Contact Lense Prescription

Neb

Neb

Neb

Associate
Joined
5 Dec 2004
Posts
254
Does anyone know if there have been new rules put in place when opticians issue you your contact lense prescription?

Reason I ask is I want to buy contact lenses online due to the better price and no direct debits, but when I asked D&A for my prescription they told me they legally can't hand it over until 3 months after the lense was fitted, all the websites selling them and a .gov page say they legally have to give you one once the contacts have been fitted successfully...

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2005/20051481.htm

:confused::confused:
 
I'm guessing that they have just fitted you as a new customer and as a result, your prescription may need some fine tuning before they are 100% confident that it is correct.
 
I've never had a problem asking for a prescription before to buy lenses elsewhere. My opticians only give a prescription valid for 3 months though, perhaps there's some confusion?
 
Phnom_Penh said:
wtf? it's a shop where you buy contact lenses.
Click to expand...

so is an opticians, however they do several other things.

1) give you a free sight test if you are on direct debit
2) give you a contact lens after care 4 times per year
3) usually include solutions for free on monthly lenses
4) take legal responibilty for your eyecare

buying from somebody who offers none of the above is asking for trouble when you are going to have a piece of silicon in contact with your cornea for 8 hours a day. Contact lenses are medical devices, when will people realise this?
 
I'm pretty sure the majority of people who buy lenses on online only do so after they have had their eyes tested and know their perscription.

At the end of the day, its the users choice where and when they buy their lenses from. The risk is theirs.
 
SpeedFreak said:
so is an opticians, however they do several other things.

1) give you a free sight test if you are on direct debit
2) give you a contact lens after care 4 times per year
3) usually include solutions for free on monthly lenses
4) take legal responibilty for your eyecare

buying from somebody who offers none of the above is asking for trouble when you are going to have a piece of silicon in contact with your cornea for 8 hours a day. Contact lenses are medical devices, when will people realise this?
Click to expand...
Until I turned 19, 1 and 2 were free anyway (and I had them checked every quarter, eyes are fine), 3 didn't matter and 4 I don't really see the implications of.


I've just signed up for a DD, but I don't get my first set of lenses untill November, so I need to get them from somewhere else for the next 3 months.
 
SpeedFreak said:
so is an opticians, however they do several other things.

1) give you a free sight test if you are on direct debit
2) give you a contact lens after care 4 times per year
3) usually include solutions for free on monthly lenses
4) take legal responibilty for your eyecare

buying from somebody who offers none of the above is asking for trouble when you are going to have a piece of silicon in contact with your cornea for 8 hours a day. Contact lenses are medical devices, when will people realise this?
Click to expand...

I used to be with the retailers and you know what you get? Just your contact lenses delivered every month at, at least double the price. They never threw anything in for free when I was with them and never bothered chasing me up for checkups or anything - that was with D&A and later Specsavers.

I now get my lenses online at a fraction the cost and have a test once every six months at the least.

I get the same care and I don't get ripped off and I get better service.

Online retailers are great if you are prepared to do things (such as get regular tests - ask your work - many companies pay for them for free) yourself.
 
Phnom_Penh said:
Until I turned 19, 1 and 2 were free anyway (and I had them checked every quarter, eyes are fine), 3 didn't matter and 4 I don't really see the implications of.


I've just signed up for a DD, but I don't get my first set of lenses untill November, so I need to get them from somewhere else for the next 3 months.
Click to expand...

you should have been given an initial batch once you signed up. You pay three months in advance don't you?
 
Vanilla said:
I used to be with the retailers and you know what you get? Just your contact lenses delivered every month at, at least double the price. They never threw anything in for free when I was with them and never bothered chasing me up for checkups or anything - that was with D&A and later Specsavers.
Click to expand...

then you have been at the hand of poor service

http://www.specsavers.co.uk/cgi-bin...eid=39&pname=contact_lenses/allinclusive.html

and Vision Express are the same. As for D and A, I am unsure, but know a few managers so can find out, but I doubt it is standard practice to ignore aftercares when they are in the GOC guidlines for dispencing of contact lenses.
 
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