I was blind now I can't see. Any Opticians in the house.

[Rory]

Wife and I and both kids wear glasses so we have a lot of experience of going to a wide range of optiicians.

We've used Specsavers for a few years and the one thing I will say if that if there's a problem they will unhesitatingly put it right.

I read horror stories about varifocals but my first pair (got 2 on a bogof offer) were brilliant - they just worked perfectly. Both the main pair, which had Varilux Essilor Panamic lenses and the second pair whch had Pentex (Specsavers own that name now) lenses.

When I replaced them, they used Pentax lenses in both and both were hopeless. Apparently they'd been made with a split prism which I couldn't tolerate, so they replaced both. The new ones are better, but still not as good as the originals.

Based on this, my wife replaced hers at Costco using Varilux Essilor lenses. Again, they're OK, but not as good as the original pairs she had from Specsavers.

I think a huge amount depends on how competent the dispenser is especially with varifocals - they need to choose the right lens (there must be hundreds, if not thousands) and measure it properly.

 

[j.schmeltzer]

My wife had the same experience with that popular chain. Varifocals, both pair out of whack, retest, new lenses, one pair still out. New lenses in that pair, all OK finally.
I have had my bifocals from there for many years and never a problem. Could be trifocals are trickier, but hey, they are in the business so should know what they are doing.

 

[Ted]

I ma witting this wth my new farivocals.
They ar brilllllllliant - no prlbems at all.

 

[Brian 1]

Should any of you guys be Driving on this thread.....lol
Sorry only joking......

 

[brucemillar]

I fired off an on-line complaint to their head office today. I got a call back from a very contrite branch manager within 2 hours of doing so.

Him: Could I come in today?
Me: Nope I am not back until Friday.

Him: Can you come in anytime to suit you on Friday.
Me: Yes, what do you intend to do?

Him: Well the problem is obviously with the lens. So we need to check that with you in-store then remedy it.
Me: Does your remedy involve me paying £80 for your premium lens's?

Him: Errrrr we could discuss premium len's if that is what you want?
Me: I just want what I have already paid for. Glasses that I can see out of.

Him: Errrrr.... We may have to fit premium len's at our expense.
Me: OK

 

[Tim203]

Tim, if you'd had your specs on you could have ducked.

That is brilliant Peter, I'm still laughing now.

 

[Tim203]

I fired off an on-line complaint to their head office today. I got a call back from a very contrite branch manager within 2 hours of doing so. Him: Could I come in today? Me: Nope I am not back until Friday. Him: Can you come in anytime to suit you on Friday. Me: Yes, what do you intend to do? Him: Well the problem is obviously with the lens. So we need to check that with you in-store then remedy it. Me: Does your remedy involve me paying £80 for your premium lens's? Him: Errrrr we could discuss premium len's if that is what you want? Me: I just want what I have already paid for. Glasses that I can see out of. Him: Errrrr.... We may have to fit premium len's at our expense. Me: OK

Good luck with that Bruce, hope you get a good outcome.

 

[spinaltap]

My first experience with Essilor multi-focals was dreadful: bowed image, like gazing through a parallelogram. These were changed with Nikon lenses. Superb result.

Eventually, I changed optician. When the time came for a prescription change, Zeiss lenses were recommended. With these I could only see clearly at a very narrow central spot. Awful to the extreme.

I insisted on a free replacement with familar multi-focal Nikon lenses. These are perfect: no blurring at the sides/extreme.

My experience is that the customer is only offered a given brand that the optician is currently peddling, rather than what is best for the customer.

 

[vijilants]

If it is the same famous one that says "You should have gone to S******S" I had the same problem and will never go there again.

When I tried on my new pair in the shop (top of the range super thin, super thick price) varifocals they were soo bad that I couldn't even see front door of the shop !!

I insisted that there was something wrong, and the woman kept insisting that I had to get used to them and she was pushing hard to the point of bullying.

I then kicked off, asked to see the manager, and insisted that the prescription was rechecked.....low and behold, incorrect prescription !!!

I've always had trouble with their glasses and they have never felt correct.

I now go to Costco.....great service and a bit cheaper !

 

[st13phil]

My first experience with Essilor multi-focals was dreadful: bowed image, like gazing through a parallelogram. These were changed with Nikon lenses. Superb result.

Eventually, I changed optician. When the time came for a prescription change, Zeiss lenses were recommended. With these I could only see clearly at a very narrow central spot. Awful to the extreme.

I insisted on a free replacement with familar multi-focal Nikon lenses. These are perfect: no blurring at the sides/extreme.

My experience is that the customer is only offered a given brand that the optician is currently peddling, rather than what is best for the customer.

I'm an Engineer not an Optician, but I do know that different lens manufacturers achieve ostensibly "the same" prescription by different means when it comes to varifocal lenses. Simply put, there are a set of compromises involved to achieve the different prescriptions required for different areas of the lens and different manufacturers prioritise certain features in different ways which leads to a different user experience. An end user (like you or me) gets accustomed to a particular brand's set of compromises when we start wearing varifocals and that colours our impression of other manufacturer's products if their way of doing things is different.

I had worn Essilor lenses and found them to be fine - for me - but when I had a new prescription a couple of years ago I decided to try some much more expensive Hoya lenses that purported to offer a wider field of view at reading distance. After almost a month of trying to get used to them I gave up and returned to the dispensing optician's I bought them from. The dispenser double checked the lenses to the prescription, including double checking the IPD, and concluded that everything was correct. At his suggestion, I had the frame reglazed at their expense with Essilor lenses of the type I had before but to the same new prescription as the Hoya's and when they arrived it was like slipping on a comfy pair of shoes - they were perfect.

What came as a surprise was that the optician also refunded the difference in cost between the Hoya lenses I'd originally purchased and the Essilor lenses I now had and was happy with.

As in every walk of life there are undoubtedly commercial factors that may influence the recommendation that an optician gives for a particular manufacturer's product, but there are other things that influence whether or not a particular lens will or won't suit you and it's not that one manufacturer's lenses are universally rubbish compared to another's.

 

[Rory]

My first experience with Essilor multi-focals was dreadful: bowed image, like gazing through a parallelogram. These were changed with Nikon lenses. Superb result.

Eventually, I changed optician. When the time came for a prescription change, Zeiss lenses were recommended. With these I could only see clearly at a very narrow central spot. Awful to the extreme.

I insisted on a free replacement with familar multi-focal Nikon lenses. These are perfect: no blurring at the sides/extreme.

My experience is that the customer is only offered a given brand that the optician is currently peddling, rather than what is best for the customer.

It's not just the brand - like Mercedes with various models, each lens marque has a whole range of models. The Essilor Panamic lenses I had were great, but they don't make it anymore. My wife has some other Essilor lens (from Costco) and they're OK, but not as good as her previous pair from Specsavers, who themselves offer, I think, five different varifocal lenses.

 

[spinaltap]

All was not perfect with my Nikon multi-focal lenses. While fine for everything else, they were next to useless in viewing my computer monitor (mid-distance).

The optician who had originally prescribed the Esilor, then Nikon, lenses suggested reading glasses. That was an expensive mistake.

However, my present optician suggested Sola Access lenses that were specifically designed for computer usage. They were perfect.

However, when my prescription changed I specifically insisted on replacement Sola Access lenses. My replacement lenses were terrible. It transpired that they had ignored my request, and had fitted the Hoya equivalent without telling me (!). I insisted, and then received, the Sola Access lenses that I originally specified. Problem solved.

A few years on, I changed my computer monitor - one that had a much higher resolution. I now no longer require the Sola Access lenses, with my Nikon multi-focals enabling routine computer usage.

 

[brucemillar]

Went in as requested this morning. Met the manager who tells me they have found the issue? Then demonstrates the fix.

What they say is that the tortoise shell frame has a "light" spot in the bottom of the right lens. This is allowing light to permeate through the frame and distort my vision? He then coloured over that part of the frame with a black marker.

Problem solved. New frames awaiting delivery.

Can this be correct?

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[brucemillar]

Bump?

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[DavidL]

Bruce,
Not impossible but not a usual fix. I've had issues with patient's not liking the reflection from the edges of rimless specs especially if they are highly polished.
Did the black marker make any difference from your side?
I'd go and see the new pair - presumably they are just replacing the frame not the lenses? - and take it from there.

 

[brucemillar]

Bruce, Not impossible but not a usual fix. I've had issues with patient's not liking the reflection from the edges of rimless specs especially if they are highly polished. Did the black marker make any difference from your side? I'd go and see the new pair - presumably they are just replacing the frame not the lenses? - and take it from there.

David Yes the marker did help. With the specs on and me reading normally I have no sight of the frame. I was also unaware of any sheen or reflection. All I could see was a blur as soon as I moved my head to the left while keeping my eyes central. I know that varifocals can be blurred with peripheral vision. But this was like looking at a smudged lens. Yes they are only replacing the frames. I am unsure of what to do if this does not fix the issue? They have mentioned again about upgrading to premium. But that is at my cost and irks me as it was not suggested at the time of purchase. Also they knew my existing lenses are Zeiss premium. Thanks for your help. Any pointers for me? Sent from my iPhone using MBClub UK

 

[DavidL]

Bruce, just confirm for me what the 2 pairs were. Were they identical (frames and lenses) or just one or the other?
Upgrading - depends on the answers to the above a little. In theory you would expect a narrow but central reading area if it was just the lens design.
However if the horizontal centres are set too close to your nose in the L and/or too wide in the R you would get the affect you describe. As you say you only get it in this pair they need to check the other pair against you and the first pair.
Most people like their lenses set up as per manufacturers instructions but not all. It may be that the other pair are "wrong" but for some reason it suits you. Either way both pairs need to be the same.
It could be quite legitimate that they didn't offer the best lenses at the time of sale. Obviously they are more expensive and it may be that what they recommended were felt to be quite suitable for your age/needs/prescription. It also gives you all a solution if you notice restrictions that are clearly the lens design.
Again most people like "better" lenses more but not all and I've had to upgrade people from lenses that the majority like just fine but not that individual. Sadly yhere is nothing absolutely concrete and repeatable about dispensing varifocals as the one unknown factor is always the person wearing them.

 

[brucemillar]

Bruce, just confirm for me what the 2 pairs were. Were they identical (frames and lenses) or just one or the other? Upgrading - depends on the answers to the above a little. In theory you would expect a narrow but central reading area if it was just the lens design. However if the horizontal centres are set too close to your nose in the L and/or too wide in the R you would get the affect you describe. As you say you only get it in this pair they need to check the other pair against you and the first pair. Most people like their lenses set up as per manufacturers instructions but not all. It may be that the other pair are "wrong" but for some reason it suits you. Either way both pairs need to be the same. It could be quite legitimate that they didn't offer the best lenses at the time of sale. Obviously they are more expensive and it may be that what they recommended were felt to be quite suitable for your age/needs/prescription. It also gives you all a solution if you notice restrictions that are clearly the lens design. Again most people like "better" lenses more but not all and I've had to upgrade people from lenses that the majority like just fine but not that individual. Sadly yhere is nothing absolutely concrete and repeatable about dispensing varifocals as the one unknown factor is always the person wearing them.

David

Not identical frames but identical prescription. Both are largish lenses so not to small for varifocals. The good pair are sunglasses the bad pair are reactions.

They have said that they can also see the issue when tried by two of their assistants who are varifocal wearers. They also agree that the sunglasses (which have the smaller lenses & frames) are ok when tried.

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[DavidL]

Any news Bruce?

 

[brucemillar]

Any news Bruce?

David

Progress of sorts. Tried replacement frames with dark bits at the bottom of the lens (same frames different tortoise shell pattern). This is a definite improvement but not as good as my existing lenses. They have now said I need anti glare/reflective coating. I'm not hugely impressed that I have to pay for this given that it wasn't required at the point of order.

New lenses expected back next week.

My feeling. It's a bodge job that could have and should have been dealt with when I had the test and order done.

Would I go back there? No.

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