Can an eye test result be incorrect? (Specsavers)

[Batmanisaplaceinturkey]

Got some new glasses from Specsavers but they feel 'off'. It feels uncomfortable to see through them and vision feels slightly blurry.
I went back but, after checking my eyes with a machine (the one where you look at a picture of a balloon), they fobbed me off a bit. Whilst I was there a couple in the waiting area mentioned they experienced a wrong prescription three times.

My actual eye test felt rushed and I was unable to blink properly because of their machinery pressing on my eyelids.

I have another appointment, because I insisted on being rechecked properly by another optician, but I'm doubting myself now.

Is it possible for opticians to get it wrong?

My prescription has numbers for sph, cyl and axis.

Specsavers are shit. I’ve been wearing glasses forever and the last time I went to them I told them they’d got my script wrong-they insisted they hadn’t. Went to the Boots up the road and sure enough it was wrong.

My local boots optician is a franchisee so he’s basically an independent, he’s excellent, knows my and my family well, remembers exactly how my prescription goes and when I had trouble with a new pair of glasses a few years back he spent an hour and a half working out the issue, found it and fixed it (I need the lenses adjusting upwards slightly) and still remembers now when I have new glasses what the adjustment is that I need.

But ultimately yes OP they can get it wrong.

I agree. I got a prescription with the astigmatism correction for the wrong lens.
Shouldn't have gone to Specsavers.

I've always used Boots. Last test with them they said I needed glasses for using a screen and reading, but the prescription was way off - I couldn't use the glasses at all. Went back and they changed them, no idea what the new prescription was, but they also said they were only for anything up to arms length, so not for screen use. Still couldn't get on with them, so they've sat in a drawer ever since.

Went to spec savers this year instead and was told I need glasses for distance. Took the prescription, ordered online glasses for about £12 and they've been amazing for driving and watching tv. I don't need reading glasses at all!

I had Specsavers test my eyes again as I knew my prescription was wrong as soon as I picked the glasses up, the optician insisted it was correct and apparently the strong left eye prescription I'd had since a small child was no longer necessary!! I went elsewhere, they fixed my prescription so I could go back and insist Specsavers change the lenses, it was a nightmare as i only had one set of glasses and cost me an extra £40, I would never use Specsavers again.

Yes, mine felt wrong as soon as I put them on. They made me feel sick (which no previous pair of glasses ever had) and didn't actually correct the vision in one of my eyes very well. They were very keen for me to try them out for six weeks (presumably they say this in the hope that after six weeks you're less likely to bother going back!) but I went back after a week. Had a re-test and they said that yes, the prescription had been wrong.

This thread is great, I've rebooked a test in January. Thank you. ☺️

It may the glasses have not been made up correctly.I had this once at Boots and they took the pair back and got them remade then we're fine.ive also got specs from Specsavers which really happy with and cost was great compared to independent opticians(I paid just under £500 for 2 pairs compared to one quote for £560 for one pair from Black and Lizars!!),but I got my eye test at Boots and took my prescription to shop around.

A bit outing or so I thought but I actually had three eye tests in the same branch last year within a short space of time and they were all flipping wrong!! Had two different sets of glasses made up and they both made me feel awful as a PP said. When the third eye test disagreed with the previous two I thought sod this!! They blamed my sight for changing - yeah sure that’s v likely in the space of a month and in all different directions.

So, what would you want an optician to do if they noticed something that could potentially be a life-threatening problem with your family member’s eyes? Should they just ignore it and not have it investigated in case you get worried?

I’m sure you’d be the first person complaining and trying to sue them if they didn’t refer them and it turned out to be something bad.

Specsavers put dilating drops in my eyes before my visual field test. Not surprisingly, I failed spectacularly as I could barely see. They then said they thought I had had a stroke because I had failed so badly and it had happened so suddenly, and called an ambulance!
The doctors at A and E and the eye clinic were both furious when I told them what had happened, and I got the distinct impression that this had happened before.

They can be incorrect.

I literally am going through this right now with SpecSavers.

I am going for a new check, somewhere else in the New Year.

Funnily enough Specsavers are franchisees too but I have consistently poor service with them.

A large proportion of the eye test relies on your subjective answers to questions and an optician's subjective response to those answers. The objective proportion of the test is only accurate within a couple of diopters if I recall correctly. It's all a bit of a dark art...

I've stopped using specsavers since I queried my prescription telling them that I'd had to borrow my boyfriend's £1.99 from the rack at sainsburys reading glasses and could see better with those than with my properly prescribed ones.

They told me that I couldn't need that strength because of my age (too young) but also that glasses would never be able to correct/significantly improve my vision. Also due to my age. I was 45.

No idea what that meant because my daughter is 30 years younger than me and hers would be like milk bottle bottoms if it weren't for thinning. She can't see without her glasses so it's clearly not an age thing...

Ive never felt rushed at specsavers. Afaik it’s a franchise, so essentially independent opticians who have bought into the branding? Maybe some are better/worse than others.

I’ve had shit dispensers at specsavers (I have a very high prescription) and some will let you choose totally unsuitable glasses. But the actual eye tests have always been fine.

I had an eye test, prescription and glasses from a private optician which were fine. I saw Spec Savers doing an offer and saw some nice frames & used my existing prescription. From day one they too felt 'off' and gave me headaches. Eventually it transpired the glasses had been made with the distance between my pupils incorrect. After weeks of being mucked around I demanded and got my money back. Went to my previous opticians and got new frames which were perfect

Also 2 family members (one a dispensing optician) have worked for Spec Savers in the past and both have said they would constantly deal with customers whose glasses were incorrect.
I would never set foot in the place again

An independent optician got mine spectacularly wrong. Specsavers got my prescription right but we're shit at fitting varifocals. I'm a Boots customer now and have had no issues. Just go back until they're fixed.

My last test at Specsavers was done by an optician through Zoom, in and out in 5 minutes. New prescription shows an improvement from my older prescription from elsewhere, I’ll be rebooking with an independent store.

It's absolutely possible because they rely on your answers hence the back and forward in the test. The other question is sight at different distances, I'm not so bad in the testing office but longer distances are far worse

I used Specsavers for decades but have switched to an independent with my husband. They messed up the astigmatism part of my prescription and failed to notice my eyes were so dry I subsequently had to have plugs put in my tear ducts. They also missed my husband's cataracts which had to be done asap when referred by the new optician. I also had a friend who did the buy one get one free and each pair had a different prescription!

I've had at least a dozen pairs from specsavers over the years and only had an issue with one pair

My dad was an optician and often had people coming to him when they thought chains had got it wrong. They often had.

I think the people doing the testing are not proper opticians. They're trained and have qualifications but not to optician level.

It isn't a franchise, @FeegleFrenzy .

I had a poor experience with them which resulted in a retest and a new prescription. I have never worn the glasses, they themselves admitted the 'occupational lenses' they can provide are not a patch on the ones from an independent and the quality of the graduation of lenses is not comparable.

I would go for an eye test somewhere else for a second opinion if you haven't.