[Milliemoo]

Hi,

Thought I better start a new thread for this, rather than HJ the tread about where to buy contact lenses.

I hadn't had an eye check for a couple of years and I knew I needed a new perscription. I had hoped to have laser eye surgery, but I've got a funny shaped cornea in my left eye, so I can't have it done.

Anyhoo, I phoned round quite a few opticians and most places seemed to charge about $60 for an eye check, upto $100 to include contacts, but if you're new to contacts or just want to try a different brand, it can cost upto $200. Now this is where I got caught out, because I don't need a great long explanation on how to wear contacts (worn them for years) but just because I wanted to try a different brand, I get charged the full 'contact lens fitting' price.

I decided to go with my local optician and all I can say is what a waste of time and money. I never been to such an unprofessional eye check in my life. I left with very little confidence in what I'd been told or that my perscription was correct. I knew my old script was -4 and my eyes had got worse, yet my new script was for -3.5??? I wear contacts for going out in the evenings, so only wear them for a few hours at a time. I need a toric lens, but never bothered with my contacts because it wasn't worth the extra expense for the sake of a few hours at the weekend. Unfortunately, this optician insisted that my only option was monthly toric lenses. I left the shop confused, annoyed and $69 poorer.

I've just been to another optician (part of the Visique group) and am feeling much happier. A professional service and importantly, I feel confident in the script I received. My only niggle is that I was quoted $80 on the phone for the full check, but because I'm trying a different brand of lenses, they charged my $150. Plus, she's happy to recommend some daily lenses, not monthly and not toric.

Here's my scripts from both opticians:

Crazy lady in Devonport:
Left:
Sphere: -3.5
Cylinder: -2.25
Axis: 120

Right:
Sphere: -3.5
Cylinder: -1.25
Axis: 87

Not so crazy lady at Visique:
Left:
Sphere: -4.25
Cylinder: -2.5
Axis: 130

Right:
Sphere: -4.25
Cylinder: -1.00
Axis: 90

Now to me, that's a big bl**dy difference in scripts! Plus the Devonport lady wanted me to pay an extra $200 (on top of the $69 already spent) to be fiited for contacts!

So, do you think I should go back and complain? I really can't be hassled with it, but I'm so annoyed that I've wasted $69.

On the plus side, the new lenses for my glasses aren't costing anywhere near as much as I thought.

Milliemoo

[JandM]

Sympathy. That's a heck of a difference! Yes, you ought to complain. Is there a professional body for opticians, or is that optician's part of a chain?

[KerryS]

I would complain. Although with only two prescriptions, how do you know which one is correct? I know you feel more confident about the new optician, but how can you be sure - the Devonport optometrist may well argue that their script is correct and the new one is wrong. I'd probably get a third check, just to compare and hope that it was the same as the second rather than the first. (Does that make sense - it does in my head!)

You can get very cheap check-ups at the University of Auckland. They are very good and extremely thorough. Checks are done by final year students, who are fully supervised by their tutors, and the check does take a little longer than normal.
It may be worth calling them and seeing how much it would be for a check-up and explain that you want your prescription verified.
http://www.optometry.auckland.ac.nz/clinic.html

[Milliemoo]

I agree, a third test would be good to compare, but I don't think I've got the patience or the willingness to part with even more $$$.

The reason I'm much more confident in the script from Visique is because my old script was -4 and I know my eye site has got worse...not better.

Maybe if I contact Consumer.org, they do a story and pay for me to have another test :D

Milliemoo

[Tia Maria]

You can get very cheap check-ups at the University of Auckland. They are very good and extremely thorough. Checks are done by final year students, who are fully supervised by their tutors, and the check does take a little longer than normal.
It may be worth calling them and seeing how much it would be for a check-up and explain that you want your prescription verified.
http://www.optometry.auckland.ac.nz/clinic.html

What a good idea! I'd be really interested to see what they say, I suspect Kerry might be right, without a third test there is now way to prove which is wrong, even if you know! So it might be hard to complain.

Doesn't Clare from the Hodges work for an opticians, she might know how these things are usually dealt with. Might be worth a PM.

Cheers

Tia

[Milliemoo]

oooohhh does she? Might give her a wee nudge :nice1

Milliemoo

[jubjub]

Kerry, good idea, hadnt thought about eye tests, we are going for a hearing test next week, $20 as done by a student $60 if done by a fully qualified, $150 in a private clinic elsewhere, so if the optical side runs on a similar pricing scale, its a bargain!

[oldest]

What a very useful link. I like the idea of getting my next eye test done by a student, and the cash saving is an enormous incentive too.

[jubjub]

Just been lurking on another forum and found this...

http://www.optical4less.com/

[Jennispink]

Hi Milliemoo

I'm an orthoptist (a bit different from an optician but still eyes) so I hope to offer a bit of advise.

Firstly I agree with previous comments, you need to have a third check to know which of the first is correct.
Secondly, just because your eyesight is worse doesn't necessarily mean the numbers have to get bigger. It's not unusual for shortsighted people like yourself to become less so as they reach a certain age. Where people who've never had gls can become longsighted in older age, shortsighted people can get less short sighted! Hope that makes sense:)
Thirdly, opticians have to be a bit careful with us myopes because we tend to ike a bit extra in our lens when they do the subjective bit of the exam (the bit where they ask which is better number one or number two) so it maybe that your second test was giving you that bit extra which you don't necessarily need.
I'm sorry if this sounds complicated but you really can't be sure now you've had 2 such different results.
as far as toric lenses,looking at you're prescription I would have assumed you already had them because you're cyl is as high as it is and I'm surprised you haven't had them before. As you say though, for the sake of a few hours at the weekend do you need them.
I would take on board the suggestion of having your third test done at the college if you can and now you've got a bit more info you can bombard them with questions to put you're mind at rest that your getting the best foor you.

Hope that all helps and doesn't just confuse the issue

Jenni
PS PM me if you want

[Milliemoo]

Hi Jenni,

Thanks for that, I appreciate your comments. Looks like I'll have to do as I'm told and get a third test.....yawn. I've already ordered my new lenses for my glasses though, so I better be right with my choice :roll

I did wear monthly contacts (many moons ago) which were obviously toric lenses, but it's not worth the extra expense now, as I only wear them socially.

BTW, I'm from Whitley Bay originally....but don't hold that against me :D

Cath x

[Milliemoo]

Just had a thought.....

Does the guy at the Eye Institute count as my third opinion? Apart from having a "funny left eye" he was also a wee bit concerned about how much my eye site had deterioated (no idea how to spell that!) in the last two years. It actually made him question whether my perscription was right in the first place (from the UK). He didn't do a full eye test, but did get me to look in lots of different machines and did do a quick 'what line can you read' test.

Milliemoo

[jubjub]

Just an update,, got my new specs today, frames were $169, and once the lenses and eye test fee were added on it came to $719. but this is for complex lenses, the kind you get NHS vouchers for in the UK, and if you are on a community service card here you can get help too (unfortunately I had to pay for the lot!). they even took a couple of weeks to come back so I am pretty sure they had to be made in Oz... although I forgot to ask (my uk lenses used to get sent to Germany!)

I have to say I found this guy to be great and really on the ball, he even knew what my eye prob was before i told him, thats pretty rare! http://www.eyewear-direct.co.nz/ this is who I used, and also who hubby used to get his "normal" prescription glasses from for $199...

[JandM]

So did he do your eye test, Sal? If so, where did you have to go? I've been on the lookout for a recommendation for a good optician's in the Auckland area, for spectacles and contact lenses. I've been thinking I'll have to ask my London optician to enquire through the trade, as there hasn't been anything very definite on here.

[jubjub]

He did do my eye test, and he has a clinic in Pakuranga and one down in Manukau.

[The Hodges]

Hi,

Here's my scripts from both opticians:

Crazy lady in Devonport:
Left:
Sphere: -3.5
Cylinder: -2.25
Axis: 120

Right:
Sphere: -3.5
Cylinder: -1.25
Axis: 87

Not so crazy lady at Visique:
Left:
Sphere: -4.25
Cylinder: -2.5
Axis: 130

Right:
Sphere: -4.25
Cylinder: -1.00
Axis: 90

Milliemoo

Now thats a huge difference in both prescriptions, its almost a whole diopter difference. If it was just a -0.25 difference between prescriptions it would be quite normal for different opticians to find this. I would definitley query it before going ahead with a purchase. Prices can vary greatly between Opticians in NZ and glasses and contact lenses are so much more expensive here. Shop around

We need a Specsavers. Specsavers have opened up a number of Stores in Australia and are planning on opening a further 150 by the end of the year, so you never know they may venture across the ditch!

[JandM]

He did do my eye test, and he has a clinic in Pakuranga and one down in Manukau.

Thank you.

[Milliemoo]

Now thats a huge difference in both prescriptions, its almost a whole diopter difference. If it was just a -0.25 difference between prescriptions it would be quite normal for different opticians to find this. I would definitley query it before going ahead with a purchase. Prices can vary greatly between Opticians in NZ and glasses and contact lenses are so much more expensive here. Shop around

We need a Specsavers. Specsavers have opened up a number of Stores in Australia and are planning on opening a further 150 by the end of the year, so you never know they may venture across the ditch!

I never did go back to get my money back :(

I saw a different person at Visique this time (follow up to some contacts I was trying) and even he was surprised how well I could see through them :) This new perscription is fab. I do like opticians' recactions to my astigmatisim in my left eye though.... it's almost like they're impressed by it in a 'wow' kinda way lol

Milliemoo