I need some new glasses as the plating is coming off the old ones. So I went to Vision Express for my eye test, and they said no need to change them. Anyway, I need new ones from a cosmetic point of view. They seemed reasonable enough from a price point of view, compared to the internet.
So she sat me down to find me some new glasses, and up popped - on the computer screen - a silly picture of some dots as viewed through a notional lens. For the advertised price you could have normal index glasses which would distort all the edges badly. For a cool extra £150ish you could have 1.6 index lenses (a higher refractive index than usual) which would distort less. And for a cooler £180ish you could have Zeiss lenses which would scarcely distort at all.
Ho hum. I was suddenly rather less keen on my new shiny glasses and said "no thanks" and disappeared to do some research. Wikipedia tells me that the higher the refactive index the *worse* the chromatic and astigmatic errors. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrective_lens#Refractive_index
It didn't help that the girl said it wasn't possible to tell me what sort of lenses I had in my glasses. "So if you cannot tell by looking at them, why do I need to pay an extra £150 in order to be able to tell the difference?" She couldn't answer that one.
So, anybody know the truth?
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I think the chief advantage of high index lenses is that they are thinner.
This seems to be confirmd by the Vision Express websit which says;
Various high index lenses are available today in different price points based on how much thinner they are compared to regular plastic lenses. The lenses are classified by their “index of refraction” (or “refractive index”).
Generally, lenses with a higher index of refraction will be thinner (and usually more expensive) than lenses with a lower index. The index of refraction of regular plastic lenses is 1.50. The refractive index of high index plastic lenses ranges from 1.53 to 1.74. Those in the range of 1.53 to 1.59 are about 20% thinner than regular plastic lenses, whereas 1.74 high index lenses are about half the thickness of regular plastic lenses.
Most popular lens designs (single vision, bifocal, progressive, photochromic, etc.) come in high-index materials, and your doctor or optician will know which ones are available in your prescription. Bifocal and trifocal high index lenses are also available, though the selection is more limited.
Note: High index lenses reflect more light than regular glass or plastic lenses, so anti-reflective (AR) coating is highly recommended for these lenses (see below).
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We get our glasses at Tesco.
No, no, not with the beans and ketchup - at the Tesco Opticians where they have proper optometrists (sp ?) and get you glasses within a week in all ranges - but significantly cheaper than high street chains.
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As you had an eye test, you now have a prescription. Many opticians have the kit for measuring your existing lenses. Given both, they can measure your lenses and tell if you have high refractive glass.
It's a relatively recent thing to use high refractive glass in milder prescriptions, so my guess is if you didn't know, the glass is probably normal.
I use Specsavers - cheaper. Vision Express is a pricey place to buy glasses.
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>> I use Specsavers - cheaper. Vision Express is a pricey place to buy glasses.
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Seconded.
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Go online - cheap as chips so that they become almost disposable.
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>> Go online - cheap as chips so that they become almost disposable.
How can one get proper spectacles on line, with two different lenses in my case and the correct distance between centres - different for everyone?
I suppose it might be theoretically possible if a full prescription with all the data were available. But is it?
I ask because I have two different pairs, one for reading and small stuff and the other for seeing across the room or further. My eyes are further apart than most people's and the lenses are very different.
To my surprise plastic lenses are more durable than glass ones, mainly because they don't mark or chip when they are dropped. But the centres get a bit scuffed over time. I often want new ones. And I like that coating that goes dark in bright light too.
Opticians tend to rip one off for hundreds of quid even with cheapo frames.
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>>I suppose it might be theoretically possible if a full prescription with all the data were available. But is it?
Yes. That's what the optician gives you - and your old glasses have their size printed on them for the rest of the data.
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>>And I like that coating that goes dark in bright light too.
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But it does not last for ever and just a small residue tint remains.
I recently got new specs and had problems with increased glare at night.
After retest etc etc. it appears that my old specs that were originally photocromatic have retained just the slightest tint and that is the difference re glare.
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>> How can one get proper spectacles on line, with two different lenses in my case
>> and the correct distance between centres - different for everyone?
Give them your prescription details for each eye, as RP says there is an online form you can fill in. The distance between the centres is called the pupillary distance - you can measure this at home, the online site will usually tell you how. I ordered a new fabbo pair of sunglasses online and very happy with them. I haven't tried normal specs yet, but I'm tempted to replace my lenses online as they're getting very scratched. Even specsavers charge a fortune, especially if you want thin lenses.
Last edited by: corax on Tue 22 Nov 11 at 18:23
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>>>How can one get proper spectacles on line, with two different lenses in my case and the correct distance between centres - different for everyone?
No probs AC . Go here :www.spex4less.com. I do not use them now as had intraocular lens fitted to both eyeballs . and no longer need specs. They have an excellent optical works manual which you download and it covers every question you could possibly pose. With this and an up TO DATE form GOS 2 (patients optical prescription) from your local optician. You need a friend to measure distance between eyeball centres, Possible as a diy project or if you ask your prescribing optician nicely he/she will do it for you.
Stay away from the chain stores. Rarely find top class opticians working for those outlets.
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>>My eyes are further apart than most people's<<
>>I like that coating that goes dark in bright light too<<
I'm building up a mugshot of you Sire, often a few days stubble, unruly hairstyle, drives a street cruiser :-D
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OK, so nobody has the foggiest. At least the eye test was free...
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You fill out an online form from your prescription AC. Sorry Mapmaker, no idea. Just know how rubbish the expensive ones I got from Boots are.
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>> Wikipedia tells me that the higher the
>> refactive index the *worse* the chromatic and astigmatic errors. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrective_lens#Refractive_index
>>
Not sure it's the "truth", but I was told by my optician that there would be more distortion with high index lenses if I was not looking dead ahead, and the further off-centre I looked, the worse the distortion. He said that some people noticed it more than others, and that it concerned some people more than others.
So yes, my experience agrees with Wikipedia. But it's never really worried me, I've been using high index lenses for a long time - don't ask me how high, I couldn't read the small print on the bill ;-)
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Use a long established indy every time.
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The higher the index, the less thick the edge of the lens is. One of my eyes is something like 5.5 and that lens used to be awful thick on it's outside edge. This is obviously more pronounced the larger the lens you choose. If you were going for frameless then you'd probably want higher index, unless your prescription is very low.
Tesco and Specsaver both gave me the same story that the cheapest varifocals would only have a relatively central area where they work correctly, and the more you pay (which I think goes hand in hand with the index) the larger this area becomes.
Had my eyes tested in Tesco Stockton a couple of months ago. My old specs were from abroad (internet) and they were trying to persuade me that high index lenses would be best, so I asked them to check what I had. The optician got out a meter and a chart to compare them against, but couldn't tell me. I think they were off the top of his chart. Their varifocals were two pairs for £220 for lowest index IIRC, but I only wanted one pair so bought medium index abroad again for a smidge under £100. You enter your prescription and P.D., I also sent them a scan of my prescription to make sure I'd entered it correctly, which they did without any fuss, and the specs arrived about 2 weeks later.
btw I'm not an optician!
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Phil I said:
>Stay away from the chain stores. Rarely find top class opticians working for those outlets.
Martin Devon said:
>Use a long established indy every time.
We must have found the exception.
Mrs K used an indy until she got fed up with their enthusiasm for selling her a different pair of specs every six months or so. She went to Boots who were equally carp.
About three months ago she went to Specsavers in Basingstoke where the optician spotted that the cause of her eyesight problems was due to cataracts developing in both eyes. She's now had ReSTOR Multifocal lenses in both eyes and has 20/20 vision - no specs needed at all.
If it wasn't for the optician at Specsavers she'd still be having problems and she can't wait to test her new eyes snorkeling.
I also have no hesitation in recommending John Greenwood www.thevisionpractice.com/ if anyone is looking for an opthalmic surgeon who specialises in anterior and refractive surgery.
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>> About three months ago she went to Specsavers in Basingstoke where the optician spotted that
>> the cause of her eyesight problems was due to cataracts developing in both eyes. She's
>> now had ReSTOR Multifocal lenses in both eyes and has 20/20 vision - no specs
>> needed at all.
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>> If it wasn't for the optician at Specsavers she'd still be having problems and she
>> can't wait to test her new eyes snorkeling.
Same experience. One Specsavers I tried couldn't get to the route of the problem I had. Went to a different Specsavers and the optician found the problem immediately (blurry vision through new lenses - turns out the lenses were the wrong way around). So it depends more on who is actually working there at the time. Good people, not so good people just like in any job.
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Specsavers are mostly, if not all, franchises. The owner of your local Specsaver outlet is probably one of the opticians in the outlet. Some opticians own multiple outlets.
Specsavers buys the frames/have their own line in frames/ Buy lenses under contract / does the advertising etc and the local shop tests and fits.
Magic formula for the Franchise holders (& most franchisees), based in Guernsey who are billionaires not just common multi-millionaires. Biggest employer on the island.
Works for opticians as there is a high content of buying in (frames, lenses+ HIGH margin on these bits) - the same model for dentists or chiropodists would not work as their buy-in is small and the charge is mostly labour & skills.
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>> Specsavers are mostly, if not all, franchises. The owner of your local Specsaver outlet is probably one of the opticians in the outlet.
The optician told me just this, but I didn't know the rest. Thanks FB, I learn something new every day :)
Last edited by: corax on Wed 23 Nov 11 at 20:45
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Current Sale on at Spex4Less . They do not come any cheaper than this.
www.spex4less.com/specials.shtml?utm_nooverride=1
No connection with the company. Was always satisifed with the service before I had transplants.
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I did some investment raising work a couple of years ago for a spectacle company that were going to run a branded but "bucket shop" type operation for glasses and they were seeking small regional chains/one man shows to buy up.
It seems some lenses do cost more than others but they admitted they bought all the frames "designer" or basic quality from just a couple of sources with the cheaper frames being bought by the kilo rather than by quantity.
That aside having travelled a fair bit with a spectacle-wearing colleague who has from time to time mislaid or broken his specs whilst overseas there are some good prices to be had in Poland or the Baltic States should a new pair ever be needed.
Last time when we were in Estonia and he lost a pair he went to a local opticians and got branded designer frames, thin lenses (rather the coke bottle bottoms which would have been basic level) all the coatings and whatever else could be added for around £100 (which included a 40 minute eye test with 3 charming young ladies in attendance). They took 10 days to be made, posted and arrive in the UK.
On his return he took them to a friend of his who ran an opticians in Bath and was told there would be no change out of £450 for the same specification/quality here.
As always
Mark
Last edited by: Mark on Thu 1 Dec 11 at 20:11
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Can't you get glasses on the NHS anymore? Complete with a bit of plaster.
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From the same shop as Crocs.
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It always amused me when granddad tried to mend his spec frames with superglue. He needed his glasses for close work, so while he was trying to fix them he couldn't see well enough to get the glue in the right place. The frames ended up covered in randon blobs of glue until they stayed in one piece.
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My late wife used to wear glasses. I was lucky in that two of my friends, well experienced in the trade, established their own outlet producing ready to wear prescription glasses for the trade delivered on a daily basis.
The glasses that the main high street opticians they supplied were sold to customers at, say, £250 to £300 were readily available to my wife for around £100; all she had to do was supply the eye test prescription. They were still making a good profit......
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New glasses time - any opticians here? - CGNorwich
