My wife has worn glasses for computer work and close up type things for a good few years now but recently she has had to wear them for distance to. She was advised to get two pairs of glasses but she is finding it really awkward and varifocals are expensive in the opticians. Are any of these online places any good, it seems really crap that there is no way to try varifocals/bifocals to even see if you like them before shelling out a load of money
Specsavers have a returns agreement with varifocals if you return them within a certain time. My wife had a pair a few years ago, and they really didn't work out, so were swapped for 2 pairs. Swapping pairs is a pain, and I'm nearly in that territory, so am nervous with either option. HTH
If you talk to them about it all of the high street opticians have trial periods for varifocal lenses. Talk to someone who knows at your preferred store, if the Dispensing Optician/Glasses Monkey doesn't want to talk about it try a different store since that one is being run by a nob. For a first set of Varis I would avoid buying online. When you order specs online you have to provide the measurements and prescription yourself, meaning you forgo any right to return if the specs are wrong. Read the T&C's on any online glasses service and they basically run on Caveat Emptor, so they're not good for trying new things. Glasses Direct allow returns with some conditions attached, but they are an exception. Last but not least try get a Dispensing Optician to to the glasses order rather than a sales advisor. For Varifocals getting the facial measurements correct is critical or you get the infamous swimming effect. Dispensing Optician is a protected term, anyone without that title has only had in-store training, which may or may not be any good depending on the store you're in.
I would try a small independent optician and avoid the likes of Boots or Specsavers, in fact I would not touch Specsavers with the proverbial as the missed cataracts in boot my good ladies eyes and instead prescribed a pair of glasses that were totally unsuitable. My last pair cost me around £150 if memory serves with frames which I rarely get as I have perfectly good frames of my own.
This was an independent optician and their prices were extortionate compared to spec savers. My prescription has changed too and I've left it months as I don't know what to do as I need vari/bi as well. I only need mine for driving at night and my standard lenses make my dash blurry.
Comparing most independants to Specsavers is like complaining that a tailored suit costs more than one from Primark.
Yeh I understand that but are the independents lenses that much better than spec savers or just the service they provide? The lenses were at least 4 times more expensive than specsavers. I've used the same opticians for the last 20+years.
Specsavers are selling mostly very low end lenses at enormous mark ups, the 'Tailor Made' varifocal lens they sell is actually an older Zeiss model and that one's pretty good, but the rest of their varifocal line is best described as agricultural. The big issues with varifocals are edge distortion (how far from the correct prescription your lense becomes away from it's centre) and useable reading area. Cheaper lenses tend to have a lot of the former, which is what creates the wobbly vision effect people sometimes suffer with varis. The reading area tends to get bigger the more you spend on lenses. They both affect people with high precriptions more than lower ones, so they might be less of a practical issue for you than they are for my family.
I have used Boots in the past but was not impressed with their service or quality. I have been using my current optician for a while now but as tests are free in Scotland I tend to get a couple to compare then take them to my spectacles supplier. Although I get my eyes tested annually i do not buy specs annually as most of the time there is little change and certainly does not warrant another pair of specs. Get your prescription then shop around.
