Eye test felt like a sales pitch?

[Pinkstuffs]

I’ve been a customer at Specsavers for about 25 years now and never really had issues with them but the last couple of eye tests I’ve had have felt purely like a sales exercise and I’m not sure if it’s just my local branch or if this is common now.

Before I even got started on the test i was offered to pay an extra £10 for an ‘enhanced’ check of my eyes which I did decline, but this was never a thing before. The actual eye test was super rushed and although my prescription had barely changed I was taken straight out to the shop floor to choose new glasses. In the past if my prescription hasn’t changed much the optician has advised me not to bother as I wear contact lenses 99% of the time. I have a very strong prescription and the optician didn’t even acknowledge that I need to put my contact lenses back in before trying in frames. When I said I didn’t actually want to buy glasses there and then I was given a big spiel about damaging eyesight etc which I found very pushy.

Im wondering if this experience is isolated to my store and if I should just switch branch or if anyone else has experienced similar? Last year when I had an eye test I remember experiencing similar.

See now I have just had an eye test in Specsavers and they're the first opticians in years that have made me glasses that actually work. Over the years, various issues:

Been shouted at in Boots when I said everything was very blurry

Had glasses made for distance when I made it clear that I need glasses for close work

Told that I could see through them and had the stinking headache they gave me was dismissed as irrelevant

Was treated as if I was talking out my bum when I said that individually, the lenses were fine, crystal clear, but trying to look out of both, it was like looking out of a pair of water filled goggles.

The ones I have just got, tiny text is crystal clear. For the first time in ages, I can read properly.

They said last week that that was fine, they'd do that for me.

I've experienced the same.

I felt obliged to choose from their selection, it won't happen again.

It cost me hundreds of pounds and they weren't clear about the choises available.

Specsavers is a franchise... you won't see the same optician each time... they got my prescription wrong.. didn't notice l had type 2 diabetes or dry eye syndrome or beginning of cataracts... the eye clinic at the hospital diagnosed all these after going to my GPs with scratchy dry eyes.
The specialist at the hospital told me to avoid having eye tests at Specsavers.

My local branch is excellent. I have paid for the enhanced eye scan the last two visits as I think it’s worthwhile being 60. Didn’t pay for it when younger.

I also think their menu pricing is good. You have choices of what you want from glasses or contacts. You can decline or accept the extras.

I had the eye scan test at Specsavers and they found I had holes in my retinas, contacted the local NHS eye clinic for me, and I was seen that afternoon. The were really good with me, and didn't charge me for the test in the end.

The enhanced test is now £5. I had it yesterday.

I'm with Specsavers and my experience was nothing like yours. I had my test 2 weeks ago and I was asked if I wanted the extra scan but there was no pressure. I have been asked the last few times and I'm sure it used to be £20.
I was advised to get new specs as my prescription improved but when I said I wanted to come back with my contacts in, the person helping me said fine, just come in whenever you like.
I do sometimes hear bad things about Specsavers but I've only ever had good experiences at mine.

No they've got a point op. If you wear contacts all the time, there's a risk that you can start to grow blood vessels underneath the lens which can lead to a) blindness b) never being able to wear contact lenses again.

I wore contacts for 30 years and recently did the advanced eye check (it's commonly offered at Boots) to check on my retina health.

DH had something wrong with his eyes 2 weeks ago...Urgent care at the hospital assumed infection, sent him away with antibiotics. It didn't clear up, he went to specsavers where they measured his eye pressure, found it was really high, got him an appointment at the county eye clinic the same afternoon. Turned out to be panuveal uveitis, if he hadn't got initial treatment to get the pressure reduced that day he'd very likely have had permanent damage to his optic nerves. Longer term treatment and full diagnosis is ongoing but we're bloody grateful for specsavers!
We always get the retinal scan there too, I've got familial history of glaucoma. They've never tried to push me to get prescription glasses rather than off the shelf readers.

I've found Specsavers good, but I had to be firm about the upselling. It's very easy to get sucked into the sales tactics.

I went to vision express as specsavers couldn’t give kids eye appointments in a reasonable time frame, I think it’s the same everywhere ds got a very minor prescription and the optician offered £350 glasses that might slow sight decline and was tried to make me feel bad when i declined.

I still like Specsavers, I have quite a complex high prescription so I do always pay the bit extra for the lens thinner. But I have noticed them become a bit more sales pitchy these last couple years. I have been standing my ground so far, quite proud of myself, as I am not the most assertive of people.

I've had a really good experience with them recently

I don't get on with prescription changes so they kept mine the same
When my glasses weren't right and I explained, knew instantly what was wrong and corrected it
The most amazing one was that they found me contact lenses I can wear for a full day which I haven't been able to in about a decade

They barely break even on the basic eye test and need to upsell to make any profit. they are a business at the end of the day not the nhs.

Mmm I don't know

The eye scan thing. I presume it's the same as the one I had at my last eye test. I found it really interesting. It was the first time I'd had an eye scan like that. I already had high blood pressure which is being treated (and optician knew). But she showed me the scan after and she said she can see where the blood vessels have enlarged from the blood pressure (I might have got that slightly wrong can't remember the exact wording). But she said that's ok cos I know you've already got it and it's being treated but if not that would have been when I referred to doctors.
I never knew that you could see you've got high blood pressure from the eyes. Fascinating to me

I’m surprised how many people pay for the enhanced eye imaging! It’s making me think I ought to get it next time. I do have a strong prescription I am a -11 -10, I’m not just being dramatic.

The scan is worth every penny and saved my DC eyesight. Within five minutes of the scan the opticians were on the phone to the hospital arranging for him to have a detached retina repair.

With the enhanced imaging they keep the pictures, it’s useful for them to be able monitor changes over time. I’ve got Sun spots on the back of mine so keen to make sure there are no changes.

I don't know how close you are to London but if you do have a strong prescription and want to make sure your eyes are sorted I recommend seeing if you can get an appt at Moorfields Eye Hospital via the NHS which shouldn't cost you. SS probably aren't specialised enough to offer you good services as a lot of their opticians are really newly qualified. At Moorfields you'd see an actual doctor.