I have had to wear glasses from my late teenage years and I always know whenever there is a very slight difference in my eyes so generally never manage to get to the 2 year check up. A couple of years ago I knew that there had been a change in my eyes and happened to be in my local Tesco store when it came over the tannoy that they had some optician appointments available so I decided to go and find out how much an eye test would be.

The Setout

In our store the opticians is rather small, there is a bench that will sit three people but then there is hardly any leg room as there is a partition in front of your with a desk behind, there are three desks in total but all are in quite cramped areas and I feel that more space should have been given to the opticians to make it more comfortable for their customers.

The Test

I have always been seen quickly when I have used this service, when I went for the impromptu appointment and when I have made appointments in advance they always seem to run on time which is great as most places never seem to be able to keep to appointment times. The assistant took my glasses and tested them to see what my current prescription was and then I was taken into the room for my tests. The room again is rather cramped although there is room for what is need you just feel there should be more room. My tests were the same as when I have used other opticians so I have no worries that the tests weren't as good and the optician spent quite a while checking into the back of my eyes apparently checking my eyes are healthy.

The Glasses

As always I needed new glasses and I was shown to a display on the wall which again just seems like there isn't enough room for it as it is on a wall between the opticians and the Tesco Direct desk as if they didn't have any other space for it. The range of glasses isn't exactly great, there are about 6 strips of glasses holding about 10 pairs each so there are only about 60 pairs to choose from and half of them are mens anyway. I am quite happy with a limited range as I always pick simple metal frames in a dark colour and they provide glasses to this description, there are a few designer frames too so they do cater for a wide range of people just not a wide choice in each price range.

Costs

The cost is the main benefit of using Tesco rather than Specsavers which is where I used to go, at Tesco your eye test is always free even if you do not recieve any benefits whereas I have paid £22 in Specsavers before and this isn't even recently. The frames for the glasses start at £15 and this was £10 the first time I used them so the simple frames are very cheap but they are pefect for the job and are not weak or flimsy. I have a friend who has bought designer glasses from Tesco aswell and she commented how cheap they were on these too and lets face it with the current economy noone wants to pay more than needed.

Contacts

At my last appointment I was asked if I have ever thought of trying contact lenses which I have tried once before but couldn't get away with so I decided that I would give them another trial. The trial was completely free and I was given lenses to be taken out every night and put into solution which was also provided free and then worn again the next day, this was to be done for a weeks trial before having a follow up with them. They won't let you take the contacts until they are sure that you can put them in and take them out without having a problem, I do have difficulty with this so this did take a while to master and the lady was very patient with me. I didn't like the fact that the room I was taken into to do this was then used by another customer and her rowdy kids who were watching what I was doing and putting me off, I feel this sort of thing should be done in a private room. Unfortunately again I didn't manage to get away with the contacts as they just make my eyes sore so I have to stick with glasses.

Opinions

The price is the main reason that I use Tesco and so does all my family, you can also collect clubcard points on your purchase which is always an added bonus. The range isn't massive but it holds enough for most people. The staff are very friendly and the manager in our branch always remembers his customers which can be more of a pain to be honest as if he sees you he stops you to chat. The main drawback of this service in our store is that they simply have not given it enough room for you to feel comfortable but the prices are that good that I can put up with this. I would recommend the service and it just shows how much the likes of Specsavers must be making in comparison.