If you need to wear prescription spectacles it is a fact of life, you cannot get away with it, the only real choice you have is whether to wear glasses or contact lenses. The next 'choice' you have is how much you wish to pay. As with most things in life the rule in this area is 'you get what you pay for'. Whilst generally that maxim is correct, when buying prescription eyewear you first have to understand what you are paying for.
The traditional route to purchasing a new pair of spectacles is a visit to the local optician. Some will go to the same independent dispensing optician they have been going to for many years, maybe all their life.
This option, without doubt, will be the most expensive option. What is the reason for this?
The answer is fairly simple, in business terms, the independent optician has the hardest time making a profit, (i.e. earning a wage) and, relative to their competitors, they have the highest level of overheads. They will also generally have a smaller customer base and number of outlets (high street shops) than the high street chains.
However, as a customer you will be cherished by them. You will be given personal treatment, the person you see will always be the same person and they will have an intimate knowledge of your vision history, giving you the confidence to buy your spectacles from them, having built a trusting professional relationship over the years. They will expertly fit your spectacles, adjusting your frames so that they sit comfortably, if you have problems with your glasses, they will be happy for you to return to them and they will rectify your issues, normally, at no extra charge. Therefore they need to be able to charge you a realistic fee for the spectacles and the expert service they provide.
The next option is the high street 'super chain' or a supermarket 'in house' optician. These options, for the top end frames and lenses, can be just as expensive as the independent optician. They will generally have a cheap and cheerful range of frames, but these will be fairly low quality frames, certainly something an independent outlet would rarely sell to you.
You will get a token amount of personal service by the duty optical staff, this will largely depend on how busy they are when you arrive, but it is doubtful if you will see the same person from one visit to the next. Unless you are extremely lucky they will not know any details of your last visit but they will probably be able to look up your details on their computer system.
This is not decrying their service but merely pointing out the nature of their business. The people you see are employees of a large chain and these companies have spent a great deal of time researching how to make the maximum profit for the minimum outlay, a good business model.
It is your decision on which choice you make and, no doubt, your decision will more than likely be based on cost rather than value and service.
BUT TODAY THERE IS ANOTHER CHOICE - and this option may provide you with a product that is cheaper but also provides the quality you desire.
This additional choice is, of course, the Internet.
For the large majority of people who have to wear prescription glasses their visual prescription will fall into a certain range of measurements (there are an unlucky percentage who fall outside these limits).
As long as you are a part of the majority mentioned you will be able to buy quality prescription spectacles (and prescription sunglasses) at a vastly reduced price from those offered on the high street.
Very often these sites will be run by small independent opticians who have set up sites in order to gain sales that they have lost to the high street 'super chain' and supermarket outlets. If you are careful and pick your internet supplier shrewdly you will get a similar service and relationship with your online optician, albeit over the phone or via email, as you would with your high street optician, but pay only about a third of the price for the same good quality frames and lenses as you would have had supplied in their high street shop.
To seek these 'independents' out requires a bit of simple research. The first thing to look for is sites that talk in the '1st person'. Phrases like 'I will provide a 30 day, no quibble guarantee', 'I want to help you choose the best...' etc.
Look for pages that introduce the owner by name, note the name of the person, find the phone number (if there is no phone number move quickly on) and call them - ask to speak to the named person, if they are true 'independents' they will be happy to speak to you.
There is also the equivalent 'super chain' option on the internet, who have a vast array of high quality products at equally discounted prices, However you will find that the difference in price between these outlets and the independents will be much smaller than on the high street. The main difference, as on the high street, will be the quality of service.
In conclusion, as mentioned earlier, you generally get what you pay for, but in the case of a 'grudge purchase' like prescription spectacles, thanks to the internet, you do have a bit more of a choice. In these days of economic restraint it is possible to get a good service at a much better price.
