Reglaze glasses frames with a new set of prescription lenses and you could potentially save yourself an absolute fortune the next time you need to upgrade your sight test prescription. Many high street Opticians will try and coax you into buying a new frame every time you pay them a visit for your annual sight test but in my opinion, this can be very unnecessary as the pair of expensive frames you bought last year should last you at least 3-4 years before needing replacing. Now I’m no skinflint but I do think that some of these guys are taking us for fools when they try to convince us that the frame we bought last year will need replacing as it is now ‘unsuitable’ to be reglazed with new lenses. Whenever I have enquired if I can reglaze glasses with new lenses the answer is always the same, “Hmmm, I wouldn’t advise you to use your old frame as it has become brittle over the past year and might break when we reglaze them”, says the grinning salesperson. Who do these people think they are kidding? According to most of the big frame manufacturers, a pair of decent optical frames should last, at the very least, 2 years before they either become brittle or the joints are weakened.
Many of you on a tight budget out there will be pleased to know that if you wish to reglaze glasses using an online company there are many online glasses retailers who offer this reglazing service for around half the price that most high street opticians will charge and they can actually provide you with the same brand and quality of lens that your local Optician would have provided you with. For instance, if you currently wear a varifocal lens which is made by Nikon or Essilor then I can guarantee that you will be able to have these reglazed into your existing frame for almost half the cost and without any problems. The online glasses retailer can take all the relevant measurements from your old prescription glasses and replicate them to your new ones so there is no need to make the trip to your Opticians to be measured and then have to part with a huge chunk of your hard-earned cash! The option to reglaze glasses frames is becoming hugely popular of late as many people struggle through times of financial uncertainty and this service allows them to be able to afford the best optical prescription lenses but only pay around half the cost when done through an internet glasses retailer. If you read this article and then eventually decide to reglaze glasses over the internet then my advice is to make sure that you use someone who specializes in prescription lenses as well as just the frames as these people will be able to advise and assist you on how to get the best lenses from your budget. Also, make sure they display a phone number on the website in case you need some assistance when ordering your lenses as some people can find this quite daunting the first time they order and anyway, it’s just nice to know that there is a friendly person on the other end of the phone just in case you need any reassurances.
Next month I will be finding out just how much of a difference it makes when choosing different brands of prescription lenses so until then, enjoy the rest of the holiday season!
Jim Romand is a specialist prescription lens consultant and dispensing optician who has worked in the industry for over 25 years. After qualifying as an SMC Tech at the London college of optometry in 1985, He has since worked as a Lab consultant for many high street opticians chains within the UK and currently works for the company who reglaze spectacles and offer new lenses.