Cost of Getting Old

[Big Momma]

I have worn glasses for a number of years now but have just recently had to have an up to date eye test. At the same time my OH who has been suffering with lots of headaches decided to have her eyes tested at the same time. To cut a long story short, I had to replace my existing glasses (2 pairs) and the OH has been prescribed glasses for reading. I need two pairs as I use them for driving and in Europe you have to carry a spare pair. The cost £700 !! Could do with getting my heating allowance early to offset the cost of getting old and bits beginning to wear out :D :D

[maryowlgirl]

gosh you must be choosing designer frames

[Basil]

Please tell us where you were ripped off by that amount so as we can all avoid them. I thought my last ones were expensive, I also had to have two pairs, at £145 and £160 and they are designer frames I believe.

 

Bas

[Big Momma]

maryowlgirl - 2010-03-14 8:41 PM

 

gosh you must be choosing designer frames

 

Yup! but the first pair was £70 and the second only £50 ? The OH ordered one pair again at £70 and the eye tests were £20 each a total of £230. The lenses must be really expensive or we have just been mugged *-)

[teflon2]

Hey big momma try glasses direct they give exellent service and I pay £79.00 for two pairs of rimless glasses one of which are designer glasses the other pair are their own make but just as good. They will do bifocals and varifocals tinted and sunglasses. The company was started by a student who could not believe the price of high street glasses. My wife who has only just had to begin wearing glasses uses them as a fashion (acceseory)( spellings crap but the glasses are good). and has more pairs than me already. John B-)

[AliB]

I've looked at the online shops and they were no different on the cost of lenses. It is the lenses that can be expensive.

Varifocal lenses made of a thin light material cost me about £300.

[donna miller]

Should have gone to Specsavers :-D

[AliB]

donna miller - 2010-03-15 10:06 AM

 

Should have gone to Specsavers :-D

 

I did.

[donna miller]

You were ripped off then.

 

Or do you mean the TOTAL cost including the most expensive designer frames that Specsavers do @ £149 came to £300, and if that is the case, then at that price range you would have got 2nd pair free and would have only paid £159 extra for the most expensive varifocal lenses.

Total cost for 2 pairs would be £450

 

 

 

....Taken from Specsaver website.

 

Choose a PENTAX lens

 

All glasses come with PENTAX standard single vision lenses and a free scratch-resistant treatment, or you can choose bifocal or varifocal lenses to suit your lifestyle.

 

PENTAX single vision lenses

with scratch-resistant treatment included

Reglazefrom £39

 

PENTAX Varifocal lenses

Standard varifocal lenses £49

Premium varifocal lenses £79

Elite varifocal lenses £109

Tailor-Made varifocal lenses £159

 

PENTAX bifocal lenses

Standard bifocal lenses £35

Premium bifocal lenses £45

All these lenses are included in our Two For One offer.

 

 

[AliB]

Donna, these are "from" prices. As I said in my original post I have thin light lenses, which made the total price just under £300 for the lenses only.

They were purchased late 2009 so maybe the 2010 prices have come down. Maybe in that respect I was "ripped off" - should have done without glasses until they came down in price!

[spospe]

Big Momma - 2010-03-14 8:36 PM

 

I use them for driving and in Europe you have to carry a spare pair. :D

 

The only country that I know of which requires a spare pair of glasses is Spain and then only for Spanish nationals; the requirement does not apply to foreigners.

 

[donna miller]

Well I'm not going to get into a 'dispute' over what someone claims to have paid for glasses, however, I have been using Specsavers for 20 years and know that the price advertised is a fixed price, not 'from'

 

You can then choose to pay for extras such as tints, reactalight, polarized lenses etc, and that can push the price up, however, standard price for tailor-made varifocal lenses is £159. So it's a little misleading to state that the lenses alone cost you £300 without saying what extras you specified, also I don't know what you mean by " thin light lenses", unless your prescription is that bad that you need lenses the thickness of beer glass bottoms to see out of, they are all made from polycarbonate which makes them all thin and light. In 20 years of wearing glasses, I've yet to need a pair of thick and heavy ones.

Prices are the same as last year, and all include the two for one offer, as I originally pointed out.

 

You can't choose designer, top of the range glasses then moan about how much they cost, when you can get the same prescription in frames that are 1/4 the cost. Take into account that with an NHS voucher, you can get a further £39.50 off and free test, then the prices come down even further.

 

My last visit was 3 weeks ago and I chose to have sunglasses as my main pair, frames were Osaris and cost £129 + £20 for tint and UV filter, second pair were free ( designer £129 frames) + £49 for reactalight. I'm diabetic so test is free (every 12 months), total cost for 2 pairs of designer glasses with all the extras was £198.00. That's why I cant understand where all your sky high prices are coming from, and not any desire to disagree with anyone.

[AliB]

donna miller - 2010-03-15 4:19 PM

 

also I don't know what you mean by " thin light lenses",

 

From Specsavers website

Extra Thin + Light lenses £40

High index plastic lenses are a great solution for people with higher prescriptions - they are better looking, more comfortable to wear and give you a wider range of frames to choose from.

 

[Big Momma]

donna miller - 2010-03-15 10:06 AM

 

Should have gone to Specsavers :-D

 

I always used to until they were content to let me go blind ! I went for an eye test because the sight in my right eye had become a bit blurry. They examined my eyes and told me that I had a lot of 'floaters' in the right one and that there was nothing that could be done. Not satisfied I went to see my GP who referred me to the hospital. They in turn referred me to a private optomotrist (sorry if spelt wrong) who stated that I had a 'cataract'. I went in to hospital and had a new lens fitted and what an improvement. Had I have taken the prognosis from Specsavers I could be virtually blind in my right eye by now.