New Specs, How Much Should I Expect to Pay?

[expatinscotland]

My first foray into eye care in the UK!

Found a good optometrist, but want to avoid being ripped off.

My old frames have broken and my eyes are hurting, so I'll need both lenses (for reading) and frames.

Anyone got a ballpark figure?

My new glasses cost £481. I am very shortsighted and they are made with the thinnest nikon lenses. I think the frames cost about £150. But then I will wear them from the moment I get up until the moment I go to bed for the next two years or more, so I guess that doesn't work out so badly over time. I use a small independent chain, and I think for glasses you wear all the time it is really worth having a good relationship with your optician - ours is great at choosing good frames, and doing all the repair work (esp for ds). The big chains aren't always cheaper - we got two pairs of glasses made up for ds for £40 (he has NHS vouchers, but I wanted reduced plastic lenses for him) at our local place, but dh went to one of the big places and spent £120 on cheaper glass lenses, so it is worth checking before you hand over the cash.