Opticians & Glasses

[RiaG91]

Yesterday I had an eye check at the opticians for the first time in circa 5years - and I was floored by the prices!

It was a small, independent venue, as opposed to a large chain, and honestly I have no idea how they stay open.

I appreciate they probably can't claim the kind of discounts that larger chains can, hence why the prices are so much more, but surely that incentivises people to shop elsewhere?

The appointment took 50minutes and by the time I'd finished it had cost me £300 for ONE pair of glasses and the eye check!

What do you pay for your glasses?!

Well it depends on lots of factors. 50 minutes is excellent, I would be pleased to have such a thorough test. Price of spectacles depends on your prescription and extras like coatings, special lenses. I last bought spectacles 4 years ago, I had top quality varifocals in a titanium frame. I think it was about £400. I could have had cheaper lenses, cheaper frame etc for a lot less. You could take your prescription elsewhere to be made up, but then if there are problems it could be tricky to remedy.

In the high street I pay between £50-70 for eye test and no frills glasses. I will often get cheaper glasses online for about £15, as I am always breaking/losing them.

Somewhere between £300 and £400 for my varifocals.

You can take your prescription elsewhere, as pp said. If you have a complex prescription it's never going to be cheap due to the lens cost. If you have straightforward single-vision lenses you can keep costs down by going for cheaper frames from one of the large chains - DH paid about £60 for his single-vision lenses from Specsavers (he has separate reading glasses).

I’ve just ordered glasses from Glasses Direct. You can order frames for home trial so it’s not such a gamble of if the frames fit/suit you.
With their offer plus a voucher code I’ve paid £99 for a pair of distance lenses and frames plus same in sunglasses. That’s with anti glare and lens thinning.

I always ask to see the range of their cheapest frames so it cost me about £80 the last time. Eye test was free as I'm in Scotland

I go to a local independent too and the eye test itself is so much more thorough than anything I've had at Specsavers.

The cost depends on lots of factors as others have said though. At least the opticians I go to also has a hugely varied range of prices when it comes to their frames from the basic to the designer. My last pair of glasses was around £185 but my prescription is pretty standard and not very strong.

I've also ordered glasses online and been happy with those. I like getting one pair from the opticians where they do the test so that any issues can be fixed easily in the event the prescription is somehow wrong. Then I order some cheaper or more interesting ones online in addition so I don't rely on having just the one pair.

OP - just a thought - if you work with display screen equipment, your employer is legally obliged to pay for an eye-test if you request one.

If you have a parent or sibling with glaucoma, you are entitled to free eye-tests on the NHS.

I would go for the big chains - they have economies of scale and are cheaper - but their styles of frames are equally good as the small operators.

My glasses - very high prescription, varifocals, thin lenses etc. - usually cost about £400 in Specsavers or Vision Express. But a lower prescription and single vision can be much less.

Another good thing about the chains is their returns policy. I am very short-sighted and trying stuff on is a joke - can't see what they look lie! - and photos never quite hit the spot. I took a pair back to Specsavers after a day as I did not like them - they were fine - changed for a different frame with no trouble.

Wherever you go it is worth asking what their exchange policy is if you find you do not like them - when you can actually see them!

I got 2 designer pairs for £120 about 2 years ago from the Asda Opticians. Think it was buy a pair get one half price or something but they're usually cheaper overall. Price depends on what opticians you go to and what brand you buy. Some opticians only stock expensive ones.

I pay in € because I live on the continent now, but it’s the equivalent of £400 every 2 years for checkup + glasses. I need custom-made specialist reduction though as my prescription is very high. The glasses take 5-6 days to arrive and that’s with priority delivery to the optician.

I also pay £300 a year on contact lenses. Probably another £40-50 on cleansing liquid. Being practically blind is expensive!

What's your prescription and were the frames designer?

I'm very short sighted so my options for budget frames are sadly limited