Wrong glasses prescription?

[benblack]

Hello - I am hoping someone may be able to offer some advice.

 

My stepmum has been wearing glasses for 30 years and decided she wanted some newer specs. In April 2009 she went to Vision Expresss for an eyetest. The test said she needed stronger lenses than she had been using.

 

Armed with the prescription, she went to Optical Express in June 2009 and paid £560 plus a NHS voucher for £245 for a pair of varifocals.

 

As soon as she got them she couldn't see with them. She pointed this out in the shop and the girl in Optical Express said the arms were too long, making the lenses too far from her eyes, and the arms were adjusted. This made no difference whatsoever. She has been back 5 times and on occassion has had the shop staff sniggering while it was suggested that having one ear bigger than the other may be the reason.

 

I suggested she go to boots today and get another eyetest. The result was different by nearly a full point in each eye - the glasses she had paid for were far too strong for her.

 

I believe we have a case for a full refund but from who?

 

Optical Express made the glasses but did not do an eyetest - they went by the prescription from Vision Express.

 

Vision Express did the eyetest that gave the wrong prescription - but on the 26th October, it will be 6 months since the eyetest. Being 70, I doubt that they could get away with the excuse of "her eyesight must have improved".

 

Who is at fault?

Which law covers this?

 

Any and all advice greatly appreciated.

[Guest Old_andrew2018]

Well IMHO vision express as they issued the prescription

[FullyBANKcharged]

When you say point, do you mean 0.25 or 1.00 dioptres?

 

If the original optician issued the wrong RX then they have a duty to put the glasses right. However, they also have an opportunity to do another S/T themselves.

 

Just bear in mind that varifocals are complicated lenses, and 0.25 dioptres mught not make much of a difference, but if the lenses are set 2mm too high or low, it might make a big difference.

Edited January 15, 2010 by FullyBANKcharged

[safenath]

Varifocals are a tricky subject i have been making them for 16 years and fitting them for 12 , the issuer of the original sight test should really have been your first port of call, but 90 % of varifocals offer a 30 day guarantee against NON TOLERANCE , do you know what brand of lenses they are? for that money they should be branded and fully refundable under the NON TOLERANCE GUARANTEE . If you have no joy with this at optical express then ask them for the make of varifocal and drop me a mail i will give you a phone number for customer services. A sneaky method is to phone Optical express explain that you would like to try varifocals but aren't sure if they are for you " what if i dont get along with them how long do i have to bring them back?" i bet the answer is 30 days , it is at boots V.E spec savers and every private Optoms i have worked for.

Has your Mum worn Varifocals before? what was that brand? once a person gets used to one type of varifocal it can be hard to tolerate another brand! Also you get what you pay for! ( i realise you have paid a lot) , if you put the Prescription on here and tell me what she was sold then i can tell you if in my opinion it was necessary or oversold.

Another thing is as stated by FullyBankcharged earlier on this thread the glazing heights and centers are imperative to good vision , if they are made wrong then she wont see . Good luck.

[safenath]

HAAAAAAA just saw that im a year too late!!!!! some cavalry eh!