1st pair of glasses

ste

I recently got my eyes tested at specsavers and am shortsighted, -1 and -1.25 (SPH).

I was a bit daunted in the opticians about what to get and all the "extras". So I left without any...

I really was looking for some advice on the extras in specsavers and what I should get...

What's titanium and what's the situation with rimless glasses?

Mainly though my main questions are about the range of specsaver extras and if any/all are worthwhile...
Ultraclear
Extra thin and light
Super thin and light
Ultimate thin and light
Reactions
Poloroid
Driveware
Coloured/UV
UltraDriveDay

Also I know they offer 2 for 1 on most... I was thinkin of getting one pair and hving one pair as "reactions" and basically using them as sunglasses - or am I better off getting prescription sunglasses?

And of course is there any better value place (not online) to get my first pair(s)

Thanks for any advice

endplate

Here is a brief description of their options
Ultraclear is antiglare useful for night driving and computer use. Also allows more clarity to the eye.
Extra thin is 1.67 index thinned lens (You do not need this with your prescription)
Superthin is 1.74 index very thin (You definatly don't need these)
Reactions (or otherwise known as transitions react and darken when exposed to UV light do not work well behind a car windscreen)
Polarised lenses eliminate 99.9% of glare usually come in black or brown colours. For sunglasses usually.
Drivewear lenses are a light tinted polarised lens that darkens further in bright conditions.
Colored UV is a tinted lens with a UV coating to stop 100% of UV light reching your eyes.
Ultradrive wear Dunno what these are?

Titanium frames are made from a very lightweight metal. Usually are very expensive cos of the material used.
Rimless frames have no visible frame around the lenses. The lenses supplied with these are usually made from a polycarbonate material which is a lighter tougher impact resistant.

I hope that makes things clearer for you. I would advise you to shop around tho. You can ask for a copy of your prescription and try a few shops. You don't have to buy in the place you get your eyes tested in. You might even be surprised at the value you can get elsewhere. Remember you don't have to believe everything you hear on the telly, radio, papers etc. Decide on what you want and get a few quotes and go from there.

lahinch_lass

would agree with Endplate's comments on this.
the UV coating is improtant as it protects your eyes.. and helps to reduce your chances of cataracts later in life. Definitely forget any of the thinning options for a prescription as low as yours it's not needed.
Put it this way you're basically just into the range where glasses are needed at all.

also definitely shop around, I found an optician in Limerick when I was there for college and I still go back to them all the time as the girls working there are great for finding frames for stupidly narrow nose bridge.
Personnally I have glass lenses so I can't do the rimless frames at all.

On the titanium frames they can actually be too much of a good thing as the glasses are so light they can fly away very easily. My father cursed his pair from a height and his prescription was similar to yours.
The rimless frames are popular as the glasses are practically invisible on your face.
I'd say it's a personaly choice - do you want your glasses to be visible/make a statement or minimise the visiual impact of them to others looking at you.

ste

Thanks very much for the advice

I'll be glad to have it all sorted, particularly for the car.


Appreciated

kline64

hi just found out my 11yr old has to wear glasses ,they gave me the perscription to bring to the health board to get the hse voucher which will give me so much off the price, my question is do i have to wait until i get this voucher before i can get her glasses ? any advise please

ethernet

kline64 wrote: »

hi just found out my 11yr old has to wear glasses ,they gave me the perscription to bring to the health board to get the hse voucher which will give me so much off the price, my question is do i have to wait until i get this voucher before i can get her glasses ? any advise please

I'm almost certain that's the case. You might be able to get a refund - best thing would be to double check with the optician.

The usual approach is to get the form from the HSE and get it stamped by the optician you intend to visit. If your application is successful, the form is returned to you and the optician fills in the prescription section on it. With the approval, you can get the eye test for free and subsidised frames.

endplate

kline64 wrote: »

hi just found out my 11yr old has to wear glasses ,they gave me the perscription to bring to the health board to get the hse voucher which will give me so much off the price, my question is do i have to wait until i get this voucher before i can get her glasses ? any advise please

Cos your child is under 12 you are entitled to around €52 off the cost of glasses. Most places will say it's €42 off that's not correct. You will have to produce the voucher to claim your allowence. HSE rules states that shops are not allowed to give refunds.

Ethernet you are correct what you are saying but that applies to the green forms you get from the Opticians. Once authorised you can claim a free eye test and money off glasses or you can go for the free pairs. Even if a child has a medical card they cannot use it in an Opticians until they are over 16

Jimoslimos

Mostly answered well already but I'll throw in my 2c on some of the "options' and highlight the ones I would have in Blue and those I wouldn't in red. Quite subjective so feel free to disagree!!

ste wrote: »

Mainly though my main questions are about the range of specsaver extras and if any/all are worthwhile...
Ultraclear : Anti-reflective coating, helps stop unwanted reflections in the lens - Definitely consider this one
Extra thin and light: Nope don't need it for your prescription - although if you get rimless its included in the price
Super thin and light: No - as above
Ultimate thin and light: Again no - as above
Reactions : Funny one this, personally I wouldn't, but older people love and swear by them - your choice. As said before won't work behind a car windscreen
Poloroid: I would but its quite an expensive option. Depends what you use the sunglasses for
Driveware: A specialised Polaroid/Transition lens that works behind a windscreen. Very expensive and only professional drivers would ever need to consider this.
Coloured/UV: Just a tint with UV protection. IMHO for a second pair I'd have this over the Reactions/Transitions. Also you can choose the grading and colour of the tint - not something you have much options with Reactions or Polaroid lenses
UltraDriveDay: A tint which highlights certain colours while blocking others - supposedly sharpens colours while driving - Me, I think they look creepy!!

bohsfan

I got a pair of reactions glasses before thinking I could use them as sunglasses. In the end they fell between the stools of being regular glasses and sunglasses.

If you regularly go from bright to dark conditions there can be a lag as the lenses adjust. I ended up hating the 'pervert look' while my glasses adjusted!

And then as these glasses were of a 'regular' shape rather than specifically sunglasses shaped they made rubbish sunglasses regardless of the lens. They didn't hug the face they way normal sunglasses do so a lot of light was getting in over the top and through the sides.

I have since bought prescription sunglasses and binned the reactions.