Reasonable Glasses and Contact Lenses

craichoe

Hi all,

I say reasonable because this is what their supposed to cost, markup in Ireland on glasses and contact lenses is a total RIPOFF. Specsavers and Vision Express being the biggest offenders.

I got into researching the prices of glasses and such online as my girlfriend at the time was a poor student with little fundage

Looking around the crowd being the cheapest was lenscatcher.de

Compare the prices to specsavers.ie ... I couldn't believe it. Also, an Optician will tell you that the contacts need to be "fitted" upon further inquiry they couldnt tell me how they fitted them, just more along the lines of they could see if your eyes couldnt handle them, for semi permeable or glass contacts etc. Buy one pair and then buy the rest from someone else i say.

Lenscatcher.de were great, and even allow you to buy test lenses (basically without having to buy the full packs, so you can buy one lense for each eye, which with specsavers isnt the case, you have to buy a six month supply.

Also, I had a similar experience when buying glasses to this http://3mew.wordpress.com/2006/11/10/eyeglasses-stores-are-for-suckers/

Was looking at around 430 neurons for a titanium rimless frame with thin lenses with specsavers.

Goggles4u.com it worked out at around 100 euros!!


Theres lots of online retailers out there, a google search will give you a whole host of them.

This isnt really a bargain alert i guess .. more like a your in RIPOFF IRELAND.

vigos

actually found http://www.visiondirect.com to be cheaper for lenses

starman100

Some good finds there, hard to believe its possible to get specs for less than 40 euro when the local opticians will charge you E200+ and extra for all the coatings!

Still, its a small risk purchasing frames without trying them on. Contact lenses are a no-brainer to buy online as you can stick with a well-known brand.

Good site for comparison between on-line retailers:

http://www.eyeglassretailerreviews.com/index.htm

Must go off now and get my presciption off my optician - couple of new pairs for Xmas looks like

Suebh

Phoned specsavers today for my prescription so I could do cost difference etc. Daily for 90 days = €90. Had a look at some of the sites but was hard to do a proper comparasion cos in us dollars. But I did a comparasion on www.yourlenses.ie and it came to €68, €5 of that being shipping. Know where I gonna buy next time I need to

Sue

blorg

How is buying from these US sites in your experience (duty-wise etc.)

Also - planning on getting contacts for the first time, I presume I am better off going to an optician here?

As an aside, looking to get some lenses put into existing frame - what's my best bet for thinned ones? Current looking at around €220-250 or so which is a little expensive.

craichoe

Specsavers did this for a friend of mine and made absolute s*it of it, the frames started to fall apart, had to bring them to an optician when we were in Germany (Fielmann, well known german optician) and get new frames altogether.

Go to a local optician to get your prescription, would recommend getting test lenses if possible and then buying off an online retailer as it works out cheaper for a 6 month to 1 year support.

Never had a problem with duty on items under 100 euro from the states, although i do prefer to buy from EU if possible as the United States Postal Service can be a bit cack at times.

hunnymonster

There is no import duty on contact lenses as they are classed as medical devices :-) I always buy my lenses from US.


I had a strange experience in Specasvers this afternoon. I bought glasses off them a couple of months ago. They came with a one year guarantee so when a lens snapped this morning, I went back with them. After consulting with several people the sales assistant said they would replace the lens. Big of them, I thought but said nothing. Then she said it would take at least 2 weeks. That's not really practical for me because I work at a computer and find lenses uncomfortable for this. To cream it all, she then said if I bought a replacement pair of glasses, to use while the others are being fixed, they would have the replacement ready in 2 hours..... 2 weeks for the "free" ones and a couple of hundred quid for the "spare" pair!!!

Darando

I use www.getlenses.ie for my contacts and solutions. Works out cheaper than anywhere I have seen. they also have a price match. Prices include delivery. All you do is fax down your presciption to them and order - either by phone or web.

They are based in Blackrock and I have never had any problems.

The_Hustler

Hang on, even on http://www.specsaversdirect.com they are selling 6 month supplies of monthly disposable lenses for the price of 3 months in the specsavers stores. Am I reading this incorrectly or is there an error of some sort?

Passport

Darando wrote:

I use www.getlenses.ie for my contacts and solutions. Works out cheaper than anywhere I have seen. they also have a price match. Prices include delivery. All you do is fax down your presciption to them and order - either by phone or web.

They are based in Blackrock and I have never had any problems.

VISiondirect.com
is absolutely excellent half the price of getlenses.com
thesehttp://www.visiondirect.com/la/product/default.asp?pid=91028&catid=10897&trx=PLST-0-CAT&trxp1=10897&trxp2=91028&trxp3=1&trxp4=0&btrx=BUY-PLST-0-CAT
6 pack of monthly lenses only costs $11.99, thats about €8-€9 euro, delivery is super quick(prob quicker than irish sites) have been using them for the last two years, so have many boardsies.

ednwireland

i used these guys ell of a lot cheaper than local optician

http://www.opticiansonline.ie/

yop

Answer me a daft question please, I have to eventually get contacts, hate them as I find them near impossible to get them in and specsavers were useless.

But how can u buy them online, do they not have to match ur required eyesight needs....!!

Xaniaj

Yop, when ordering online, you need to know your lens perscription (eg I'm -2.25 in each eye) - as far as I know, the rest is standard unless the curve of your eye is not the "normal" shape...

(base curve 8.6 and diameter 14.2 is standard as far as I know)

The_Hustler

Yep, it even says the shape on your previous lens boxes. I was told they don't make them for my shape and just gave me the standard.

yop

Thanks guys, I must look at the box on the lenses when I get sorted next week.
Thanks

patch

Hmmm, new titanium frame glasses for less than 30 euro?
Herself got her eyes tested in specsavers last week.
They don't hand out a prescription for glasses though?
Will an optician test you and hand out a prescription if requested?

Thanks..:)

Fnz

patch wrote:

Hmmm, new titanium frame glasses for less than 30 euro?
Herself got her eyes tested in specsavers last week.
They don't hand out a prescription for glasses though?
Will an optician test you and hand out a prescription if requested?

Thanks..:)

The optician should do if "Herself" paid for the eye test (or got it done on the medical card). Just ask them to write out a copy of your prescription. Make sure they give you all the details required by the website you looking to buy from! If you're going to buy from goggles4u.com, for example, be advised that they ask you to submit a bunch of measurements I hadn't heard of before (such as 'pupil distance', 'axis' and 'ear-slope longitude').

MOH

I've been using Postoptics for the last few years. Find them slightly cheaper than Getlenses.ie for what I want.

The usually arrive from the UK within 3-4 days of the order.

Only issue is they don't deliver lens solution outside the UK, but not an issue for me as I rob the gf's

ams

Found out about cheapy glasses through
glasseyeyes same as OP.
I found the link to this site http://zennioptical.com/cart/home.php where I ordered three pairs of glasses for €48 including delivery (delivery is $9 to Ireland no matter how many pairs of glasses you buy).
The glasses were fine but two of the pairs were a little tight on my head. Definately good if you wear glasses all the time and you fancy a different colour for nights out or whatever.

ams

patch wrote:

Hmmm, new titanium frame glasses for less than 30 euro?
Herself got her eyes tested in specsavers last week.
They don't hand out a prescription for glasses though?
Will an optician test you and hand out a prescription if requested?

Thanks..:)

Got specsavers to fax my perscription over to me - no hassle at all.:)

higster

Just got these lenses 'cause always struggled with the daily disposables (could only wear them for ~5 hours)...these ones I wear 12hrs+ and overnight very occasionally...they are the business!!!
http://www.getlenses.com/acuvueOasys.jsp

Bazzy

www.directlinespecs.ie

Glasses for €25 got them €3 postage. Ordered them on a sunday had them Wednesday morning and there more comfortable than my €179 FCUK glasses!

EIREHotspur

Passport wrote:

VISiondirect.com
is absolutely excellent half the price of getlenses.com
thesehttp://www.visiondirect.com/la/product/default.asp?pid=91028&catid=10897&trx=PLST-0-CAT&trxp1=10897&trxp2=91028&trxp3=1&trxp4=0&btrx=BUY-PLST-0-CAT
6 pack of monthly lenses only costs $11.99, thats about €8-€9 euro, delivery is super quick(prob quicker than irish sites) have been using them for the last two years, so have many boardsies.

They do not quote their prices in pairs, rather in number of lenses per box.
Confusing when trying to compare prices.
You spend 11.95 for a box of 6 for your left eye and 11.95 for a box for your right eye? Add in the 20dollar postage and thats around 33euro...and thats for their cheapest.

shortys94

IS it hard to put contacts in at first?

A year or two back I got thought in specsavers how to put them in and out. First time I tried when I went home I couldnt take them out again, so had to get optician to take them out. I cant really remember the experience I had with them but I think the lesson I had in specsavers wasnt great, the girl did not seem too bothered tbh. Maybe I just had a bad experience?

Anywayn thinking about going into a different specsavers in July and trying them out again.

Do they get easier to use?

The_Hustler

Definitely! At the start I had to spend around half an hour trying to get them in and out, within a short time you'll be down to a couple of seconds.

shortys94

Thanks, yea I just had a bad experience and didnt go back for the second lesson. Ill try again then.

Mar1

i buy my contacts from visiondirect.ie find them great
but recently i went to re-order and found the lens i use
discontinued. so i rang my old optition & got name of another
brand. Cannot see a thing out of them. Found old pair of un-lens
and can a little better . any how i have 6mths of lens which i can't use
-1.75. Booked in for another test.

but has anyone heard the brand would affect the sight too? :eek: :

higster

shortys94...had same problem for about 3 days (actually took me about an hour to get one in on first day ), now its a second per lens.

Mar1...again highly recomend the acuvue oasys...a little more expensive (shop around) and 2 week wear (ie solutions) but increidably comfortable compared to one days I was using...think you can get a trial set from opticians. Don't think specsavers carry them though...

shortys94

Thanks higster

Fobia

Has anyone any experience with the monthly disponsable lenses these sites offer? They say up to 30 night continuous wear, but I've heard your eyes would kill you if you did that and you have to take them out every night to sleep really. Is this a myth or? Also can you swim/shower with them in ok?

I'm going travelling for 3 weeks and it'd be fantastic to be not-worry-about-lenses for that period..

davehey79

ordered last thursday arived this morning and i have to say for €28 you can't go too far wrng, nice fit, and as nice if not nicer than my €200 optician glasses. well worth a try if ya need a spare pair or a new main pair of specs

Daisies

Just a word to the wise, dont change you're type of contacts without having had a test with your optician.Even if the contacts are the same shape and size, the different materials will affect you're eyes differently.Also just because you dont feel anything going wrong dosnt mean there isnt so regular check ups are def needed:D

loopymum

Fobia wrote:

Has anyone any experience with the monthly disponsable lenses these sites offer? They say up to 30 night continuous wear, but I've heard your eyes would kill you if you did that and you have to take them out every night to sleep really. Is this a myth or? Also can you swim/shower with them in ok?

I'm going travelling for 3 weeks and it'd be fantastic to be not-worry-about-lenses for that period..

Fobia, I have a test pair that I have never gotten around to testing because I'm supposed to wear them everyday for a week, then call into see the optician again, so she can check my eyes, just dont have time at the moment!

But! The optician did tell me that they really arent suitable and dont recommend wearing them for that length of time! She said take plenty of time to get used to them and then if they suited me to use them for weekends and stuff like that if I wanted!

Check them out!

mukki

loopymum wrote:

Fobia, I have a test pair that I have never gotten around to testing because I'm supposed to wear them everyday for a week, then call into see the optician again, so she can check my eyes, just dont have time at the moment!

But! The optician did tell me that they really arent suitable and dont recommend wearing them for that length of time! She said take plenty of time to get used to them and then if they suited me to use them for weekends and stuff like that if I wanted!

Check them out!

I doubt Fobia will be checking them out

his post was nearly 3 months ago, lol