Glasses - soooo expensive!

[Pennyplant19]

Someone please make me feel better - just been to Specsavers and spent £500 on 2 pairs of glasses (with the 241 frame offer!)
one pair of varifocals, 1 pair occupational
is that about right?
I’ve bought online before with varying success, so decided to be properly fitted. I just need to that this is about right these days, and I’m just behind the times!
My prescription is -4.50 and I have astigmatism.

I've been using Asda for my glasses for years, I have to admit I was a bit dubious the first time but Asda glasses are just as good as Vision Express. I've had no problems at all with their glasses and they are considerably cheaper than high street opticians.

They are so expensive! Sadly I am limited to the frames that will hold my high prescription. I don’t need 2 though thank god but the thinning is expensive too. I tried ASDA but they cancelled my appt 3 times so I gave up.

I go to Specsavers and need thinning lenses and reactolite. I usually spend around £250 for 2 pairs. I need 4 pairs - distance, reading, computer and distance sunglasses so buy 2 of them every year (I get tested every year). I never look at the designer frames, usually buy frames around £70. The 2 for 1 offer only works on simple lenses. It's cheaper to buy 2 separate pairs and they offer discount on the lenses.

Can I just point out that having an astigmatism is totally normal and not some crazy thing that means your lenses will cost loads more. All most everyone has an astigmatism to some degree.
Some people have a high astigmatism but very very few. For most people it just means that your eye isn’t exactly round, because very little in nature is, and you need slightly more correction in one direction.
It shouldn’t cause your lenses to be any more complex or expensive.

Asda opticians prices are amazing. I have really tricky lenses which cost a fortune normally, plus varifocals, thinning etc and it was still 2 pairs for £150 with nice frames. The edges of the varifocals might not be quite as good as the £600 a pair high end lenses from my local optician if I was really picky but everything else was great

My local specavers are always really good at doing a deal so it's always worth asking if there is anything additional they can offer to take off.

£500 for two pairs of specs sounds like an absolute bargain. I need varifocals, so I spent the thick end of £1,000 for 2 pairs a couple of years ago.
But given that this is our all-important vision, and we wear glasses all day and every day, it's not unreasonable.

Yep, I would say that's about right. I have nice frames c/ £300 and complex lenses. I get a good frame and reglaze. I've also had the frame repaired. I always shop around for the frame too, you can buy designer ones online once you've tried in store.

Asda opticians are the best value and reasonable lenses for the low price. I used to work in an independent opticians but now I have retired I always use Asda.

I do wonder if Asda varies by location as they are always recommended on here. However I recently used them for occupational and hobby glasses (total just under £200) and whilst I like the frames and that is probably at least £100 cheaper than Specsavers, they messed up the lenses and they are now being re-done. I probably wouldn't use them again to be honest.

Last year I tried out a corporate offer they do - £17 I think for eye test and reading glasses up to £50, you buy a book of vouchers.
I did go ahead with it, but had to warn colleagues about the hard sell.
I decided to go with two pairs of glasses, so was expecting a small charge, of £20 ish I think. The initial price was around £300 from memory, went through all the take off the special coatings, thinner lenses, anti-glare, VDU lenses not vocational lenses... back to the £20 I'd expected.
they also kept trying to put it through as an NHS test - I'd already had a recent test with my own optician, so wasn't entitled to one.

Don't forget that if you use a screen for work, your employer has a duty to pay for your eye test and VDU glasses.

£450 for me - one pair of varifocials, one pair for computer work. I chose expensive frames for the main pair - my eyes don't let me have laser surgery or contact lenses so I treat myself. The specsavers own brand frames are comfier though!
Sunglasses can wait til next year - they have my previous prescription.

Same ! My last glasses were 1200 for two pairs because of the lens not the frame.
Need retesting now but putting it off because of the cost
Never mind teeth!!!

Asda every time for me too! 2 pairs varifocals, extra thinning and transitions for £199

Yeah maybe, I’ve had an awful experience with Asda. The lenses were just awful, with varifocals there are different grades of lenses with different amounts of distortion at the edges (eg specsavers “tailor made” ones are their top ones for £180 I think and the bottom is £70), the Asda ones are on a level with the cheapest specsavers ones, which is probably okay if you’ve not tried the better ones or have a lower prescription (as the more complex the prescription the more distortion there is regardless of whatever lens you choose), but I just couldn’t get on with them at all. I have to say though they were very nice about it and refunded them without any issue, even the woman said if you’ve had better lenses before ie independent ones or top level ones you’ll struggle with theirs. They are very good value for standard lenses etc though.

It's ridiculous. I used to do it online but that's difficult due to varifocals. Mine were over £300 a few weeks ago. However, I think Specsavers do reglazing, they will use your old frames and that should work out cheaper.

They’re a necessity - I literally couldn’t function without mine, so every other year I pay £500 for a new designer pair and pay £21 a month on contacts. The alternative is bumping in to everything, not being able to read and never driving. It’s worth it.

Single vision and quite a mild prescription I imagine?

Varifocals, astigmatism and a lens power of more than +- 3 makes a huge difference!

I get mine from Asda. My eyes are deteriorating at such a fast pace that I need a new set every year, so I’m not paying out £500 every 12mths. Last time I got Ralph Lauren frames, and sunglasses, for about £200m but it turned out I am allergic to the frames of the glasses. They changed them with no fuss, which I was pleased about because it wasn’t their fault,

Glasses direct have gone massively downhill. I’ve had to email them for quite a straightforward refund and I’ve still not had it and I just keep getting copy and paste replies from an overseas call centre type thing. I used them for years before this but never again.

And they stopped their home trials. They’re absolute dog shit now.

glasses direct are super cheap BUT i dont know if you can with varifocals?

I moved to Asda a couple of years ago, after I broke my £550 variable from my local independent optician whilst I was working away from home.

I have not been dissapinted at all. Nor has my bank balance!

I'm entitled to free glasses but I spent just over £100 on a nice pair at Specsavers and they snapped in half in less than a year. I was so upset and they refused to accept it could be a design fault and wouldn't replace them. I said I don't think they are fit for purpose if they snap in less than a year but they didn't want to know.

Thank you - that’s exactly what I needed to hear. Puts it into perspective!

Is there much difference between Specsavers and Vision Express?