Specs and contact lenses too expensive
02-September-2010
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Specs and contact lenses too expensive

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How much do contact lenses and glasses cost? Last year in the England and Wales alone there were nearly 11 million eye tests and no doubt many of these individuals required their vision to be corrected using glasses or contact lenses.

Eye glasses can be bought for less than a hundred pounds, but the average pair costs a little over this and you could find yourself paying several hundred pounds for nice frames and extra thin lenses if you really want to go to town.  Don't you wish that your vision was perfect now?
These prices might seem quite reasonable, but if you need to buy a new specs every two or three years how much is this going to cost you over a lifetime?  It isn't all bad news though because it is possible to have your eyesight corrected on the national health and glasses can be obtained at low cost or even free.  Also, depending on your occupation it may be possible to claim back the cost of the eye test and some of the cost of spectacles.

Paying too much for spectacles?

A good example of this is if you use a computer for long periods of time.  Most good employers take the health of their employees very seriously and will usually encourage you to have your eyes tested regularly if you work with display screens.

The downside of national health glasses is that the frames are usually very plain and special thin lenses for those of use with poor eyesight are usually not an option.  I remember wearing these Clarke Kent type glasses when I was younger with bottle top lenses and thick black frames.  I personally don't think they were all that appealing but I hear that that look is back in now.

NHS spectacles are much better these days, and if your on a budget then you should be able to find something that suits you in the looks department and more importantly properly corrects your vision.

More about specs and contact lenses

Specsavers
I've got to recommend Specsavers because I've had nothing but good service from them and their spectacles are the cheapest I've found yet.  They were doing a two for one offer when I was last in there so I got 2 pairs for £124 and that included extra thin lenses on one pair.

Working with VDU's
Good resource for VDU users and their employers. Many questions and answers can be found here about the health aspects of using vdu's.

Find an Optician
This is quite a useful site for finding an optician near you, although it may not have all of them it' still a good resource.

Optishop Mail order prescription glasses and contact lenses at reasonable prices.

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I recently had my eyes tested but could not find frames I liked at the same optician. I have found a variafocal lense that I can get on with but on visiting 4 different "glasses shops" found that the exact same lense varied from £213 - £218!!! Surely this should not be allowed on something so important. I can cope with shopping around for my washing machine but my specs - I dont think so!!
*mollywolly 50  24-Aug-2010 09:16

 
Sarah, I have a similar prescription to yours, -13.5 in my right eye and -12.00 in my left. I got a pair of glasses with top of the range high index lenses (the thinnest available for my prescription) for £190 from www.thinlenses.co.uk. Like you I used to pay close to £500 each time. Give them a go, I'm really happy with mine.
*Marc  14-May-2010 10:20

 
I had an eyetest the other day. my prescription is -12, I am severely myopic, and new glasses would cost £450 or more. I can't affford this, if I don't have the lenses thinned then even my own family can't bear to look at me (the experience I had of this at age 14 taught me I was a social leper with these obscenely telescopic lenses that nearly reach the moon. even with an HC2 certificate (I have M.E.) only 70 quid can be shaved off. my prescription has altered, I need new glasses badly, yet no way can I stretch to these prices. it's so unfair.
*sarah  14-May-2010 01:36

 
specs are tax deductable if used for only specific jobs and nothing else, iobvious example would be a builder using safety specs, though someone who only requires specs for intermediate vision and uses a computer all day should be able to claim against expenses. Your sight test can certainly be put against expenses if you are a vdu user most of the day. If you are employed and require a prescription for vdu use only your employer has to contribute.
Remember though that VAT on spectacles is very low 0 on a sight test and betweeen 4 - 6 % on spectacles hope this helps.
*norman  10-Mar-2010 08:41

 
are spectacles/eye tests tax deductable in certain jobs? I have to work with a computer most days and need to write reports etc
*sidge  06-Mar-2010 12:15

 
I can certainly vouch for Alan of Dennies Spectacle Makers. He does a brilliant job and if you have any problems with your glasses he gives excellent customer care after you have purchased them. I have known Alan for 2 years and have just contacted to order a pair of galsses from him. My former husband had a pair of varifocals for under £100 and a second pair just for driving, not varifocals, for £15Alan's prices may have changed since these prices were paid a year ago. I recommend him to everyone I know who needs glasses.
*Deborah  09-Jan-2010 14:53

 
Get on a plane to Taiwan. You can get beautiful pairs of glasses for 20 pounds each. Fancy a spot of acupuncture? 10 pounds per session. Lunch for 90p (pork chop, rice, 3 veg and soup) then take a stroll to the dentist's and have your teeth cleaned and polished for 15 pounds and get a filling and a crown done for just over a hundred pounds.

It's worth the airfare and you get a good holiday too.
*Made up with Taiwan  20-Aug-2009 23:45

 
Hi,

For people in the UK, I think the best value place for glasses is iWearGlasses: http://www.iwearglasses.co.uk

Prescription glasses start at £9.99 including single vision lenses. Has anyone tried them, or does anyone know anywhere cheaper?

:)
*Hamster  18-Jul-2009 13:17

 
wat would you rather be £100 out of pocket or blind
*simon xmas  30-Jun-2009 14:57

 
why not buy eyeglasses online?

I have try opticalchic.com and 39dollarglasses.com

Both are great
*Robert  07-Nov-2008 17:38

 
I bought two pairs of glasses from Moorfields four years ago, for £25 each.

Now I need some new ones, and I find - GASP! - that VisionExpress want over £500 for two pairs, incorporating their cheapest frames !

I guess there's a rip-off going on....
*Robin Clay  04-Nov-2008 15:44

 
I ordered a pair of glasses one of the links on this page, Optishop, this link takes you to www.opticalmailorder.co.uk and is a very simple site to use. I needed some advice before I ordered my specs so I called the number on the site. The chap was very helpful and even explained some disadvantages to ordering on the web (he told me it was not a good idea to order vary focals over the internet as they should be fitted by a trained optician). He could have lost my order, but I did order a pair of their Carducci designer glasses and got them within the week. I am very pleased with my new glasses and have recommended Optical mail order to all my friends and family.
*NHSKev  24-Oct-2008 13:13


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