Are opticians unhappy to have customers buy their frames elsewhere?

Caroline K

Hi folks,

Forgive me if this has been asked before - I've read pages of threads that talk about this but don't quite answer my question...

I have been with my optician in Co. Tipperary since I was first perscribed glasses about 15 years ago. He known locally to be an excellent optician although he has a reputation to be quite expensive. I wasn't born with a face for glasses ( ! ) and I always find it very difficult to find a pair of frames I like. He has a massive selection but, to me, a lot of them are the same sort of style and shape and I usually end up settling for a pair that look the least bad on me and I never really feel confident wearing them.

However I've wandered into SpecSavers and other places and found different styles of frame that I like and that suit me.

My point is that I know you're not obliged to get your glasses from the optician that does your eye test but I'd like to stay with him rather than moving to another optician and I'd like to get my lenses from him rather than take my prescription elsewhere.

So, my question is do people often do this (stay with their local optician and buy frames from other opticians) and are opticians offended by this, unhappy about doing it etc. He's a nice guy and I've been with him since I was a teenager and I just want an idea of how he will take it if I can't find frames I like next week (which is what usually happens...).

Thanks a mil,
Caroline

Daisies

He may not be happy. To be honest most eye exams are operated at a loss and opticians make the profit from the frames. Now I fully agree that this should not be the case and that the price people pay for an eye exam should cover the cost of the service but unfortunately that is not the case.

However if you talk to him about his frame selection he could order some for you or you could buy the frame somewhere else but get the lenses fitted there.

Caroline K

Thanks Daisies. I'd hate to leave him at the loss and I
D definitely still like to get my lenses from him also. Might try find some frames elsewhere that I like and note the designer and code if I can find one. He might be able to order them for me. Thanks !

dirkmeister

That's a coincidence, I was about to start a thread along very similar lines.

I have been with my optician for years and I have always found them to be very good and thorough.

I am going to be purchasing new frames within the next week or so and would like to give them "first dibs" on my frames but realistically I have to buy the best frames for me.

I was also wondering when you buy your frames do you have to wait long for them to get the lenses fitted? As in, can you walk in off the street, buy them and walk away with them same day?

Caroline K

Hi Dirkmeister,

Glad I'm not alone in this! I had wondered that too. You'll have to let me know how you get on :-)

Daisies

Depending on your prescription, if the lenses are in stock they could be fitted that day. If it normally doesn't take long then it shouldn't take any longer to get the lenses fitted.

A little off topic but it's nice to see loyalty to a good optometrist. As an optometrist I sometimes feel people look for the cheapest option and not always the balance between value and a good professional.

Caroline K

Daisies wrote: »

Depending on your prescription, if the lenses are in stock they could be fitted that day. If it normally doesn't take long then it shouldn't take any longer to get the lenses fitted.

A little off topic but it's nice to see loyalty to a good optometrist. As an optometrist I sometimes feel people look for the cheapest option and not always the balance between value and a good professional.

I guess so Daisies. Forgive my utter ignorance about my prescription but I have asked him in the past what it is and he's never actually told me. All I can tell you is that I have one rugby ball shaped eye and my lens is fine, its the muscles are the problem. Theyre weak and can't hold focus. He's told me that lenses or surgery are not an option in my case and that my sight will deteriorate from my mid thirties onwards, with the possibility that I may be almost blind in that eye by the time I hit my mid fifties. Sounds like a bit of a horror story doesn't it! The latter of that he told me when I was 21 and it all seemed decades away. But my mid thirties are waving in the distance so its more of a frightening prospect now.

All the more reason why I'm happy to stay with him and I'm happy to spend on something so important. Mine are officially reading glasses but I find now that I need them for everything. People spend money on phones and tablets etc without too much consideration so if I'm paying for something that will be on my face most of the hours of the day, I want the frames to look right and the prescription to be right for me.

hfallada

Dont even bother with specsavers. Just go online and buy them. I got a pair of prescription ray bans for €100 delivered, when they were €209 in vision express. I ordered them online and had them within 10 days.