Glasses (for eyes)

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Glasses (for eyes)

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Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Wed May 11, 05 9:18 am Post subject: Glasses (for eyes)

Sorry, random consumer post, but all you lovely intelligent people must own a lot of glasses between you.

How do I go about deciding what frames and lenses are good quality?

I go to an independent optician, whom I like because they don't hassle and they seem genuinely interested in what they're doing. But because they are a small family business I can't be quite so harsh as I would normally be and I'm concerned that their range of suppliers is limited - TD thinks the coatings they put on their glasses are not top quality.

I will be going for semi-rimless, plastic lenses, with the highest index I can get (I believe the technical term for my sight is "blind as a bat" -10 in both eyes). But the nicest shape glasses she showed me were of course designer and I'm not having that. Since the finished pair are unlikely to come in at less than ï¿½300 and I will be wearing them for 2 years or so, it's obviously a big decision.

If I was buying a toaster I could probably lay my hands on several reviews within minutes, but glasses? No advice anywhere.

Thought it was worth asking. And look, I've managed not to say "why do I have to shell out hundreds of pounds just to make myself look semi-normal when it's not my fault I have to wear glasses?".

Oops.

Alchemist

Joined: 02 Mar 2005
Posts: 123
Location: Aberdeenshire

Posted: Wed May 11, 05 10:55 am Post subject:

Not an easy one. I'm in much the same boat at the moment and surviving on my contact lenses until I can make a decision. I have to confess I went with Ralph Lauren specs last time, but I have to say, they lasted what must have been at least 4 years so I was pretty pleased with them in the end. They got a fair beating and survived. Lenses were Zeiss high-index I think - They were one level down from the highest index you could get at the time because when I looked at the relative thicknesses between those and the highest on offer you didn't seem to get much for your money (a considerable premium to go the last mile). You may find it's the same if you're going for small lenses as that seems to be a smart trick if you need strong lenses as they obviously get considerably thicker at the edges (and therefore heavier).

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45676
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed May 11, 05 10:57 am Post subject:
My missus has got some (expensive) ones with really flexible frames, they've lasted really well so far, a lot better than others she's had. Can't remember the make but it's not a designer name.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28239
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Wed May 11, 05 11:21 am Post subject:
Is "-" short or long?

selfsufficientish

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol

Posted: Wed May 11, 05 11:28 am Post subject:
If I owned an independant optitians and any of my products were substandard I would be pleased for the customer feedback. They might be loosing customers as a result and so you could end up doing them a massive favour. I know it is difficult to admit that a product is not the best,especially to small suppliers but I am sure if you drink a big cup of tact you will be OK.

Guest

Posted: Wed May 11, 05 12:04 pm Post subject:

No idea what they are like on ethics etc but I've used the online myoptics a few times and always had really great specs for about ï¿½25. You use your opticians prescription and they make the galsses, get them in about 2 days in the post. The way I look at it, at that price I'll replace my specs slightly more often, and as I donate old specs to charities then they are generally improving eyesight elsewhere

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Wed May 11, 05 12:25 pm Post subject:

Frames are usually "fashion items" - you *are* usually paying for what they look like. I have "Flexon" (spring-back metal) frames which are light, comfortable and seemingly indestructable they are now about 6 years old, on their second set of lenses and like new. Worth paying for IMHO.

Lenses. I'm only about -5 (shortsighted), and have lightweight hardfaced plastic, high refractive index (for thinness) lenses that are actually bifocals (though almost invisibly so). I happen to know they only cost the optician about ï¿½50 (probably +vat & delivery...). With a more extreme prescription, chromatic aberration (rainbow fringes) would become more of a problem.
Opticians seem to be in one of the last high margin businesses! Either get a friend in the business, and happily pay him however much he'd charge a mate, or shop around...

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28239
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Wed May 11, 05 12:27 pm Post subject:
If - is shortsighted, then me and Bugs can swap glasses

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Wed May 11, 05 1:46 pm Post subject:

I've lost my glasses. Annoyingly, they are somewhere in the car, within arms reach of the driving seat, as I only swapped them for my sunnies. Might be time to clean out the car!

I always by kids ones (not quite so pricey, and eaasier to lose) as I seem to have been built out of scale with the rest of the adult population! They are cheaper though, and if you are not a hulking 6 footer, worth looking at!

Fullup

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 183
Location: Under water

Posted: Wed May 11, 05 1:57 pm Post subject:

Like Dougal mine are Flexon frames and have also lasted 6-7 years, they even survive having heavy diving gear dropped on them.

Well, when I take of my diving mask (with prescription lenses) I can't see where I put my glasses and often drop my diving gear on top of them.

I am looking into replacing them soon but noticed my opticians don't have any Flexon frames, so if they can't/won't get them I'll be shopping around.

Gertie

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Wed May 11, 05 4:04 pm Post subject:

In the past I have bought designer frames - Lundy was so proud of me last time, although I didn't buy designer frames I insisted on going back to my old opticians who I consider to be a higher class of opticians than Lundy's (whoops, can't see a thing, my nose was in the air, there).

Anyway, a guy I work with goes to a little optical suppliers round the corner from work, bought some lovely trendy frames and had his lenses fitted for less than ï¿½50. He still had to go to a high street optician's for his eye test (still didn't have to pay anything extra, as our employers pay for the test).

Our friends, who are quite snobby, shocked us by admitting that they buy their glasses from Wilkinsons (or was it Superdrug). They pay about ï¿½5 a pair!!

They are forever putting them down and forgetting where they left them so they have started buying in bulk

Guest

Posted: Sat May 14, 05 10:27 pm Post subject:

I got mine here:- www.glassesdirect.co.uk
Prescription lenses + frames - ï¿½17! brilliant!

What you do is get your eyes tested, ask your optician to measure your PD (pupil to pupil distance) so that the glasses fit properly, take the prescription home, there shouldn't be a problem with this, I just said I didn't have the time to choose frames then. You can order online, but I did it on the phone as I wasn't sure what all the squiggles on the prescription meant. Two weeks later they arrived and I was suitably impressed, so I ordered another pair, prescription lenses with transitional coating (get darker in bright light) again ï¿½17 frames + ï¿½40 for the coating.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28239
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sat May 14, 05 11:05 pm Post subject:
Great link I will be chasing this up

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28239
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sat May 14, 05 11:43 pm Post subject:
looking at the site more I don't think they can deal with my sight though

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