Another glasses question.

rmurphy195
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Re: Another glasses question.

Post by rmurphy195 »

mattsccm wrote:For cheap and weak reading glasses try Poundland. Guess how cheap :D
I find that they can be a bit variable so buy the pair you try or at least a pair next to them on the rail.
I told my optician that I used them and was given the go ahead. They do seem to be a tad "weak".
As I spread them liberally around the countryside, wardrobe and vehicles & I buy them by the fivers worth in different colours.


I guess your prescription shows your eyes to have equal vision, or close enough, with no significant other complications.

HOWEVER - have you checked you Poundland specs for theier UV blocking properties? This could be very important if you use them for reading outdoors! Must admit at that price I'm tempted to buy a couple of pairs and see how they work for me.
Brompton, Condor Heritage, creaky joints and thinning white (formerly grey) hair
""You know you're getting old when it's easier to ride a bike than to get on and off it" - quote from observant jogger !
thirdcrank
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Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: Another glasses question.

Post by thirdcrank »

AIUI, sunglasses without the UV blocking capability are dangerous in that the dark tint tends to dilate the pupil and allow more UV light into the eyeball. ie They defeat the eye's own defensive mechanism which shrinks the pupil in bright light.

Some years ago when I used to go to Boots for my tests + specs I asked the white-overalled person dealing with me if the "free" pair of prescription sun specs would have UV protection and the response was a blank stare and "You won't be getting a pair of Ray Bans in a special offer."

Also AIUI, the UV coating is now generally available on non-tinted prescription specs.
leftpoole
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Location: Account closing 31st July '22

Re: Another glasses question.

Post by leftpoole »

ANTONISH wrote:I didn't want to intrude into the existing glasses thread.

My problem is that I feel the need for some weak reading glasses.
I don't use glasses for reading but some times I struggle with fine detail - especially if the light is poor.
I've looked at the glasses one finds in supermarkets but they are stronger than I need ( I can read the smallest print on the chart without glasses).
Is there any way that I can assess what I need so that I can order some online?



You might possibly have heard of Specsavers?
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simonineaston
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Re: Another glasses question.

Post by simonineaston »

As far as I'm concerned, there's only really one route to achieving the best possible eyesight, from an individual's point of view, and that's to get your eyes tested by a qualified and experienced optician and then buy prescription eyewear based on the results of the test. Everything else is trial & error and although that may work for folk with straightforward issues like age-related presbyopia, as in, 'there's nothing wrong with my eyesight - I just need longer arms', an eyetest, often available free of charge, will identify more complex issues and can also spot a wide range of other health issues like glaucoma and diabetes, that are worth keeping - wait for it... an eye out for. I can't think of any reason not to have an eye test, as regularly as needed.
Moving on to the thorny question of how to obtain the best value-for-money eyewear, I will regale the reader with the following sight-related anecdote. Chum goes for a job at a well-known high street eyewear franchise, back in the late '80s and is invited to try out the lens grinder to see if he's suitable. He does a couple and waits. Keep going, says the interviewer - try some more complex prescriptions - don't worry abut the cost, as the lens blanks cost just pence...
On the other hand, the two lads who set up the company owned respectively, a Porsche and a Ferrari. I'll leave you, dear reader, to work out the maths.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
Oldjohnw
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Re: Another glasses question.

Post by Oldjohnw »

I use a local private optician ie not a multiple chain. I once asked why his prescriptions take so long when Specsavers etc can turn around an order in a few days.

He explained that the factory he uses makes the lenses exactly as prescribed. The large PLCs, despite a careful prescription, actually fit an off the shelf lens closest to your prescription.

I have no way of actually knowing the truth, but I can well believe it.
John
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simonineaston
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Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
Location: ...at a cricket ground

Re: Another glasses question.

Post by simonineaston »

I use a local independant too, and have great service from them and having carefully compared the cost with the deals available from the franchises, I know I get good vfm. I have frames made by a British company called Algha *, which are very old-school and tough enough to last years. The local independant opticians are completely cool about simply supplying a new prescription for these frames, as & when necessary.
* They're readily indentifiable as 'John Lennon' or 'Harry Potter' frames, as Algha, who've been going for donkeys ears, used to supply the NHS with glasses, but nowdays they're rather trendy and worn by film stars and I understand, the Queen! Algha frames are readily available off of fleabay... those interested in classic Algha frames and with nothing better to do, can see a selection of mine here.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
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Mick F
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Re: Another glasses question.

Post by Mick F »

Just a little obtuse point from me.

I've spent hundreds of quids on varifocals. Excellent optics and good frames. No complaints from me.

Trouble is, I'm an Eye Mover, not a Head Mover.
Two different sorts of people!

For the most part, my VF glasses are great, but on a wide screen computer, I need single vision glasses as I can't move my head to read across the page.

Glasses from Poundland do it for me. 2.5 magnification for "arms length" wide-angle viewing for a quid is perfect for me ........... and that's what I'm wearing now, and the £300 Vision Express glasses are on the coffee table waiting until I log out from this forum! :D
Mick F. Cornwall
rmurphy195
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Joined: 20 May 2011, 11:23am
Location: South Birmingham

Re: Another glasses question.

Post by rmurphy195 »

thirdcrank wrote:AIUI, sunglasses without the UV blocking capability are dangerous in that the dark tint tends to dilate the pupil and allow more UV light into the eyeball. ie They defeat the eye's own defensive mechanism which shrinks the pupil in bright light.

Some years ago when I used to go to Boots for my tests + specs I asked the white-overalled person dealing with me if the "free" pair of prescription sun specs would have UV protection and the response was a blank stare and "You won't be getting a pair of Ray Bans in a special offer."

Also AIUI, the UV coating is now generally available on non-tinted prescription specs.


Yup, I've been getting this for years, And when I get home I test the specs using a UV torch and a banknote just to be sure. Good job, one pair I had (Essilor no less) didn't have sufficient UV protection and were replaced under warranty.
Brompton, Condor Heritage, creaky joints and thinning white (formerly grey) hair
""You know you're getting old when it's easier to ride a bike than to get on and off it" - quote from observant jogger !
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