Buying glasses online – are we blinded by bargains?

I have had some interesting encounters with opticians in the last few years. When I first moved to Bungay around 15 years ago I consulted an optician in the town and they tested my eyes and I bought two pairs of glasses from them. After a while I became aware that glasses were available online at much better prices (at the time about half the High Street prices). Upon making enquiries online I discovered that I needed more information than was shown on my prescription, I needed my pupillary distance. By chance I was with my Mother-in-Law when she had her eyes tested in another part of the country and I jokingly asked the optician if she would measure my pupillary distance. To my surprise she did because I was not local and on condition I told no one. She didn’t even charge me for it. I did then order a pair of glasses from Glasses Direct. When I had my eyes tested in Bungay again I was not offered my prescription and so I had to ask for it. “What do you need that for?” I was asked. My reply was “I am entitled to it and I may want to buy glasses elsewhere”. “Are you buying glasses online?” was the next question. When I admitted that I had the optician became very animated and said that all the cheap and nasty glasses sold online were poor quality and will soon break (they don’t) and how can he be expected to make a living just doing eye tests and anyway I didn’t know my pupillary distance so the glasses won’t work properly. When I told him I did know my pupillary distance that was the last straw and he ejected me from the shop saying don’t ever come back in here again we don’t need people like you.

The next time I needed an eye test I went to an optician in Beccles the next town to get them done. There was no change so no glasses were needed. After a couple more years I returned to the same optician for a further test and as there was a change in my eyesight I was asked to wait to see someone about glasses. I said I wasn’t going to buy glasses today so I left. I bought more glasses online this time from Glasses2You.

After a couple more years I phoned the same optician to make an appointment for another eye test. After a long pause I was asked to phone back later because the optician needed to speak to me. On phoning again on following days I was told on three occasions that the optician was not available. I got the message. I wonder why it could have been.

After a longer break between eye tests than is recommended I visited another optician in Beccles and had the test done there. This time I thought I ought to buy glasses there because I didn’t want to run out of places to get eye tests done. The prices had definitely come down since the competition from online sellers and my new glasses only about £60 more expensive that the online equivalent.

I am in two minds about who will supply my next pair.

When it comes to glasses I agree, buying online is not quite the same as getting quality advice from a local optician. When it comes to contact lenses though, once you have received (and paid) for your prescription, you are often simply ordering a commoditised product which does not require any adjustments. Online retailers can do that as well and often cheaper than local stores. I have bought mine (Focus Dailies) from sites like http://www.visiondirect.co.uk and http://www.feelgoodcontacts.com. Sometimes I also compare prices, e.g. http://www.visioncompare.co.uk, to see if there’s a cheaper alternative. In my view, if you are a responsible adult, online is the way to go for contact lenses.

Well, actually, I do agree! Buying glasses online is not quite the same. It depends on the quality, the website from where you buy the glasses, what kind of technologies they use, etc. My advice is that if you are planning to buy first check the company reviews.