Big prescription small budget

cantdecide

My prescription is +6 +1 (for astigmtism) if that makes sense. My glasses are four years old but my prescription hadn't changed when I had an eye test two years ago. I spent quite a bit of money on my glasses last time around getting the lenses as slim as possible. The frames are still quite fashionable and held up well.

This time, the problem is that the lenses are pretty scratched up so I need new lenses at least. Another consideration is that I have no spare glasses. I have often thought about what would happen if anything happened to my glasses.

I also have a valid medical card at the moment which would lead to a small discount of something like €50 on a combination of frames and lenses although it would be less for lenses only.


My main priorities are thus:

-Scratch free lenses in the correct prescription

-Lenses as slim as financially reasonable because of my heavy prescription

-Fashionable frames (that work with big prescriptions) whether that means retaining my existing frames


Firstly, is there any way of taking care of the scratches? I know they say they can't but really, can nothing be done to at least improve the scratches if the prescription is still okay? I just find it hard to believe that they can't be polished or something.


So I went to Vision Express whom I went to the time before last, maybe 2006. I had a positive experience with them so I thought I'd explain my situation and ask them what they would recommend.

They said their lenses of equivalent spec to my own should cost something like €350+frames assuming they're very close to my current prescription. They said that the next step down in terms of slimness was €225+frames if required although they couldn't say if the extra thickness would be discernible.

She mentioned the possibility of glass lenses would also be slim but she said the extra weight of the lenses would be very difficult to live with. I don't know

The options boil down to this:

- plug the hole for 6 - 12+ months with the cheaper lenses in my own frames until I can afford complete new glasses

- wait longer and save the €350 for uber thin lenses again and pray nothing happens the frames

- wait even longer still until (god know how long) I can afford the €500 to get complete new glasses with insurance (then I'll have acceptable spares too).

I know I can shop around and I will do that but IME, they'll all be much of a muchness.

Thanks for reading. Thoughts very much appreciated

Foggles

Shop around!
The thickness of your lenses will also depend on your choice of frames, smaller frames will allow you to have slimmer lenses without paying more. €350 for the lenses seems on the steep end to me but do consider that you wear them all day every day and so if you get as long out of them as your current pair then they are costing you less than 25c a day.

heffoo

Hi i work in optics.Lenses cant be polished down unfortunately 95% of modern lenses are made from cr39 a plastic and plastic cant be polished down. As per the price that is quite expensive for the lenses

Moonbeam

did you try Tesco?
I am on the - rather then + side and am quite happy with mine.
I was very happy with the ones I bought from buynewspecs.ie too.