Firstly I want to be clear that I'm not attacking people in this newsgroup like Robert, Specs31 (if he's still around), et al, who in my opinion have given consistantly great advice and have greatly increased my knowledge. But, this is my recent experience of visiting opticians to buy spectacles and it's not a happy one. After reading this newsgroup and deciding on mono pd's, heights, pre-frame fitting and lens choices with good abbe values I thought my purchase would be simple. /Rant on My RX Right eye Sphere -2.50 Cyl -2.25 Axis 5 Left Eye Sphere -3.75 Cyl -1.50 Axis 170 Optician 1 "Mono pd's? You won't need that for your prescription." Rapid exit Optcian 2 "I haven't got the lenses that you mentioned but I do have polycarbonate which has far better optical properties than anything on the market. Abbe is just technical jargon." Rapid exit Optician 3 "No, we don't have those lenses but we do have Zeiss lenses which are the best in the world. Go to any optician and they'll tell you the same thing. Have you considered polycarbonate?" Rapid exit Optician 3 "No, we don't have those lenses but we do have Nikon lenses which are the best in the world. What's an Abbe value?" Rapid Exit Optician 4 "Yes we have those lenses, but you don't need pre-frame fitting and vertical centres with your prescription" Sigh, exit I could go on but it gets very depressing. So, I decided to go to the Optometry department of the local university, City University in London, as they must carry out best practice. My appointment went reasonably well, I described my past with badly fitting spectacles causing discomfort and poor vision. I requested mono and vertical pds's, pre-frame fitting, and found that they were able to supply one of my lens choices, Seiko Super 16. I returned two weeks later for my spectacles, at first glance they appeared to be ok and i ordered a second pair. When I got home I found that that if I raised my spectacles slightly and tilted my head back a little I could get clearer vision. When I mentioned this to them they said it was probably due to my prescription and that there was nothing wrong with my spectacles. I thought I was imagining it as they must know best. But, still if I raised my spectacles slightly without tilting my head I could still see better. When I returned for my second pair of spectacles, while the assistant was away, I decided to read my notes that had been left on the table. I found that I hadn't been given Seiko Super 16 spherical lenses but Seiko Maxima aspheric. I'd already done my research on these and they were different lenses. I also noticed that vertical pd's hadn't been passed on to the lab. When I mentioned this I was told that with my prescription that it was unecessary. Having read Specs31's posts about spectacle fitting and aspheric lenses, and having previous trouble with badly fitting spectacles I told them I didn't agree. The trainee then called in her Trainer who was absolutely adamant that vertical pd's weren't necessary for my prescription and glossed over the fact that different lenses had been ordered to the ones I had specifically asked for. Her comment was "You're not having a problem with aspheric lenses so what are you complaining for". Do vertical pd's and supplying the lenses asked for really cause opticians that much trouble ! Anyway, to cut this short I can still see better if I raise my spectacles slightly and I'm still on the search for an optician that doesn't have the morals of a used car salesman. Which is going to be very, very hard considering that the muppets at City University appear to be training most of the opticans in my area. /Rant off Anyway, just want to add again that from reading this newsgroup for a number of years I know that they're very good and competent people in this profession, however you are very hard to find!
