subject: Reglaze your own spectacle frames - new for old [print this page]
Do you have a favourite pair of spectacles that you have had for rs? You probably have to tilt them or squint a bit to see clearly out of them. The frames may have seen better days, but they are comfortable and more than likely cost a few bob when they were new.
The reason you can't see with them quite as well as you used to is probably nothing to do with your deteriorating eyesight but more likely to be the fact that the lense surface is covered in tiny scratches from years of use.
Did you know that there are online opticians on the Internet that will reglaze and spruce up your old glasses so that they feel like new? In fact if you have varifocals (or progressive lenses) and you send in your old glasses with the lenses intact, a good optician will be able to recreate your prescription by taking measurements from the old lenses. This is a big advantage when requiring varifocals as aconscientiousonline optician should advise against ordering such lenses with only a prescription to guide them.
Search the online optician websites to see if they have a specific page that gives you a reglaze option, if you cannot find a specific page it never hurts to email or call to ask and to obtain a quote. As always, when purchasing anything from any site, if there is not a valid telephone number, that is answered by a human being, be wary of the service you may obtain. If there is not an address with a valid postcode never order from that site, remeber you are planning to send a treasured pair of spectacles to a complete stranger, however much cheaper it will be to take this option it will not be a good experience if you never see them again!
Reduce any risk by taking the steps above, try and determine how long the optician has been practicing, I know that if anyone called or emailed me I would happy to divulge such information so why would any other genuine independant optician not want to do so?
In conclusion by having your old prescription glasses reglazed, instead of buying new, you will not only save money but you can be certain that when you receive your 'new' glasses they will fit you and suit you just the same as when you first ordered them.
