feel for you @SaltyDragon. My eyesight is dreadful and glasses aren't optional. I think there shoukd be more help for people without much money. Cheaper in the long run if falls and other accidents are to be avoided.

The voucher is dependent on if you claim benefits or not. If you have a prescription over + or - 10 then you get a voucher for about £15. If you are claiming certain benefits then you get a voucher if there has been a prescription change. It’s not worth a huge amount but some chain opticians will make up the difference to cover the cost of certain frame.

I have the same trouble. My glasses are so expensive as I am quite short sighted, have v bad astigmatism and now need varifocals too. There is always only about one or two
manufacturers they can order the lenses from which bumps the price up. I tried to order online and they rang me and said no!

I think it is because with astigmatism (and I guess varifocals) the glasses have to sit in exactly the right place.

I don't have any helpful hints, OP. Just sympathy!

I swapped to specsavers
Short sighted with astigmatism. Boots were £375 for one pair
Specsavers were £210 for 2 pairs

My dh had a very high prescription (-12!) so very few places could do it he was told by his expensive optician but I sent him to mine (specsavers) and his glasses went from £650 to £210 with thinned lenses and not super cheap frames. My less complex but varifocals were £139 last year for 2 pairs

@SaltyDragon would contacts work for you?.I pay £27 a month for my contacts plus I also have 3 pairs of glasses. One "normal" glasses were around £100 at Specsavers. A "reading ' pair another £100 plus I have seperate cheapy readers from Amazon for if I'm reading with my contacts in. I used to get a complex lens voucher but don't anymore as my eyesight has improved so I'm 0.5 out of range for the voucher (how does that happen??!!)

See if you are eligible for NHS vouchers. It depends on your prescription.

I have a complex prescription needing prisms & high strength lenses (I think I'm -10) and get vouchers for £200 (I think that's the max amount). It covered the cost of my lenses.

You can only use the vouchers against the lenses & not frames. If the optician takes NHS vouchers they will have cheap frames too. You shouldn't need expensive frames for very thick lenses as the cheaper, chunky plastic frames can take the thick lenses.

My frames were under £100 & they weren't the cheapest on offer.

I got mine from specsavers

Are they a very expensive complicated prescription?

I always ask for a copy of my prescription. Get the optician to measure your pupil distance too whilst he's there.

Then do an online order. You can try on dummy glasses for comfort then order.

I know that not all prescriptions are suitable, but most are.

My eyesight changes regularly and I can just about get away with 10 months.

Glasses from my optician start from £150 and my online pair were £20. Huge difference, not as glamorous but for reading I don't mind.