I own a small optometry business in South Australia - a bit far from Wollongong! I am a member of a group Australian optometry practices called Provision. We are all independently owned and not franchised. Although I do not know any optometrists in your local area, it might be worth looking up the Provision website in Australia and searching to see if there is someone in your area and then doing your own research from there. Many small business owners are passionate about what they do and have a vested interest in making you happy. (Although you canāt please everyone of course!) As for price and quality, as you know there is a vast different in product and pricing across the board, and by and large you do get what you pay for. While some people do get on very well with older technology multifocal lenses, for others spending the money on the latest technology lenses - some of which now incorporate data from your own individual eye scans as well as your prescription - makes all the difference to your visual comfort. I hope you find someone who suits your needs and you are happy with your new specs.
I had similar problems to you so I got my last glasses from Zenni which is a completely online store. Very happy with them and the price was brilliant. They are multifocals, I got the best they offered, and as far as I can tell the quality is equal to the old local ones where I used to pay many hundreds of dollars.
The only issue is having to adjust them myself, but as I now live 200k from the nearest optometrist I would have to do that with store bought ones.
- Ask your GP.
- Go to an independent, preferably one that belongs to either the ProVision group or Eyecare plus - they are the most reputable.
Welcome Nick. I am a little confused. How is a vendor independent that belongs to a chain?
They are not chains. They are cooperatives, with independent members, and mostly the cream of the optical world.
To expand on NickPapās reply, ProVision and Eyecare Plus are (to simplify) support organisations for their members. At Provision, store owners pay a relatively small monthly fee which funds the organisation and allows them to provide advice on running a business, marketing, lease arrangements, recruiting etc as requested by the member. Member practices are all completely independently owned and operated by their optometrist owner. All buying decisions, frame ranges and lens choice is up to the individual optometrist. They are not chains, corporates or franchises, and are all locally owned and operated. I cannot speak for Eyecare Plus, but my understanding is that it is similar. As mentioned previously, I am a ProVision member and am proud of my totally independent small business.
What do you say that? What is your knowledge of the industry?
As I see it the outcome you get depends on:
- the optometrist specifying the correct prescription
- the maker building the product accurately and of quality components
- the vendor making it all happen efficiently and at a fair price.
In this arrangement which of those roles does the member and the support organisation fill?
Iāve been in the industry since 1985, and am nowhere near the Illawarra area.
For many of us the options are limited, and it comes down to one or two only providers within easy reach. Zero if one lives in the less populated parts of Australia.
Mostly locals rely on word of mouth to find the best option. Itās not always local or the most convenient. Necessity and economic reality can keep a very average provider in business for longer than some might consider reasonable.
Weāve been customers in different urban and rural settings since 1992. While there is a very well known chain just up the road, we now drive the extra 30km each way to an independently owned and run business.
So many of us now need regular eye testing, and prescription eye wear. Shared first hand experience is the most valuable. The chain up the road I made use of at three different branches over time. The quality of the outcomes and service varied between branches and over time.
Thanks everyone for your comments.
I am glad I am not alone with my past experiences with buying new spectacles.
In these times, I am keen to support local stores and not focus on chain stores-thanks for the tips re ProVision.
BTW How do you buy glasses online?
Here I will speak for myself and my business.
I am the optometrist and take pride in the quality of my work.
Every job that comes into my practice is checked to ensure the lenses are produced and fitted to order, ideally eliminating lab error.
Pricing can vary enormously, there are so many variables. Efficiency does depend on the lab used as most, but not all, lens manufacturing is not done within Australia for bespoke products. Communicating properly regarding expectations of product features, value and delivery are the key here.
The support organisation has nothing to do with any of the points you raise. They are simply a support organisation. No hidden agenda, they simply exist to support independent optometry as I mentioned previously.
So who makes the frames and lenses for the independent, are they truly independent of the tentacles of Luxottica etc?
Great question. We are truly independent and can choose any lab we like and any product we need. One of the many reasons I chose to go independent was the restriction of products I was able to supply while working for a corporate practice and not being able to access the best solution for the customerās needs. I primarily work with 2 labs but use several according to which specialty product I require. I would like to think that most independents would have similar philosophies, but can only speak for myself. Personally, I have chosen not to work with any company that has positioned itself in a way that I see as counterproductive to my independence. Other independants may choose to use products supplied by the company you mentioned, but it is by their own choice. I do not.
I am liking the passion of the independent store contributors. I will be looking at the independent optometrists here in Wollongong for my next set of glasses. Is there a trick in choosing the right one?
You might be lucky asking around your friends, those you might play bridge or bowls with if that way situated, or those at work, or if you have children at school some of the parents you meet who wear glasses, or ā¦.
Knowing if they are a regular customer of one of the āindependentsā and happy with the service may help. A caution with this and other similar recommendations is to be sure to compare like for like. IE you both have similar needs and make might make similar choices. A good local optometrist in one of our previous locations moved fortnightly through several small townships. The choices of frames were limited through necessity and their convenience. Not all offered a good opinion. My needs however were well met.
Same experience with $15 reading glasses - the frames look ok (if you are happy with a limited range), are very sturdy and even have spring-loaded hinges.
Recently had to buy prescription sun glasses - even though expensive the temples and hinges bend easily and I have to adjust the tiny hinge screws frequently. Frames are so fashion driven and overpriced, I couldnāt even buy the shape / colour I wanted because almost all brands have a narrow range of look-a-likes depending on the current ācoolā factor. Donāt mention wrap-around prescription sun glasses - it seems I am the only āvision impairedā bike rider with sensitive eyes ā¦ 
I use Specsavers for the prescription now and bought my last 3 pairs from https://www.ausspecs.com.au online. I have a big head so frames need 145mm arm lengths and Specsavers has a very limited frame collection for those sizes at the cheap end. Most of what they have is in $299-399 range! Which is more than double what I paid at Ausspec with transition lenses too!
The last 3 pairsā frames all the same though in different colours as I like the frame!
