Asda Opticians

[hc4361]

I know it's recommended by Which? and it is very cheap but I couldn't recommend them. My prescription is complex and they told me a couple of years ago that they couldn't provide my glasses.
My wife's prescription is fairly straightforward so we thought we'd give them a go and save money. They tested her eyes - the eye test did seem quicker than we are normally used to - she chose her frames, so far so good. Then they asked her for a copy of her old prescription as they needed it for the prism measurements. We are baffled. Never before has either of us had to provide a copy of the old prescription before the glasses could be made up. The optician usually works out the prisms (I don't know how) at each test.

This suggests to me that Asda opticians aren't up to the job. Can anyone here explain how prisms are measured and why Asda can't do it themselves?

[dannyk13]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prism_correction

[hc4361]

Thanks, danny, but I know what prisms are and what they do. I still don't know how the optician measures the degree of prism needed nor why Asda opticians can't do it.

[Vagus]

I’m sorry I can’t answer your question, but what we do is have our eyes tested at a local optician and then take the prescription to Asda where we choose our frames and have the specs made up.
Never had a problem doing it this way, my other half has a prism which presumably is noted on the prescription written by our testing optician.

[hc4361]

Why don't you get them tested at Asda, Vagus? Don't you trust them?

[Vagus]

No, it’s not that, they don’t do the diabetic screening so we both have to go to an optician that does.
I’d always get my frames from Asda though, they’re so much cheaper than anywhere else and as I said, we’ve never had a problem.

[hc4361]

I go to my local opticians for diabetic screening but I don't like the chap so won't buy my glasses from him :D

[davebro]

I've used a number of opticians (but not Asda) in the past and found Vision Express to be by far the best. Didn't like Boots or Specsavers.

[hellywelly4]

I’ve got double vision and have my eye tests at Specsavers. They have fantastic equipment and the staff are excellent. I have prisms in both lenses and now the prisms are too strong for them to be fitted into varifocal glasses and so. I have to have one pair for distance and one for reading. With all due respect, Asda is a supermarket. Specsavers test eyes.

[ummmm]

I always use Specsavers.

[Mamyalynne]

They should be able to do the job from start to finish, something wrong if they couldn't.

[jno]

I've had no trouble with Specsavers (and some trouble with others).

[Vagus]

As long as Asda opticians are up front about what they can and can’t do...which they are... then I have no problem with them being a supermarket, who also sell specs at a very competitive price.
I wouldn’t go anywhere else for my specs. I would go elsewhere to have my eyes tested. And don’t have a problem with that. We all do what we’re happy with.

[hc4361]

That's the point, Vagus, when we asked them why they couldn't work out the prisms they were very cagey and we didn't get a straight answer.
I shall insist on an explanation when we go to collect the glasses.