Optician recommendation?

[sharonxxxx 10]

asda optitions

my dads really bad eyes been going to specsavers for years and thought hed try them they were so helpfull spent time with him not rushing him like specsavers do pointed the best deals out to him and his glasses cost a good 80 quid cheaper for 2 pairs than hes always paid

[julesmarie 10]

Myself and now my family use Asda's optitions, very good not overpriced, and they were one of the best voted for accurate test.

[S8 Blade 10]

You do all realise that optometrists are trained at university and not by their place of work don't you? So they all have the same training and exams to pass, they have the same yearly training requirements, and are all governed by the same council?

 

So by stating 'Asda' or 'Specsavers' is not recommending a particular person, only a store. Same with an Independant, two customers may not have been seen by the same optometrist.

[julesmarie 10]

Yes but not all lens lenses ?? are made in the same place, or are they ?

[medusa 16]

No, not all lenses are made in the same place, nor of the same material, and the lenses and frames aren't set up and fitted by the same person either.

 

I do understand that all optometrists are trained at university, but then so are all doctors and all dentists (and to the same extent, all teachers, nurses etc) and clearly some of all of these professionals are better than others.

 

I have had 2 pairs of glasses in my adult life which were very poorly measured before being ordered, and consequently the only way in which I could actually see properly when they were on my face was with them basically wedged so closely into my eyes that my eyelashes wiped up and down them every time I blinked.

 

The people who measured those glasses were, quite clearly, trained professionals. Their employers, the companies who owned the branches, were aware that I had spent £500 on a pair of glasses that should have enabled me to see properly but didn't, yet they flat refused to replace the lenses (the expensive part) to enable me to see well enough to drive in the glasses, claiming that since I could see well enough if I pushed them right up into my eyes in a totally uncomfortable fashion then the glasses were fine. They weren't fine, I took my business elsewhere, where I have a named individual optometrist whose job it is to measure everything and set my glasses up properly for me.

 

That's my choice. I know I'm at the extreme end of needing precision in the setting up of glasses, and the extreme end of expense on lens cost, but I'm not wearing them as a fashion statement and I need them to be right.

[S8 Blade 10]

The world of optical lenses is never ending! It is a minefield of choice & complexity. Of course some professionals are better than others, but this shouldn't be recommended by the name over their head. Many optometrists work as locums - so could potentially work in five different stores over a week.

 

My point is, that when someone asks to recommend an optician to monitor an eye condition, the optometrist is an individual person. "My specs weren't right at specsavers' or 'lots of choice at Asda" does not measure the capability of the optometrist. It's a bit like asking for a GP to be recommended, but saying the local surgery is rubbish as you don't like the receptionist - does that make the GP rubbish?

[Jon26 10]

The world of optical lenses is never ending! It is a minefield of choice & complexity. Of course some professionals are better than others, but this shouldn't be recommended by the name over their head. Many optometrists work as locums - so could potentially work in five different stores over a week.

 

My point is, that when someone asks to recommend an optician to monitor an eye condition, the optometrist is an individual person. "My specs weren't right at specsavers' or 'lots of choice at Asda" does not measure the capability of the optometrist. It's a bit like asking for a GP to be recommended, but saying the local surgery is rubbish as you don't like the receptionist - does that make the GP rubbish?

 

Agree.

 

One differentiator could be to ask how long is allowed for the test, this it the reason I pay a bit more but get more like 30 minutes, instead of 10-15 minutes.

[S8 Blade 10]

Agree.

 

One differentiator could be to ask how long is allowed for the test, this it the reason I pay a bit more but get more like 30 minutes, instead of 10-15 minutes.

 

Again, that's down to the optometrist. A newer optometrist could take up to 45mins, sometimes longer. A longer serving optometrist may be able to complete a 'straight forward' exam in 15mins. That doesn't mean there's anything being missed or not completed correctly, it just sometimes doesn't take long. 20mins is about average, anything above that is a bonus (I'd be worried if it was less than 15mins, or less than 20-25 if you had raised a concern or had a more complex issue that required further investigation). Again, like a dentist/GP/physio, there are set appointment periods & if it takes longer then it takes longer!

[therascal 10]

Martin Kemps, I use the Woodhouse branch but they have several others around the city. I also have eye problems and they look after me brilliantly.

 

Yep I also have eye problems, made worse by the arsehole who worked at that branch in the early 90's who failed to send me to the hospital for treatment. Was using them for years and it was only when the regular optician was on holiday and I saw his replacement on my yearly visit, i was sent to the hospital. The problem had been there for years so thank god the locum acted straight away.