Are Specsavers deliberately prescribing glasses?

[Sugarandspice213]

I’ve had eye tests over the years and never had concern (apart from once as a child). Yet the Specsaver optician has now told me that I may benefit from them as one eye is curved. I don’t need them, I can see fine day to day etc….

When I was a child we went to the opticians and were all given glasses - all five of us. As adults we never wear them.

I can’t help to think Specsavers just wanted to make a sale?

Work paid for the eye test

I think they all do that
Ask an optician and I’ve needed reading glasses for twenty years.
The first time, I was foolish enough to buy them.

Quite happy with reading small print myself. Also their issue is astigmatism

I often wonder about this. I wish the eye test was done in a different place from where you purchase the glasses. It feels like a conflict of interest.

I often wonder about this. I wish the eye test was done in a different place from where you purchase the glasses. It feels like a conflict of interest

You can absolutely take your prescription from your eye test and purchase glasses elsewhere.

There is nothing to make you purchase glasses from the same place you got your test.

A Specsavers optician told me last month my eyes are good and to try not to wear my glasses as they're too strong for me and don't bother buying weaker lenses.

My husband went to an independent one last year for the first time ever (paid quite a bit more for the appointment), and they said he didn't need glasses at all. So yes I think sometimes they do or have done.

I avoid having my eye test at specsavers because of this.

I often have my eye tested elsewhere and then take the prescription to specsavers for the cheap glasses.

I find that independent Optitions are really good at saying if you actually need new glasses or not. Eg. If prescription has changed very slightly but there’s no need to change

I know that you could take your prescription elsewhere. But if the optician recommends you need glasses there is probably a fair percentage of people who buy glasses at that opticians. So they could benefit from recommending glasses when it isn’t entirely necessary.

DH went to Specsavers , a few weeks ago, convinced he needed new glasses. They said his old ones were absolutely fine and to go back in two years.

I used to go to Boots Optician regularly, and the optician would tell me that I didn't need glasses. I do now though 😄.

I find this hard to believe. I've been a patient at a few different Specsavers branches for the past 15 or so years, and plenty of times the optician has told me I don't need new glasses, because the change to my prescription would be so marginal it wouldn't be noticeable to me. I usually buy new ones anyway because I only go every two years on average and my glasses get wrecked in that time and I fancy a change hah.

I've been told by Specsavers my old glasses are fine in the past so I have no reason to suspect they over prescribe. I've always found them good and well priced. A recommendation for glasses is only that, especially if it's for astigmatism you may not know until you try them that they help - why did you go in the first place?

Ask for a copy of your prescription and say something like "thanks, I will think about it."

As long as you can see properly for driving or anything else where you legally where there is an eyesight requirement then it's up to you if you get glasses.

I have a new glasses optician who is trying to push my old prescription on me as it means they get more money. This ignores 3 of her colleagues at a different branch who checked with each other to confirm I no longer needed that prescription as my eye sight change was odd for someone in their 30s. She also has been trying to get me to have yearly eye tests which I don't pay for as I'm in a contact lense scheme.

My contact lenses optician on the other hand continually tries to see if I can cope with cheaper lenses so I save money.

The latter has worked out I'm a long term customer of over 15 years, while the former is just following orders from head office. The former only avoided me making a formal complaint about her pushy and frankly horrible attitude due to me finding out she was following head office orders.

I used to work in Specsavers, many years ago, no way would an Optometrist, suggest glasses to a patient if they weren’t necessary.

Last time I was there I was specifically advised to get reading glasses from any supermarket or amazon as they're cheaper. I have to wear them with my lenses for my short sightedness.

I went to Specsavers as felt my eyesight was getting worse with age. They said they could prescribe glasses for me but it would be a very small prescription and in their view, not yet needed. I was quite impressed that they didn't insist I needed them yet.

Two years later I did.

My son always had glasses but the optician recommended stopping them as they weren't helping anymore. He could quite easily have continued the prescription and claimed the money from NHS but didn't.

I can totally imagine some opticians doing his but don't see how employees of a big national brand would benefit from scamming customers as they surely aren't given 'sales' targets?

I just recently went to Specsavers and was told I technically needed reading glasses now but could get away without them unless I did a lot of reading and even then I would probably be fine. I chose to order some as I do a lot of reading for work and often the text is very small. But I felt like I was very much not pressured.

I didn't need reading glasses until I reached my 40s and I definitely find them a benefit when reading now. Dh got reading glasses last year at age 47. Dd has had glasses since 18 months old and will always need them. Ds had a short period with glasses for long sight and is now getting more short sighted. He's not quite at the stage of needing glasses for it but will if his eyesight worsens. I have never felt pressurised to get glasses for no reason

I am an optometrist and worked for Specsavers for years (not currently).

I can assure you we don't prescribe glasses to targets or unnecessarily. Our job is to recommend what is optimal. There is a difference between vision that is good enough and vision that is optimal.

Feel free to ask your optician lots of questions if you have doubts. Personally I'd much rather spend extra time having a discussion with my patients than having them walk away thinking I've tried to rip them off

@SecondhandTable

I find this hard to believe. I've been a patient at a few different Specsavers branches for the past 15 or so years, and plenty of times the optician has told me I don't need new glasses, because the change to my prescription would be so marginal it wouldn't be noticeable to me. I usually buy new ones anyway because I only go every two years on average and my glasses get wrecked in that time and I fancy a change hah.

You are already wearing glasses, I don’t

@princesspenny

I am an optometrist and worked for Specsavers for years (not currently).

I can assure you we don't prescribe glasses to targets or unnecessarily. Our job is to recommend what is optimal. There is a difference between vision that is good enough and vision that is optimal.

Feel free to ask your optician lots of questions if you have doubts. Personally I'd much rather spend extra time having a discussion with my patients than having them walk away thinking I've tried to rip them off

Last eye test was 3 years ago and I didn’t need glasses…. Neither did I the other times. I don’t have an issue with reading or seeing objects. Optician stated my eyes wouldn’t be worse by not wearing them…..

@Sugarandspice213

I’ve had eye tests over the years and never had concern (apart from once as a child). Yet the Specsaver optician has now told me that I may benefit from them as one eye is curved. I don’t need them, I can see fine day to day etc….

When I was a child we went to the opticians and were all given glasses - all five of us. As adults we never wear them.

I can’t help to think Specsavers just wanted to make a sale?

Work paid for the eye test

Do you have a copy of the prescription?

Can you post the prescription?

No, I've been going to Specsavers for a few years now, certainly the last 4 or 5 times and even with a free eye care voucher I'm told my eyes are perfect. I always mentally pick out nice frames beforehand and it's the same every time.

As a child I had been prescribed glasses in an independent opticians but never wore them so either my eyes were fine or my eyes changed on their own with age.

I’m an optician. They definitely don’t “all do that”. Some places have targets. I would NEVER work anywhere that put pressure on me to prescribe glasses that weren’t needed.