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 have similar glasses from specsavers and they cost about £150. They sneak so many extras on that are not necessary.
I queried it with them once and got them to give me a break down of cost, it resulted in them reduced the price by hundreds.

The varifocal lenses bump the price up.
Mind you, I was quoted getting on for £400 at Boots for two pairs with single vision lenses. It was 2nd pair half price too! I got the details of the frames I really liked and found them much cheaper online.

My last pair of glasses were £1435. £500 is a bloody bargain.

I don’t have an unusual prescription but I do use an optician that likes to tell me they don’t accept NHS 97 times every time I call.

Specsavers are very reasonable

I have a very simple and mild prescription and I paid about £500 for my last two pairs of glasses at Boots. So I don't think what you are paying is unreasonable. We wear glasses every day, so just think how good the cost per wear is. Much cheaper than clothes.

Online mpanies like firmoo do them at a fraction of the price and excellent quality. Xx

You really do get what you pay for with varifocal lenses. If you're happy with a narrow area of vision then you can technically get cheap varifocals from specsavers, vision express etc. Most people wouldn't be happy with such a narrow space to see with and excessive distortions so they don't usually bother mentioning them.

2 pairs for £500 is reasonable considering you'll likely use then all day everyday for 2 years and tbh you can't put a price on clear comfortable vision - no shortcuts when it comes to health!

If you get contact lenses on the monthly scheme from Specsavers, you get a good discount on glasses.

I just spent £40 for some for my kid while he waits for his Specsavers ones, bargain.

Unless you’re buying crazy expensive frames that’s way too much for a normal prescription.

I got a pair of varifocals from Asda for £45 There's no way could I afford hundreds for a pair, I assume they aren't as good as a more expensive pair but they do the job.
I need glasses for reading and with my work it's not constant so if I used just readers they'd be on and off my head all day long which just isn't practical and I lost a pair in my first week too doing that!

i accidentally broke my glasses a few weeks ago. Went to get a like for like replacement, as I loved the ones I had. Was expecting about £500. (Expensive brand.) Almost had a heart attack, when I was quoted £930. I made a claim on my house insurance. Also need new sunglasses and new lenses would be £3-500. I regret being talked into baby vari focals

The brave I but last years. As they can be reglazed. But they are pricing themselves out of the market.

You can’t do that with varifocals as they have to measure the eyes to see where the different lenses need to be.

You can. DH got some varifocal on line just this week. You have to take a picture of you with the frames on and a ruler over the top of the frame, on your forehead. They can then work out all the measurements from that.
Both myself and DH worked in opticians in various roles. When his varifocals came back we knew what we were looking for to check them and are satisfied that they are correct.

@ChompandaGrazia so you have any tips on what to look for when checking the measurements are correct?

It’s hard to do.
Varifocal lenses have tiny markings engraved on them. From that you can take measurements to find the point that should be in front of your pupil.

Yes, my glasses are the most expensive thing I own. More expensive than any laptop I've ever bought and I don't have a flat or cat.

I will make you feel better . Glasses here are cheap!
I’m from Italy . My mum just spent 800 euro on 1 pair of varifocal. She is only a -2 .
I absolutely love glasses , the more colourful the better. I’d love to have 1 of each colour to match with what I’m wearing 🤣🤣 obviously I don’t own that many , but for my 30th I asked my parents if they would gift me a pair of glasses from Italy . Sorry , but they do have some gorgeous frames over there . Anyway it was 450 euro for 1 pair . The normal lenses were 110 euro each .
here I just got eye test - oct scan- 2 pair ( 1 normal 1 with a boost at the bottom of the lens ) for 250£ .
to me they are a bargain! If yours are varifocal then let me tell you 500£ for two is basically nothing . My mum would have spent close to 1.5k if you include the eye test too.

I don’t think laser eye surgery prevents you from developing presbyopia, which is the condition that required varifocals and hence very expensive.
Or did you have it done specifically for long-sightedness?

@noworklifebalance It was short sightedness, I'd only been wearing glasses for 6 years and my eyesight had deteriorated, with a new prescription every two years. The surgeon did say I may need reading glasses as I get older but so far my eyesight has been fine.

I can't believe everyone pays so much!! I couldn't bring myself to spend more than £150 on a pair of glasses unless I absolutely had no choice!! I'd much prefer to spend under £100.

Anyone know if Asda do a basics style of glasses? Do they have any cheap £20 to £30 frames? Anyone found cheaper than Asda?

Thanks

@MJOkayy it's a case of YMMV. I have a MN comfortable income and I wear my glasses every day. I'd rather have decent glasses than spend lots of money on getting gel nails or having a new car or flying long haul for a holiday or having a takeaway for Friday dinner every week. Once you have enough money to live on you make choices about what you spend your discretionary money on and different people prioritise different things.

I get that! It wasn't a judgement! Just shock 😲

I always go for the titanium frames. I don't get on with plastic ones (narrow, bony nose) and I've become allergic to steel ones when the coating has been damaged, plus every gram of reduced weight makes them more comfortable. I wear them 17 hours a day and the price of the frames is a fraction of the total cost for me.

If you have them for two years that's less than £1.00 a day to be able to see.