Save Your Eyes (Specsavers Opticians)

Member Name: nixtee

Product:	Specsavers Opticians
Date:	03/10/09 (154 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Special offers, friendly staff, fashionable glasses

Disadvantages: Can be costly at times

Specsavers are one of Britain's best known opticians, with this year (2009) being their 25th anniversary, They have stores nationwide and are known for their special offers such as "2 for 1 Glasses".

I have been going to Specsavers Opticians since I was a teenager and I'm now touching 30 (where did time go?!), so when the letter came through that it was time for my next appointment, I didn't hesitate to book with them. An appointment with Specsavers usually costs £15 (payable after you've seen the optician), however the kind assistant discounted mine to £10! Also, some customers are entitled to a free eye examination under the NHS, this includes under 16s, under 19s in full-time education, over 60s, people receiving certain benefits or with certain conditions.

Booking an appointment is easy... You simply phone your local branch and ask for an appointment. My appointment date was just a couple of weeks after the day I phoned. I required a mid-week late afternoon appointment so it wouldn't cause too much disruption at work and was given a 4.20pm appointment. I could have had a Saturday appointment, but I always find the place a lot busier then (so there's more people fighting to look at the frames). You can also book an appointment online, giving a couple of choices of appointment dates/times, but what happens is that they phone you back to confirm your booking,. I find it much easier to simply phone them myself, otherwise you've got to wait for a call from them.

I always turn up 15 minutes early for my appointment so I can have a quick look at the glasses beforehand (I usually need a new prescription). I have found that if you let them know you're there early, you'll sometimes get seen early... this is what happened with my recent appointment.

Before the main appointment with the optician, you have a pre-test with an optical assistant. The pre-test involves things such as measuring the pressure inside the eyes, their curvature, how well they focus and the field of vision. I don't know why, but I have found the pre-test to vary each time I've been there (sometimes I've only had part of the pre-test).

Once with the Specsavers optician, you are sat in a chair and asked questions about health, lifestyle and work. If you have been before, then the optician usually just quickly runs through them in case of any changes. These questions are asked so the optician has a clear idea of the customer's best options. For instance, I use a computer day in and day out for my work and my main hobby is photography... so clear and sharp eyesight is very important to me (and the day-to-day use of computers does has an effect on my eyesight). Each eye is tested separately and then they are tested together. In the past, they did the tests using some awful glasses frames into which they swapped different lenses, but at my recent appointment they'd got a new machine which was put in front of my eyes and the lens automatically changed when the optician pressed a button on the computer (so I didn't feel so silly wearing the funny frames!).

Once the tests are finished, the optician talks through your prescription (should it have changed) and asks if you have any questions and answers them for you. You are then ushered out and handed back to an optical assistant.

If new glasses are needed (more often than not my eyes tend to have deteriorated, most likely due to prolonged use of computers!), the assistant will talk you through options available to you and any special offers that are on at that time. If needed, the assistant will help you choose a pair of frames to suit you, but I prefer to do this on my own or with a family member or friend. If you prefer, the assistant will leave you be to select your frames, but will pop over to you after a while to ensure everything is OK.

There are various ranges of frames to choose from, these ranges are split into price ranges: the value ranges of £25 and £45 (which I don't go near and don't know of anyone who they would suit!), the £75 range is where the special offers tend to start, then there's the £85 and £99 ranges, the designer brands tend to be in the £125 range and the rimless range is £169. There is also a kids range. There are plenty of frames to choose from and I think there is something for everyone.

I've always fancied a pair of rimless glasses, so decided to splash out on a pair at £169. I didn't realise they were included in the '2 for 1' offer until I took them back to the assistant and he said I could choose another pair from the ranges between £75 - £125 for free. I went for another quick look around the specs and went back with a pair of Quiksilver designer frames which would normally cost £125, but I was having them for free!

The assistant talked me into using the 2nd pair as a pair of sunglasses by having tints put in (£12), he recommended grey as the frame was black. I've had tints once before in the past and that time I was given I choice of different shades of tint, but this time the assistant said they would put in an appropriate tint for me.

You are then told approximately how long it will take for your glasses to be done (anything from a couple of days to a couple of weeks, depending on your prescription and other factors) and you'll be asked to pay.

A couple of days after my appointment I realised I had no use for a pair of tinted glasses, where as a 2nd clear pair or a pair with reaction lenses (£49) would be more useful. A phone call later and it was sorted... I chose the reaction lenses (which change with the light), so all I had to do when I picked up the glasses was pay the difference.

When the glasses are ready to be collected, Specsavers will give you a call. When you collect your glasses, an assistant will check that they fit well and will make any minor adjustments needed. If you have lenses such as varifocals they will give you tips on how to wear them as it can take time to get used to them.

My local Specsavers is in Shrewsbury and I find the staff there very helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. I don't need contact lenses (and can't imagine ever wearing them), but Specsavers also do them along with other speccy-type accessories. I have always been happy with Specsavers service and will continue to use them.

(I realise this review is pretty long, but I felt it all needed to be in there).

Summary: My opticians.