Buying Glasses

danb21t

danb21t

danb21t

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30 Oct 2009
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Camberley
Hi all,
I've recently had an eye test done and it is recommended that I get some glasses for reading/computer use/watching tv. As I work with computers all day and have noticed my left eye degrading in quality I've decided I should probably get them a shot.

I've tried on a number of frames in various opticians and with the shape of my face need quite thin frames with lenses that arent very wide (otherwise I look like Brians from Thunderbirds LOL).

My employer is going to pay towards the glasses, but I want a good deal anyway - glasses are not cheap!

So can anyone recommend any online retailers? they seem to be the cheapest place to get frames.
 
metsuki. first time i ordered a pair of glasses online and i think i saved £80-100. cant remember exactly. anyway there was a reason i didnt orderonline before and this order confirmed it.... basically i have issues witht he way they cut the glass (semi frameless) and they never seem to sit straight because theyre half acetate frames and opticians ive visited cant level them out
 
The only thing with ordering of the internet is that it's hard to judge the size of the frames and if they suit you unless you've found a specific pair of glasses to go for.

I've used Glasses Direct before and they were fantastic however I don't think you can beat going to an opticians such as Specsavers, vision express etc.
 
Can't you get the glasses from the place that gave you the eye test?

I have been wearing glasses for the last 30 years and I would always buy them from an opticians in the high street. You get them fitted properly and checked to make sure they were made correctly. There is also the after sales support, my current pair were broken by one of my nephews when I was holding him but my optician repaired them while I was in the shop.

BTW, getting your glasses fitted properly is very important, trust me when I say incorrectly fitted glasses can get very painful :).

As for the frames, have you considered a frameless set? My current set is and they are very nice (in my opinion, no one else's matters). And for cost, it is entirely up to you but paying a few hundred pounds for something you wear every day might seem expensive but for the use you get out of them it works out cheap. In my case I paid about £300 for them a little over 4 years ago which by my estimate works out to about 1p per hour. By paying more for them you will get a much better choice in frames. You also need to consider that in any scenario the lenses will be a significant proportion of the cost and you can't really cut that down.
 
I personally tracked down the frames I wanted on the high street, including getting the correct lens width, bridge and arm measurements, and then bought them online for about half the price I was quoted on the high street. Result.
 
I had my eyes tested in a regular opticians, but went to a place in Buckingham on one of the industrial estates to get the glasses. They make them up in 24 hours and fit them properly when you go to collect them. (Mine needed a slight adjustment.) Mine were designer frames and, because I get an allowance for the lenses, only cost me £29. I am not sure how you could order this type of thing over the net as there are quite a few measurements that need to be taken.
 
I've got my last two pairs online, you can use the home trial pack to order a bunch of frames from glasses direct to find something that fits or go to an optician and scope out a few frames to look up and order online.
 
Well there was a cheapo pair in Optical Express that were ok but I much prefer the Oakley Jacknife frame, they sit quite well on my face. They are available in Vision Express where I originally had my eyes tested but at £180 for the frames and problem more on top for the lenses the online route looked better.

I did managed to find a 10% off voucher (printable) on their website though so might not be much in it after postage etc.

hmm a difficult call, thanks for your replies already though much appreciated!
 
If your employer is paying, get them fitted properly. IE in an opticians.

I know they're not cheap: my last glasses would have cost me £500. Lenses + Coatings + Frames. Fortunately I got them free. But getting good fitting service, with proper lenses (eg anti reflective coating which helps guarantee the lenses for life) is excellent.
 
I recently went around trying glasses on, it is far better to go to the store and get the opinions of people there. It is also a good idea to take someone with you. I would have never have gone for the glasses im now wearing but because of the opinions of both staff and the person i went with (all women) i chose them :P

Online isnt the way to go in this case!

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/7144/dsc0191or.jpg

The self run business is usually better and more catering to the individual.
 
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I get a small bursary towards the glasses, Bucks County Council will pay £20 towards the test and £42 towards the frames/lenses. Sucks really could be more but it takes a bit of the sting out of the final cost.

cheers Bill101 the first link looks nice and cheap... I think I might pop down the the opticians and see if they can do me a deal. If not then I will buy online I think.
 
It's better to get the glasses from a store.
If the store does it right, they will measure your eye centres and ensure that you look through the centre of the lens. If you're buying online, they'll just put the centre of the lens at the centre-point for the frame, and this may not be where your eye will look through.
 
I always go to an optician instead of buying on line ... gives you more come back if something is wrong with the new glasses (I have had them screw up one of the measurements before now making the glasses useless to me ... these were replaced with no charge).

Glasses normally cost me £400-500 a pair, most of that will be the lenses, (my eyesight is very, very poor ... in fact it is classed as a "complex" prescription by the NHS so I get free sight tests and a small amount towards the glasses).

Several of the online sites don't even seem to list values high enough for me anyway :cool:
 
Tomsk said:
If you're buying online, they'll just put the centre of the lens at the centre-point for the frame, and this may not be where your eye will look through.
Click to expand...

No they don't, you give them your pupilary distance measurement when you order the glasses.
 
Bill101 said:
Try these sites, it might be worth getting a cheap pair in the shop and then measure them and order a second designer pair from the interweb.
http://www.lens-wear.co.uk/ ....... these have some Oakley frames

http://www.goggles4u.co.uk/

http://www.optical4less.com/

http://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/
Click to expand...

Used all of the bottom 3 and found them all to be good - goggles4u used to be poor but have totally reinvented themselves and are now very good. Only drawback is excruciatingly slow delivery.

I like optical4less because the tint range is huge
 
I work in an Opticians. My advice is, if you have a high rx then when you send the lenses for glazing, ask the lab technician to surface the lenses bi-aspherically. They'll be a lot thinner, and higher quality.
 
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