I can see for miles. Well I can see to read. (Asda Opticians)

Member Name: eiley123

Product:	Asda Opticians
Date:	19/12/08 (587 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good value, professional optician

Disadvantages: Basic surroundings, lack of choice

I have worn spectacles since my late thirties, so getting on for twenty years now. My eyesight has increasingly deteriorated and my previous optician told me, a couple of years ago, that I was starting with cataracts. Lovely, yet another bonus of getting old.

Except for once I have used Dollond and Aitchison for my eye test and to purchase new glasses. This has mainly been because my only other experience was of Specsavers and two horrendous pairs of specs. These ended up a total waste of money and so I thought I would stick with the tried and tested D and A's.

Knowing I was a little overdue my eye test this year I thought about trying somewhere else. This was mainly down to low funds and D and A's ever increasing prices. A few friends had used Asda's Optician service and said that they were really pleased with their new glasses so I thought, Why not?. The other reason was that, because hubby works for Asda, I knew I could get a 10% discount. Added to this I did a crafty this year and booked my appointment for the staff, Christmas, 20% discount day and was laughing. Well was I?

The Asda store which I used is not one of Asda's largest. As such the Optician department is relatively small. The Optician was a very nice guy although, as he was quietly spoken and not English, I did have to ask him to repeat his self occasionally. This could happen anywhere though.

Before the eye test I had a couple of extra tests. One was the usual puff of air in the eye to check pressure and for any signs of Glaucoma. One was a field of vision test and I am not sure what the last one was. It was something similar though. The assistant who carried out these tests was not very customer friendly and definitely needed her customer care skills fine tuning. I also felt a bit on show as the area where the test was carried out was almost in the store.

The room where the eye test was done was a little bare looking. It somehow lacked the professional feel that D and A's has. Even the eye test equipment seemed more basic. However looking at the eye test objectively all the same tests were carried out just as successfully as D and A's, so I guess that what was missing was window dressing.

After the eye test a helpful young lady helped me choose my new specs. Hubby was there but in what capacity I am not sure. He just seemed to want me to pick any style so that he could get home quick. Men eh. This assistant was totally different from the first and really helpful. Time did not matter which was good. The downside of this Asda was that there was not a great deal of choice in frames. However most frames are similar really. I think if you choose to pick your frames on-line Asda has much more choice. Of course I would not get my discount then so the store is the choice for me.

Part of the problem with my rubbish eye sight is that I cannot see what I will look like in any possible new glasses. D and A have a computer photo screening which does help although I hate to see myself on it. At Asda the manager offered me a sort of monocle to look through but I still could not see the new specs properly as it made me screw my eyes a little, plus we could not stop laughing.

An additional staff bonus was that the eye test was free. Hoorah. I picked a pair of reactalite, anti glare lens varifocals. The various offers included reading glasses or prescription sun glasses. I plumped for a pair of reading glasses as varifocals are a pain if you want to read when laid down, like in bed. The offer meant these readers cost me only £10.

All in all, due to the staff discounts, my test and two pairs of glasses came in at only £200. This is really good compared to D and A. I am in HSA and so was able to claim £100 back and felt I got a really good deal.

The eye test was thorough and my new glasses are perfect. The only downside was that when I picked them up the manager was having a day off and there was no staff member able to make sure that my new specs fitted correctly, so I had to go back for this.

The prescription is good as is less severe on my eyes. The Optician at Asda explained what type of cataract I have, which explained some of my sight problems. Although my cataracts are not large yet they are situated where light enters the eye. This is why I have been finding that in bright sunlight I cannot make out faces and forms as they are just silhouettes. I will apparently need to have my cataracts operated on sooner rather than later. This is the first time an optician has actually explained my eye problems, which at least eased my fears.

A colleague at work uses Asda's optician for his contact lenses and tells me that he is very pleased with the service given. I know that I received an additional bonus with the discount but I do recommend Asda's optician service both for an eye test and spectacles. Both should be just right, and the price wont break the bank either.

I have rated as 9/10 as customer care and lack of choice let Asda down a little.

Thanks for reading
© Eiley 2008

Summary: A great basic optician.