Prescription specs online

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435 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#577790 6-Feb-2012 10:51

Lias: I've got to say that article sounds rather like sour grapes over parallel importing more than anything else.

That may well be your perception, but the fact is that they don't have to comply with regulations that a registered health professional does.

spk18

85 posts

Master Geek

#577846 6-Feb-2012 14:14

+1 for Clearly Contacts. Have bought two pairs of glasses from them and have been great, very quick dispatch. I can't frankly believe that I can get them quicker from them (usually half the time) than them being made here, despite them coming from Canada. In any event have also gone to contact lenses and can get exactly the same brand of contacts from them for half the price of Specsavers. About to order the contacts from them but don't envisage any problems.

spk18

85 posts

Master Geek

#577848 6-Feb-2012 14:17

rhysb:
Lias: I've got to say that article sounds rather like sour grapes over parallel importing more than anything else.

That may well be your perception, but the fact is that they don't have to comply with regulations that a registered health professional does.

Interesting - worth noting that we nearly got the TGA here in the guise of a Joint Therapeutic Agency with Australia. Looks a lot like patch protection to me to be honest, noting that contacts come sealed from the manufacturer with expiry dates etc.

DjShadow

4086 posts

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#577872 6-Feb-2012 16:10

+1 Clearly Contacts, ask around if anyone has a voucher for them as its possible to get your first pair free from them

mattwnz

20163 posts

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#577877 6-Feb-2012 16:27

rhysb: Anything to do with health I would be wary of doing online. You may save a few dollars, but you've only got one pair of eyes.
?
http://www.dailyrx.com/news-article/half-prescription-glasses-ordered-through-internet-found-be-incorrect-15384.html

You do have to wonder how much is true, and how much is scaremongering, in order to protect an older business model. There are very few facts in that article. I have a friend who is an optician, and so know that they make huge margins on the frames especially. At least if you do buy from a local store, or even a NZ online store, you are covered by NZs laws and health regulations, which is a form of insurance. They can also get fitted properly. That said, I wasn't that happy with the service I last received from my local optician, so I may look at getting frames and lenses online next, possible from one of the NZ online ones

farcus

1554 posts

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#577905 6-Feb-2012 18:05

I had my doubts about zennioptical before using them because they were sooooo cheap.
However, I have now purchased several pair from them and don't think I would ever consider paying several hundred dollars for a pair of glasses again.

Boeingflyer

643 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#577978 6-Feb-2012 21:42

Just get your eyes lazered. That's what i'm going to do, at the moment i get my contacts paid for by my work because of safety equipment that i may have to wear, once i leave i will get mine lazered.

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mattwnz

20163 posts

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#577992 6-Feb-2012 22:06

Fabian: Just get your eyes lazered. ?That's what i'm going to do, at the moment i get my contacts paid for by my work because of safety equipment that i may have to wear, once i leave i will get mine lazered.

Can't you only have that done a certain number of time, dependent on the thickness of the cornia? I would be a bit scared to get that done. I think technology in the future may improve alot.

RobertT

120 posts

Master Geek

#578077 7-Feb-2012 10:09

I lost my glasses while on holiday, got a copy of my prescription from OPSM (with all the caveats about it not being guaranteed as it was over 6 months old) and ordered some from clearly contacts. Looking at the clearlycontacts.co.nz site on the phone, there was a promo to get the first pair free (you pay for postage and extras) by entering the promo code 'firstpairfree'. I checked the site on the laptop (easier to see the glasses) and didn't find this promo code, but ordered some glasses using the code and they were delivered from Canada and waiting form me when i got home a week later.

I'm very happy as I got a pair of glasses with coated lenses etc for $75.

One thing I'd recommend is to measure your existing glasses frames, or check the numbers on the inside frame of some existing frames as they are the sizes of the frames.

RobertT

120 posts

Master Geek

#578080 7-Feb-2012 10:11

mattwnz:
Fabian: Just get your eyes lazered. ?That's what i'm going to do, at the moment i get my contacts paid for by my work because of safety equipment that i may have to wear, once i leave i will get mine lazered.

Can't you only have that done a certain number of time, dependent on the thickness of the cornia? I would be a bit scared to get that done. I think technology in the future may improve alot.

There are different ways of doing this. My wife had hers done, and despite having to have one eye done twice, is very happy.

Just do the research. There's plenty of information and even Youtube has videos of the procedures.

timmmay

20580 posts

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#578104 7-Feb-2012 11:16

I've used clearly contacts for contacts with no problems. I've been using aclens.com for many years, as they can be quite a bit cheaper than clearly. I haven't bought contacts from NZ in at least 5 years, every contact was bought over the web, and my eyes are perfectly healthy according to my optometrist. They're the same thing, sometimes in slightly different packaging, the only difference is you pay a heck of a lot less than in ripoff NZ.

I just ordered reading glasses from 39dollarglasses.com based on my NZ prescription. They should be here any day, but the USPS tracking is looking odd, like they've just arrived back to where they sent them from in New York.

bazzer

3438 posts

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#578198 7-Feb-2012 14:00

mattwnz:
Fabian: Just get your eyes lazered. ?That's what i'm going to do, at the moment i get my contacts paid for by my work because of safety equipment that i may have to wear, once i leave i will get mine lazered.

Can't you only have that done a certain number of time, dependent on the thickness of the cornia? I would be a bit scared to get that done. I think technology in the future may improve alot.

Why would you want to get it done more than once? Only if your vision changes and as far as I know, they won't do it if your vision is changing. Of course it will improve in the future, but one the other hand you'd have to wait until tomorrow (whenever that is). I didn't get lasik but another form of corrective surgery and it's one of the best things I've ever done. If things go badly, just wait for the future when we'll have bionic eye implants!

mattwnz

20163 posts

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#578242 7-Feb-2012 14:58

bazzer:
mattwnz:
Fabian: Just get your eyes lazered. ?That's what i'm going to do, at the moment i get my contacts paid for by my work because of safety equipment that i may have to wear, once i leave i will get mine lazered.

Can't you only have that done a certain number of time, dependent on the thickness of the cornia? I would be a bit scared to get that done. I think technology in the future may improve alot.

Why would you want to get it done more than once? Only if your vision changes and as far as I know, they won't do it if your vision is?changing. Of course it will improve in the?future, but one?the other hand you'd have to wait until tomorrow (whenever that is). I didn't get lasik but another form of corrective surgery and it's one of the best things I've ever done. If things go badly, just wait for the future when we'll have bionic?eye implants!

Over a long time your vision will change slowly, even after having laser done. So if you are 20 now and get it done, and your vision changes slowly, and you need it doing again at 40, then you vision may change again at 60, when you then may not be able to get it done if your cornea isn't thick enough. It also depends where in your life stage you are.

jtbthatsme

937 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#578341 7-Feb-2012 18:26

39dollarglasses.com have been used by my (now ex) wifes family for years with at least 3 but I think it's 4 members of the family using this place for quite some time now and never any problem. Just get your perscription sent off to them and that's it pay up and wait for delivery. Not one problem with them.

Now as someone else mentioned laser eye surgery is a great option if you can afford it and or able to actually have your eye problem resolved by it. My wife had it done up in Auckland they were very good and she's had no eye problems since and this was done back 2005 or 2006. At the end of they day though if your unfortunate to have to wear corrective lenses then regular check ups are a must. I just wear coloured contacts for fun but even these can be made as perscription types as well for those not happy with their original colour.

bazzer

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#578527 8-Feb-2012 08:00

mattwnz: Over a long time your vision will change slowly, even after having laser done. So if you are 20 now and get it done, and your vision changes slowly, and you need it doing again at 40, then you vision may change again at 60, when you then may not be able to get it done if your cornea isn't thick enough. It also depends where in your life stage you are.

I'd be more worried about the fact that by then you'd likely develop presbyopia and need reading glasses too and no lasik that I know of is able to correct for both conditions (unless you count blended vision which is a hack really).

Of course it depends on your situation, but after wearing corrective lenses for 25 years and having surgery in my early 30s, I wish I'd done something about it sooner (notwithstanding I may not have been able to). I'd rather have it done now and potentially need to wear weak glasses in 20 years time (at a time when I'm probably going to need reading glasses and/or there will be advances in the field anyway).

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