Specsavers said my son needs glasses hospital said he doesn’t

[Ajs1111]

Last Friday my son who is 4 was advised to have an eye test as he had 3 headaches in 6 weeks (one of the times he was sick)
Specsavers said he needed a prescription +2.75 in both eyes and risk of lazy eye she was also concerned about his eye health and referred us to the eye hospital.
4 days later we had an appointment but as it was an emergency it wasn’t with a Pediatric doctor. He usually dealt with adults so he done his best.. he tested his eyes and looked at his eye health and said he’s not worried and not to go back and get the glasses. He’s booked us in with the Pediatrics doctor and MRI just to make sure everything else is ok but said not to worry as this is just to cover everything.

Did either place put eye drops in (the kind that made his pupils large for the next few hours?)

I had a similar experience at Specsavers with my son. We went to an appointment and the optician spent literally 2mins with him and told me he was shortsighted. I felt uneasy with the way the appointment was conducted and took my soon to another opticians. He said he was not shortsighted but would most likely be long-sighted and did not need glasses. I was extremely upset by this as I felt Specsavers had been unprofessional, but when I complained nothing was done about it. It's fair to say I never took my son back to a Specsavers store ever again.

I was told both my DC needed glasses at age 4 & 6 from a different optician. I got them and both refused point blank to wear them. They’re 18 & 15 now and have never needed glasses.

Because of my own experience and the fact the hospital says your DS does not need them, and he’s booked you in for a second look with a Paeds dr, I wouldn’t go back to that optician.

I should say I have taken my DC to another optician over the years and they’ve never needed glasses.

I used to go every year and it did stop me from going so frequently.

Specsavers are shit!
They are essentially after sales, not what is best for the customer. They have always been the same.
I would go with an independent optician every time!

How was each eye test done?
If it was a 4 year old answering questions, I'd be dubious.
If it was drops, and an electronic assessment, followed by tweeking I'd rely on that result.

Unfortunately I have to agree with the posters who caution about Specsavers. DS is under the care of Moorfields eye hospital but his glasses broke, we struggled to get an appointment and Moorfield do not dispense glasses if the prescription is older than a certain timeframe.

We got an appointment at specsavers and got the glasses but DS was not really happy with them. After our appointment at Moorfields we realised that the prescription was massively off.

to their credit, they made another pair of glasses to the actual prescription (Moorfields advice against that as well) but one of the staff said something about changing policies so they didn’t see children under eye hospital care. Not sure if anything came off it but I think they were very embarrassed amount the magnitude of error in the prescription.

Eye drops were put in both times.
whilst at the hospital a nurse told us the same happened with her daughter and she would never trust specsavers again.
thanks everyone !

You do realise that independent opticians are also out to make a profit? Otherwise, how would their business stay open?

Independent shops and small businesses exist on their reputation.
Of course they make a profit, as they should but if they are maligned, bad mouthed and rip off customers (a la Specsavers), they won't be around very long.

@Ajs1111 I got our sons eyes checked just before he was 3 as he started blinking lots more than usual. Went to our local independent optician.

DS was having a very off day and I advised her of this. Kept answering every question with “I don’t know. Mum, I just want to go” despite me knowing that he knew fine well what the pictures were (of course, I don’t know if he was or wasn’t actually able to see them). She did the tests with drops too. Advised he needed a very strong prescription & was going to have a lazy eye.
She then started the pushy sales. NHS wouldn’t fully cover the cost of DSs glasses “because of the type of prescription needed” and she’d “prescribe him contact lenses from around age 5 when he could be fully responsible for his own personal care” 😳🙄
I told her we wouldn’t be picking anything that day and that I wasn’t sure that her test result was accurate as I knew DS wasn’t cooperating. She started on me as if I wasn’t getting them because I didn’t want my child to be seen in glasses 🙄

I called our HV and asked for a referral to the eye hospital to have a second opinion as I just wasn’t convinced. They retested him and he has no prescription at all. She even asked another optometrist to come in and give a second opinion because the findings were so different from the high street optician. Also was outraged at the sales pushing on kids glasses and contacts etc.

I don’t think the ‘never trust Specsavers’ rhetoric is quite fair. The opticians are no less qualified than in an independent opticians (in some cases they will have done more training etc) and have their own reputations and professional registrations to maintain.
There are some excellent independents around but it is true that independent opticians are businesses too and also need to make a profit. Many of the ‘independents’ are actually part of larger chains anyway nowadays but you wouldn’t realise as the branding etc has been kept the same.

My son did need glasses from about aged 6, when they did routine eye tests at school. I knew he needed them as he couldn’t see well the words on tv. We were lucky that our Optician also worked at the eye hospital and we were also referred to him for a hospital appointment. Eye shapes and conditions do change in children, by 10 he no longer needed glasses as they apparently rectified themselves.

I am exercising caution on glasses for my 10yr. Had to get a screening for dyslexia assessment and it came out at -1. Child was grumpy and screening was rushed.

Optician immediately started talking about corrective glasses to stop progression of myopia (£250+). But the kid can see tiny writing from far away. So I've paused any plans for glasses but will keep it in mind.

For now I'd follow the advice from the hospital. I wonder if the eye Dr at the hospital can recommend a good independent optician for the future?

Specsavers imo is great for non complex, low prescriptions providing people take the upselling with a pinch of salt. They tried to flog dd lense thinning on a 1.5 diopter prescription!

For complex matters find a good independent. Some are getter than others.

I would trust a doctor over Specsavers. The worst pair of glasses I've ever had came from there. Got my prescription completely wrong and wearing them made me feel sick.

If you are unsure, go to another optician for a second opinion.

Specsavers say any old shite. Horrendous place.

I have always used Specsavers for decades and have had no problems with them at all - quite the opposite. The opticians who actually test your eyes are not there to make a sale, and I often go and they say: good news, you do not need to spend any money today! And I have taken glasses back (because I changed my mind about the frames etc.) and they swap with no quibble.

My DD has had trouble with a small independent optician whose prices were massively higher and who made a terrible fuss when she wanted to return a pair and get a refund. They told her the frames she wanted were very old-fashioned!

I have never found that Specsavers "oversell" nor that they do not deal well with complicated prescriptions. I am a high myope with astigmatism and for many years have had varifocals which have all been prescribed perfectly.

I have recently had cataracts removed and now have near normal distance vision, but I have chosen to wear varifocals all the time so I can read without having to keep putting glasses on and off. I always had thinned lenses before, but they did not try to sell me these again, as not necessary.

Specsavers told my daughter that our grandson had 20/20 vision.
After another couple of weeks him complaining of headaches and sickness
she took him to Asda. (only 2 optitions in town)
His eyes are so bad he needs prisms in the lens.
Since having the new glasses there has been no headache or sickness.

Specsavers are a franchise so it's lick of the drawer of you get a good one. My experience was ok as long as had a simple prescription,when I needed vari focals they couldn't get it right at all.

Boots have been excellent.

My experience of local opticians have been over priced and I ended up with the wrong prescription and any minor adjustments were charged for which is outrageous.

This.

m A work colleague went to SpecSavers after getting headaches. She was given low prescription glasses and told not to drive at night without them.
Headaches continued and she went to her GP who referred her for tests including eye tests. Conclusion was she did not need glasses. She needed to reduce her caffeine consumption!

He’s booked us in with the Pediatrics doctor and MRI
Surely you wait until the doctor who deals with children regularly (and understands their limitations in expressing themselves) gives their verdict?

I also wouldn't trust a doctor booking an mri for a 4 yr old tbh unless it was the only test left after other options have been exhausted, they are frightening enough for an adult. A lot of adults have to be sedated for it.

I've been with specsavers for my glasses and lenses for 20+years and have had no issues. Used 2 different branches too.

My DD4 failed nursery eye sight test. I was with her and she only got 2 wrong so it was just as a precaution to take her to opticians. I really didn't expect her to need them. We went to specsavers. We were there for over an hour and she had various machines at her eyes and eye drops put in. She done amazingly and they said she did need glasses. Quite strong at +4.25. I was so shocked. Although her drawing has improved so much (now she can actually see) and she does ask for her glasses or says she can't see things.

We had a follow up appointment a few months later and they altered the prescription slightly as she had been complaining about not being able to see the tv properly.

I'd try another opticians and see what they say. The technology they use is quite accurate (one where they see a balloon estimates the prescription required) but I wld be very confused in your shoes.

@Ajs1111 Did you see an ophthalmologist at the appointment or a neurologist/paediatrician. If they didn't have their pupils dilated during the appointment, it wasn't an eye one and I'd recommend getting the glasses.
+2.75 needs correcting in 4 year olds, or their vision might not develop as it should.

Specsavers are all franchises some are amazing award winning practices and some rush people through. It varies.
Some independents are fantastic - some aren't. Our opinions do vary too as can prescriptions - people can have odd eye days, we can have off days, corneal hydration can vary which can change prescriptions.
In children you can't use the automated testing as it doesn't work and it's really just a guide in adults too.

Optometrists like feedback and want people to be happy with the glasses they get, so please do always go back if you're not seeing as well as you like through the glasses, or if you're still having a problem with your eyes.