Replacement lenses for old glasses frames.

I worked for a time as a technician in an optician's, cutting lenses to fit frames, and my shop had no problems with customers who wanted us to use their own as long as they were in good condition (the frames, that is: the condition of the customers was completely immaterial). The equipment needed and the technique used are exactly the same for brand new frames as for old and previously used ones; from the shop's point of view the only disadvantage of using old frames is that the customers won't be buying new ones: perhaps that's the reason for the reluctance.

Every time I tried to get new lenses in my existing frames (usually only two years old, I was told that they didn't do those frames any more and so didn't have the correct lenses for them. It does seem to be purely to force people to buy new frames.

SteveW

Its odd that, as when I was young, I was specifically asked if I wanted my current spare pair to be fitted with the new prescription. What has changed here? Is it margins of profit? Brian

I expect frames - coming from China - are a lot cheaper wholesale now than they used to be, and they're where the profit is.

Also there's a much wider choice now. In the days when you had NHS black or NHS tortoishell, people probably did get their old frames reglazed as there wasn't any point paying for new frames.

Owain

a good 30 years ago, I went to an optician convenient to where I worked. I wanted gold coloured metal frames and was offered three very expensive pairs - all made in Germany. So I asked if they had any British ones. "Oh, you mean sports frames." They had some at less than half the price of the first ones they'd shown me. Oh, yes - it's all about profit.

Specsavers will re glaze. Whether it is good value I don't know.

Naturally you will have no warranty on the old frames.

Chris

Well that's bollocks for a start, the len's come as circular blanks of the correct presciption and are cut to fit the frame.

We've had frames reglazed in the past but not tried recently, ie a year maybe two. The in shop labs are also disappearing so the single trip, one hour turn around that used to exist is now a two trip/two week wait...

And yes, all the profit is in the frames and even more so if you go for a "brand".

That's what I used to do unless the frames were damaged. And the frames only cost 75p. (The NHS lenses - and testing - were free anyway.)

I got a high street optician to refit into old frames

I must say that with frames that were already half worn they didn't last as long as with new frames, so I have never tried it since

tim

won't be doing that again

my branded frames are rubbish

tim

This is R D S's (Rick's) commercial operation, which I have used in the past for getting both frames & lenses, according to a supplied prescription, and for getting reglazes-only done (I 'experiment' with my prescription).

I have been happy with his service and will continue to use it; However I would advise him to say that it is his service when posting links in future.

J^n

Fair point, it never occurred at that time of night after a few looseners.

I have never managed to get a one trip, one hour turnaround. Every time have used them, they have said that they can't do that for the lenses or frames that I have chosen and it'll be a week!

My wife did once get a pair in 2 hours, but they were not the right prescription. She lost her reading glasses at a patient's house on a Friday (the patient didn't bother to report finding them until the next week) and she'd previously broken her spare pair. The office was closed by the time she realised, so she couldn't dictate the notes to someone else; they were confidential, so I couldn't do it; and she needed to get the notes on the system, in case the Crisis team needed to access them overnight or during the weekend.

Yet again it was a case of "we can't do that prescription here, they'll have to be sent off." They did however agree to do the closest prescription that they could manage, to tide her over and allow her to work, while she waited for the right lenses to come in.

I think that the optician that I used last, lost out on their profit as they mis-measured.

I'd decided to try varifocals (my next glasses won't be though). When they came, the transition zone started too high and I had to tilt my head down for distance (driving in particular). They had to have the lenses re-made. They were better, but the same problem was still there, so they had to swap for deeper frames and have the lenses re-made again

- and the only frames of a similar style, but deep enough were a designer brand at a much higher price, so they had to absorb the extra cost.

SteveW

It's somewhat down to the falling out that goes on when a frame breaks during processing, a problem especially with plastic/acetate frames.

Most places will assert that the risk is with the customer but they never take well to the news that their frame is broken, And the law is shaky on whether the optician can wash their hands of any liability.

And as you say, less profit.

So i'm pretty sure all high street chains have stopped doing reglazes, folk will have better luck with smaller independent outfits.

I was going to post about this, because Chinese stuff in particular gets a bad press and it's not totally valid.

I would assume that the vast majority of the frames i've been glazing all my adult life have come from China. They vary in quality, obviously, from absolutely shocking to not bad at all. And the cost difference between the shocking and the OK can be as little as 2 quid.

We wholesale and retail. Our practice historically hadn't done any branded stuff but I do see them on the wholesale side and had started to note a pattern that the expensive stuff was more likely to fall to bits, particularly rimless frames.

We had a dabble ourself recently. Sold some fancy branded stuff and we've canned it. In particular I have drawn the conclusion that anything that says "Made in Italy" on it needs a wide berth. They make stuff pretty, but they can't for the life of them get small bits of metal to stick together properly.

As pointed out, I should have stated that the above is my own business.

Any Fiat owner could have told you that...

Owain

I've recently bought many pairs of prescription glasses from China, for about 25 to 35 quid. I like the rimless, hingeless style, bendy. I guess the actual frame costs less than £1 wholesale.

Brilliant.

The only problem I have had was a poor prescription from a UK optician.

I last ordered end of Feb, delivery was 1 week for basic glasses, 2 weeks for prescription sunglasses, so no covid problems.