Perscription safety glasses

[Essex Barn Workshop]

... I wonder if Boots and Vision Express don't give it to try and keep the sale of the glasses with them?

That is exactly the reason. I had a free eye test with one of the big names, and told them at the start that I would ONLY buy a pair of glasses from them if the did in fact give me my pupilary distance. Even so, the optician was cagey about it and rather than print it out, passed me my prescription and a pen and told me what it was! I can now order online glasses safely and have done a few times, always with great results.

 

[Garden Shed Projects]

I measured my IPD in the mirror using a steel rule. Not that hard to do.
Close 1 eye and align the zero with the centre of the second pupil, then close the second eye and read the measurement of the first pupil. You now have your IPD.
Just remember measure twice and order once.

 

[Spectric]

you can indeed purchase prescription safety glasses.

I find it just as easy to wear safety visors or goggles over my glasses that once scratched or that impair clear vision just get replaced.

 

[HamsterJam]

I wonder if Boots and Vision Express don't give it to try and keep the sale of the glasses with them?

I am pretty sure that is the case

 

[Jester129]

They are not allowed to keep the results of your eye test from you. Legally they should give you the results from your test. If they don't, just ask them, they must give you this by law.
HTH.

 

[bobblezard]

My experiences are similar, the opticians aren't keen to give you your intra pupillary distance, but they have to, it's a simple piece of personal information, the difficulty is that they try to avoid by not taking the measurement during the sight test but when dispensing glasses. Like others I've firmly requested the IPD and ordered glasses online without problem. You can also send an old pair of glasses in when ordering and online firms can take the measurement from them.
I've yet to buy prescription safety glasses but will be doing now I need glasses for near vision too...

 

[Blackswanwood]

The question of whether the IPD should be included in a routine eye examination intrigued me.

This confirms that they do not have to do so ...

visiting-an-optician

However, if they have measured it and recorded it on their records it is personal data and you can insist on being provided with a copy and if they refuse report them to the ICO for a SAR breach.

Second however ... there are also free sites that will measure it for you such as

https://www.specsavers.co.uk/glasses/buyers-guide/how-to-measure-your-pupillary-distance
I just checked mine using the above against my prescription and they matched. My wife is a little perplexed though about why I was holding a credit card against my forehead!

 

[Ollie78]

I have polycarbonate lenses put in my "normal" prescription glasses.
It only costs a couple of quid extra.

A quick note on the pupillary distance, this is not the only required info in many cases, mine is tricky because I have a lazy eye and this must be taken into account when measuring.
I worry about trying online glasses as it I have become used to a certain base curve (the curve of the lense before grinding) if this is incorrect I will get savage headaches. A well known optician chain just could not get my glasses right despite what they said was trying everything. I went back to the previous place and they found out the base curve thing and they were spot on first time.

Ollie

 

[Duncan A]

I'm with Ollie on this one. I had immense problems getting specs that worked from the high street chains and was reaching the point where I was facing having to give up work.
A visit to a proper optician straight away led to lenses that suited my eyes and frames that were properly fitted - an extremely important part of the process for me.
Not cheap, but definitely worth it for me.
Duncan

 

[Inspector]

I have polycarbonate lenses put in my "normal" prescription glasses.
It only costs a couple of quid extra.
......Ollie

As I mentioned earlier just putting a safety lens in a regular frame does not make them safety glasses. Normal glasses have a shallower depth and groove angle than safety frames. They don't hold as well. In an accident the lens may resist the impact and not shatter but the lens could push through the frame hitting your eye or letting the object/s get by to damage your eye anyway. Safety frames are in the $50 +/- $20 range so are cheap. It's the @&*% lenses that cost but a wrecked eye is a life altering injury.

Pete

 

[Ollie78]

As I mentioned earlier just putting a safety lens in a regular frame does not make them safety glasses. Normal glasses have a shallower depth and groove angle than safety frames. They don't hold as well. In an accident the lens may resist the impact and not shatter but the lens could push through the frame hitting your eye or letting the object/s get by to damage your eye anyway. Safety frames are in the $50 +/- $20 range so are cheap. It's the @&*% lenses that cost but a wrecked eye is a life altering injury.

Pete

I am not suggesting a polycarbonate lense is maximum safety option, I normally use a face shield if doing anything that warrants it, however for the few quid extra its a bit safer.
I have tried many different "proper" safety frames and have yet to find any that would warrant the money they want for them or fit with anything like the comfort of regular frames.

The optical industry can be looked at as a scam in some ways, the lenses themselves cost very little and the frames are all made by one huge company, again for very little.
However without the expertise of skilled opticians and optometrists many of us would be pretty screwed, my wife has a basic prescription and is fine buying cheap glasses online but for me I would be sending them back 6 times before they got it right.

Ollie

 

[Woody Alan]

I have just had safety glasses from specsavers. Usual miserable experience. Had the eyetest glasses made up to PD from previous records. I knew straight away they were not right. Took ages to get an appointment to see clinician who did the usual bend them and even tried to tell me they rotated one lens that was not right (square ish lens so how that's possible... Follow up appointment with retest and as suspected they has under prescribed the right eye by .25 of a dioptre. Saw another dispenser and he reckoned my PD wasn't correct as well (why the previous one didn't spot it I don't know). Glasses remade and are now OK and I paid for highest quality lens (still not Essilor quality). I have had poor experience before from Specsavers and have had a refund from them in the past.

But to add balance I have had the same from Boots. wrong prescription and PD wrong. Make a fuss get a retest with the top bloke and best dispenser and Essilor lens different precription and PD and all sorted out and perfect. Been through that twice with Boots over the years. I think there is a serious shortfall in skill/experience and a big dose of complacency/treadmill in all these outlets. I wonder how many people could have better vision. I was told at specsavers that my dominant eye could switch. Well guess what if the dominant eye is under prescibed the other will do it's best. They are full of excuses you just have to be firm with them.
The only reason I used Specsavers is my company has a contract for safety glasses otherwise I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole.

My mother has used an independant and also had issues, so I am not targeting stores just my journey so far.

There is a lot to take into account for example, whether you want short or long corridor (regardless of lens depth), different make of lens. making sure the lens is deep enough for good range, whether close up is more important. I always make sure the reading element is as strong as possible for me so I can see fairly close when using the very bottom of the lens. This is where short corridor helps. etc etc Bit of a minefield really and these "experts" don't think we are capable of making a choice based on information if given freely. Mybe a good independant will take the time to discuss, I have yet to try one.

 

[Glyn Hyatt]

Which Opticians stock them?

Specsavers have a range of safety gasses priced at £75