To think only the rich can have 20:20 vision?

[UniversityQuestions]

I have just been quoted £550 for a pair of glasses. These were not fancy frames: about £150 for the frame itself. Cannot really go cheaper as I want to look decent as I wear these things all day. The rest of the cost was the lenses which are varifocal as I need long distance and reading correction. Because my long distance is bad I need to pay for thinned lenses to stop me having inch thick glass in front of each eye. So once I’ve paid for the varifocal and the thinning then lenses were £400!

how can normal people with poor vision afford to correct their vision? Am I missing something?

£ 550

my last set of varifocals was about the same cost - bogof at Specsavers .

My glasses last 2 years before I need a new prescription and I get sunglasses and normal glasses both as varificoals

So works out at about £30 a month over the 2 years for 2 pairs of glasses which I put on the second I wake and take off as I go to sleep (swap for sunnies outside)

that gives me perfect vision for everything I do no matter in or outside - so money do worth spending.

when I was unemployed it was totally free on UC and nhs frames are a wide choice and decent

working again now - I see it as money well spent for great vision.

I know the initial outlay is high - but it’s do worth it and there is support if you in benefits and are in need.

my kids both had glasses from tiny and that was each child getting 2 pairs every 6 months - all free on nhs - super cute choice of frames and they would fix them too if they got broken.

This. I think I got 2 pairs of varifocals for £150

What specsavers wanted to charge was over double

Mind you I wasn't paying over £100 for frames, think they were £60 and BOGOF

1. You don’t have to look decent. You could simply choose the cheapest frames that fit.
2. if your prescription is simple, there are online options for glasses. I wouldn’t use them for a complex prescription, but most people don’t have astigmatism or progressive lenses. Even though I do have a complex prescription, since I rarely use my glasses, I have the doctor also write me a prescription for an unadjusted simple correction and buy those cheap.( I personally splurge on contacts instead as I think of glasses as only for emergency backup)
3. if you have old frames, not the ones you are using now, but an older pair that you can be without for a bit, you can use those instead of buying new.

that doesn’t make it free, but it is possible to get the cost down and have good vision.

I get mine on firmoo. Super value

I also get my varifocals at Asda - they are excellent and look good. I agree that the price other opticians now charge is outrageous.

I provided my own frame for the reading glasses I'll wear all the time, took the NHS glasses for long/night vision - paid £70 for both. Varifocals were quoted at £300, but I wasn't paying that
The frame was £130 online, so £200 all in.
You've opted for the most expensive option, plus upsell.

You can pay for them as part of a package plan with Vision Express. I got 2 really nice pairs ( 1 reading, 1 bifocal for driving) and pay £17.50 (ish) a month for 2 years - this includes the original test and another a free test with a free change of lenses if your eyesight changes within the first 12 months.

I thought that was pretty brilliant to be fair.

I “need” varifocals so I’ve just got them in my sunglasses frames. Sunglass varifocals. Frames are Jimmy Fairly and £135 and they sometimes do discount codes. Lenses are scratch resident, Polaroid and high quality - £475. The only saving to be had is on discounted frames or have lower quality lenses. You can of course reuse high quality frames so you buy once. You can also hope your eyes don’t change! For me, I’m not entirely happy with them as the reading zone is too low in the lenses. As they are sunglasses, I’m keeping them but not going varifocals for general use. I’m still going to have 2 pairs!

Several of the online retailers allow you to have a number of frames to try before you order. You then send the frames back with your choice or a request for a new lot to try on.

I’m not rich - I’m on PIP long term and have very complex eyesight (-9.50 both eyes, retinal issues, astigmatism etc). Asda etc varifocals aren’t good enough for me to see properly with. It’s like looking through a fish bowl - I’ve tried (there, and specsavers and vision express, got refunds from all of them as they were awful). I don’t think people realise the price of a complex vision voucher is small compared to the price of good lenses. My lenses are £700 from an independent opticians and that’s without the frame. I put them on a credit card and pay them off every couple of years. If I wasn’t able to do that and literally had to have Asda etc glasses I wouldn’t be able to see properly, not well enough to drive.

Yes I felt sick for 3 weeks with my first pair of varifocals. Every pair since has been fine though. Back in the day most wore bi focals and some people prefer them still.

a fairly recent thing has been the advent of varifocal style contacts. I couldn’t get on with them. Felt sick and had raging headaches. I don’t know if they are still a thing though as I’m just managing age related sight decline nowadays.

Well who on earth sold you a pair of glasses that were deliberately not the correct prescription for you? It’s not legal.

I wear bifocals instead of verificals but they are still quite pricy!

Would it not be possible to have permanent lenses fitted. My friend did this. Cost him 5k but of course no more glasses needed. If I had to cough up £ 700 plus each year of so is think about it

Same here.
Small head, so not a large choice of glasses
Extremely short sighted, so need lenses thinning
Varifocals
Astigmatism

I need varifocals. I couldn't do my work sat at a laptop without them. Switching over glasses just wouldn't work for me.

@Youspurnme I would never buy my glasses online. The slightest tweak in the fitting makes a huge amount of difference when you wear varifocals.

I used to go to Boots, then Specsavers, and now go to a local independent optician who are truly exceptional.

My varifocals were £310 for 2 pairs plus the test, thinning would have been £90 extra. You have chosen expensive frames op, mine were £100 and far from the cheapest available

See I have got my varifocals online and they are great. Even got my optician friend to check them

I have severe autoimmune issues including lupus and I’m on a form of medication that means any surgery etc is risky for me so unfortunately not an option at the moment, sadly.

Your optician friend must have been thrilled to be asked to check the glasses you got online for you! I wouldn’t have done it, either on a professional or personal level.

Glasses direct buy one get one pair free mine were £150 for two pairs and I have a strong prescription and the lenses were thinner ones as well - i paid by klarna in 3 bits

And I don't have any optician friends.

it was an online company. They didn’t ask to see a prescription, ai just entered the info myself. Anyone could buy them!

You can genuinely get like 4 or 5 pairs of progressives online for that price from places likes of eyebuydirect or whatever the UK equivalent is. I’ve had both expensive optician glasses and online ones and honestly unless you have a very unusual prescription or fitting needs, the difference usually isn’t massive. A lot of the cost on the high street is the upgrades, coatings, thinning, branded frames, etc. rather than “this is the only way to be able to see properly.”

Try a different optician. I was quoted that amount for bifocal, went to Specsaver paid less than half. There is a deal on at the moment with Glasses direct MN are advertising it. Otherwise Martin Lewis has a glasses section on his website. Basically shop around.

Unfortunately you’re only entitled to help with opticians costs on UC if your earned household income is under £435 (no children or LCWRA on claim) or £935 (children or LCWRA on claim) a month. It’s incredibly hard to get help with healthcare costs on the low income scheme (HC2 certificate) as well.

I should have had an eye test a year ago but can’t afford to upgrade my glasses if needed so don’t see the point in getting the test done while my current glasses are still ok.