Vision express has said I don’t need glasses , but I can’t see much

[Reedupree]

I went to specsavers last year for a proper eye test after 30 years never having them due to having great sight . I got given a prescription for slight sight issues and astigmatism. Astigmatism was what I assumed I had which is what forced me to go in the first place . The glasses however gave me double vision and while driving I could see two road signs , two traffic lights and everything else reflective was just doubled .

this winter I have a halo around everything that reflects light , every single street light has a massive stream of light like a beam coming from it , every brake light spreads across my vision . I can barely see my phone or computer screen because it appears jumbled and bubbly . Basically any light source really disturbs my vision .

i went to vision express and the man did a very in depth, long talk through my sight and showed me the eyes on the screen , told me my sight was near perfect and I’d have to start worrying about glasses in 10 years once I hit my 40s .

however , I can barely see a thing in winter . When it gets dark I have to constantly close one eye or squint because I can’t see past lights and tvs and things . It’s really killing me stress wise because sight is a very basic need and I can’t see a bloody thing .

what am I supposed to do then ?

There are opticans and opticians some are more specialised than others. You could ask yoyr GP to refer you to an eye specialist. Or go for a private consultation if you can afford it.

I'd ask for a referral to an eye specialist as PP says.

An optician can also refer you

Go to an independent optician for the second opinion

I don't know the answer, but I once had three eye tests in one day (mystery shopping) and got a different prescription at each of them!

Try to see an ophthalmologist as opposed to an optician for a second opinion.

@Viviennemary if I could afford private there’s so much I would’ve had sorted by now but we rely on the nhs sadly . i do need to see some kind of specialist but I don’t know where to start

@Alphabet1spaghetti2 how do I go about finding one under the nhs?

@Racheltheruby this is insane ,
my sister said she had 3 different pairs of glasses when she didn’t need any of them , it should be better regulated as so many people have this experience

@YukoandHiro do you know if that comes under nhs , there is one in my area definitely . thank you

@SgtBilko yeah it seems I need to if the gp will listen

@SouthCountryGirl i actually asked him to put a note in and he said he already had but will my gp give a toss ? Probably not

Ask your GP for a referral to Ophthalmology. They'll be the best bet if your opticians have fobbed you off.

@Alphabet1spaghetti2 Google for you local one. You may be able to self refer to an nhs one.(varies form trust to trust unfortunately)
Otherwise your options are a referral via your GP or to pay privately.

Were they massively different or close?

The thing is there is only so much the optician can do and then they have to rely on the customers answers. So if you gave slightly different answers in each shop you would get slightly different prescriptions.

Alongside that your eyesight can fluctuate across the day, if you eyes are drier for example it will be slightly different.

Of course if the prescriptions were wildly different then yeah thats definitely worrying!

I would ask every glasses wearer you know and find an independent optician. An eye test at my independent place I think is £30 which isn't cheap but it's not crazy money either and they're nothing but fabulous.

I agree OP with the people saying an ophthalmologist or a second opinion

It could be something as simple as dry eyes, or it might be that your eyes don't focus as well in the dark and so you need a correction specifically for at night etc

Investigate opticians that will test for prism lenses. My Dd needs these. She has perfect sight on a standard chart. It took years to pin down the problem. I started investigating visual stress and that led us down the route towards prism lenses. An eye test at an independent optician that would test for prism cost £50 in London. Specsavers and the like don’t test for it.

Did you have an eye pressure test? I think it's something they do once you reach 40 but I'm guessing you are younger than that?
I have ocular hypertension (high pressure in my eyes) which was first diagnosed after a pressure test. Apart from double vision, I get all the other symptoms you describe.
I suspect the glasses are to blame for the double vision but all the rest needs investigating.
Go to a different opticians and get another eye test. I would be specifically looking for an ophthalmologist.

I am thinking dry eyes too, but the double vision should be investigated by an orthoptist and you can't drive with double vision.
You should be able to get referred by your GP to the ophthalmology department. If you are still getting double and mention it, they will definitely refer you. It is NHS, so free, and there are lots of specialties at the hospital so between them they will be able to work out what's going on and hopefully help you. Good luck

this seems to be a bright light dazzling problem rather than an inability to read letters on the chart, you can obviously read the letters on the chart so you do not have either short or long vision, if your double vision didn't happen during the tests it is not really an optician problem but one for a opthalmologist ( a medical doctor specialising in eyes) an optician is trained but is not a doctor
there may be other things causing this migraines nerves problems, processing information in artifical light
but one thing is certain is you can't see properly at night in the dark you must not drive at night

Personally sounds like astigmatism as I have that, I've got a very small longsighted prescription in one eye...apart from that vision is great. Astigmatism causes all the light issues at night.

I'd get a second opinion from another optician. It's likely to be 6months plus wait for ophthalmologist, urgent is 22 weeks here.

You need a second opinion. Glare is very common with Sjögren’s syndrome and menopause. But yep you need someone to have another look.

Definitely find an established, independent optician in your area and get a second opinion.

So did you explain all your problems to the optician ? And what did he say was causing it ?

Loss of night vision can be an indicator of eye conditions. I'm not sure a high street optician would pick this up. Speak to your gp

I concur with others - a good independent Opthalmic Optician (or Optometrist I think is the commoner term these days) rather than the chains. They will be trained to look for abnormalities and have the equipment to monitor your eyes over time. The chains are pretty hit and miss.

Did you get a refund on the first glasses which you could never use? It sounds like you should do as they are unusable.

Specsavers are awful for prescribing when not heeded.

your light issue could be age related. I’m similar. Go to independent optician and possibly a referral to eye clinic.

@ConfusedNT i don’t know about the other commenter but i had extensive testing done including the basics , he looked at my eyes on the screen and broke down what was happening with them, then looked into a microscope. Specsavers did the tests at the start , photographs and then asked questions to which I answered the same as I did this time . They gave entirely different prescriptions and I was told specsavers gave me glasses for nothing . Seeing as I had double vision with them and then no explanation as to why I was getting that , this sounds very likely