The way the economy is at the moment, it makes sense to spend less money on items like glasses. They are essential for a lot of people, but you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to be able to see things clearly!
When you buy a pair of glasses (or these days, it’s 2 for 1) you are paying for a lot of extras as well. Things like shop rent/rates, wages, loans, etc. and of course the owners, usually the optometrists, have to make a profit as well. This they do easily when you consider that a standard single vision pair of glasses can cost them less than £10 to manufacture and the patient will be charged £75-£85 on average. Some opticians pay as little as fifty pence for a single vision uncoated, uncut lens. For an anti-reflection coated lens it might be AS MUCH AS £1! Now, considering that a lot of the bigger franchises charge their customers £30 to reglaze their old glasses, that’s £28 to them straight off the mark. The frames usually cost no more than £7-£10 on average although there are exceptions, of course. People who require thinned-down lenses to fit their needs can be charged anything from £500-£600! And again the lenses are no where near that price.
So what is the alternative, you ask? Well, a good direction to go is, of course, the trusty Internet. There are a lot of Internet companies now offering the same quality product at a fraction of the usual cost, and they still make a profit! A pair of rimless glasses which would cost from £170-£200+ in an optician’s shop can be bought for £20-£30! How is that for a saving? And if you happen to step on your glasses, sit on them, accidentally swallow them, they will be a lot easier to replace than your £500 pair.
So if you’re looking to save money on your glasses, I advise you to go to your favourite search engine and type in GLASSES; you will be amazed.
The above article is for general advise on saving money on your glasses. Going to an optician is still a requirement for eye-tests, certain health checks and measurements which are required by whoever manufactures your glasses. For those who need special treatment due to the nature of their lenses or special requirements it is better to talk to someone in person, who can then discuss any changes that need to be made with a technician or other suitably qualified person.
