Talking of the Royal Wedding and non sequiturs, I just have to mention at this point that it seems I have been nominated for the MADs awards in THREE categories. Not only Best Writer, and Most Inspiring, as I've already said, but also "Best Blog for Family Fun". I do believe in fun, so thank you to whoever nominated me in that category.
We've all established that England is the place to be if you want a darn good royal event. But I have a question for you. Is it the place to be if you have a 13 year old in need of glasses?
We are coming to England in 3 weeks time. 13-yo needs new glasses, and they're a bit overdue, honestly. It's been more than a year since his last eye test, and he says he's sure his prescription has changed. So now I have a choice. We could try and get an appointment, and choose some new glasses, and hope they arrive in time. But I know what getting an appointment with an opthalmologist can be like. Or we could leave it till we get to England, and get him fixed up over there.
What I need to know is this? Is there going to be a significant saving either way? Has anyone any knowledge of this? Glasses: cheaper in the US or the UK? I'm also wanting to ask if he can get an eye test and/or glasses on the NHS - but I don't want to expose myself to sniggering and chortling. Am I hopelessly out of date even to ask?
Advice please.
.
I think that under 16s get free eye tests, and help towards the cost of glasses (and possibly free ones, if you're willing to wear the range that is free...). But you need a voucher, and I'm not sure how you get that/timescales.
ReplyDeleteThis might help:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/@ps/documents/digitalasset/dh_118511.pdf
You do have to sign a form saying they are entitled to nhs treatment so if they aren't it's fraud. He might be entitled though, I don't know how long you have to live abroad to not be. The nhs specs are way better than the choice of four from when we were kids: same shape for all in brown, pink, blue or see-through. But still not as good as the wider range so hard to tell what your bill could be. And by the way, ophthalmologist has a h before the t, I only know because a very cross ophthalmologist told me once when I got it wrong.
ReplyDeleteI think if you've been out of the country for more than 6 months, you're technically not entitled to NHS treatment any more. If you're in a hurry to get glasses, do you have somewhere like a LensCrafters nearby? They'll be ready in an hour! May cost a little more though :-( And getting the appointment you need to get the prescription is the first hurdle!
ReplyDeleteNo idea about the comparison between US and UK glasses. But I did get some new ones in Boots recently - buy one pair and get a second free which was a good deal. Well done on your MAD nominations, I hope you have some 'family fun' in the opticians when you're here!
ReplyDeleteWell done on your nominations! I wish I could help re glasses. Looking forward to seeing you at Cybermummy! And I know you'll be busy, but if you're near Essex at all it would be lovely to have a coffee together!!
ReplyDeleteIf you go to Pearl Vision (where they are as qualified as anyone else according to my eye surgeon friend) they will have glasses ready for you in 48 hours or less. I took the little guy in a few weeks ago and couldn't believe it. Price-wise I'm not sure how things compare. I believe I ended up paying about $250 for exam and glasses (and insurance). They are having a special sale at the moment, so you should ask about that too!
ReplyDeleteYou're entitled to NHS treatment for 5 years living outside of Britain. Believe me I KNOW! I STILL fight every time i go to teh surgey or hospital each summer. I now have a leaflet that says so from the very hospital wch tried to argue otherwise. I can send you a scan of this leaflet if you like....
ReplyDeleteWell done for the nominations Iota. Well deserved! We still got NHS eye tests and glasses for the children while we lived in France but we were still paying UK tax and NI. Most of the large chains can get glasses done in a couple of days if they can't do a 1 hour job
ReplyDeleteNot sure about the NHS point, but on the cost front put it this way. I picked out a pair of glasses for myself the other day (local opticians, not a big brand). Imagine my delight when I was told the frames were £9.99!!! Actual cost of the glasses including lenses, special coatings (which apparently I need because I had them on my old glasses - see what they did there) and probably some other stuff which I've forgotten: £90 something...
ReplyDeleteDon't know how that compares with the States but I was a little taken aback.
Hmm, I would be tempted to ask Mr Google, if I were you and try calculating the exchange rate?
ReplyDeleteThe 13 year old in our house has a habit of breaking her glasses. It's an expensive habit that we struggle to keep up with!
Paul
http://fromsheeptoalligators.blogspot.com/