Comments for Give Me My Pupillary Distance http://www.pupillary-distance.net National Petition Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:50:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 Comment on Opticians Talkback by John Rolf http://www.pupillary-distance.net/?page_id=118&cpage=1#comment-981 John Rolf Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:50:00 +0000 http://www.pupillary-distance.net/?page_id=118#comment-981 This is simply an industry with far too much fat, clinging on to the last vestiges of practices that are being swept asisde in many other industries by progress. Change or die is the unfortunate truth. Medicine and the Law are the last two spheres where the barricades of self interest are being slowly beaten down. Rather than use excuses and sharp practices to hold custom, opticians must look at themselves and ask how best to continue maximising profit in the face of inevitable change. The capacious offices and large stock may need to go and new ways to subsidise the cost of equipment and eye tests found. The walls are coming down and only the smartest will move out of the way in time. This is simply an industry with far too much fat, clinging on to the last vestiges of practices that are being swept asisde in many other industries by progress. Change or die is the unfortunate truth. Medicine and the Law are the last two spheres where the barricades of self interest are being slowly beaten down. Rather than use excuses and sharp practices to hold custom, opticians must look at themselves and ask how best to continue maximising profit in the face of inevitable change. The capacious offices and large stock may need to go and new ways to subsidise the cost of equipment and eye tests found. The walls are coming down and only the smartest will move out of the way in time.

]]> Comment on Which? Reveals almost half of eye tests are very poor! by John Drake http://www.pupillary-distance.net/?page_id=291&cpage=1#comment-877 John Drake Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:32:12 +0000 http://www.pupillary-distance.net/?page_id=291#comment-877 I wish someone would do this same test here in the U.S.A. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the results were similar. I wish someone would do this same test here in the U.S.A. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the results were similar.

]]> Comment on Give Me My Pupillary Distance by John Drake http://www.pupillary-distance.net?cpage=1#comment-865 John Drake Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:50:55 +0000 http://www.pupillary-distance.net/?page_id=40#comment-865 Admin- Thanks for the advice. After reading that report from Which? magazine, based on some experiences I've had with optometrists, it wouldn't surprise me if the same study were done in the U.S.A., the results would be similar. I have sort of taken your advice. The blog webiste http://www.glassyeyes.com deals with the subject of buying glasses online. I've posted about it on there so hopefully, it will get others interested. John Drake Admin-

Thanks for the advice. After reading that report from Which? magazine, based on some experiences I’ve had with optometrists, it wouldn’t surprise me if the same study were done in the U.S.A., the results would be similar.

I have sort of taken your advice. The blog webiste http://www.glassyeyes.com deals with the subject of buying glasses online. I’ve posted about it on there so hopefully, it will get others interested.

John Drake

]]> Comment on Give Me My Pupillary Distance by admin http://www.pupillary-distance.net?cpage=1#comment-757 admin Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:18:10 +0000 http://www.pupillary-distance.net/?page_id=40#comment-757 Hello John I suggest that you contact Zenni Optical or one of the other major online prescription glasses players in the US. Tell them about our petition in the UK and tell them about the success in changing the law to include the PD in British Columbia, Canada and ask them to set up a similar petition so that US consumers can express their view about restrictive practices in the optical industry. Kind regards Ewan Hello John

I suggest that you contact Zenni Optical or one of the other major online prescription glasses players in the US. Tell them about our petition in the UK and tell them about the success in changing the law to include the PD in British Columbia, Canada and ask them to set up a similar petition so that US consumers can express their view about restrictive practices in the optical industry.

Kind regards
Ewan

]]> Comment on Opticians Talkback by Jan a patient http://www.pupillary-distance.net/?page_id=118&cpage=1#comment-665 Jan a patient Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:07:15 +0000 http://www.pupillary-distance.net/?page_id=118#comment-665 I have regular eye-tests and purchase my varifocal specs from our Optometrist. However, I am NEVER offered my prescription after the test, or when collecting my glasses. This year, it cost in excess of £1,000 for eyewear - no, not fancy big designer names, just comfortable lenses/frames, plus sunglasses. Yet STILL I apparently could not be trusted with my prescription, because it was not offered and I felt embarrassed to ask. Other practitioners are equally shy about issuing a prescription and if asked, their demeanour seems to become decidedly chilly, hence my reluctance to ask. So why do I want my script and PD..? Simple. I've paid for the services I receive, all the little add-ons and extras, I'm happy with the fit/lenses/etc., so if I'm unlucky enough to break my specs whilst I'm holidaying 200 miles from home, why the heck shouldn't I be able to present a script to be filled at a local establishment? Your "little adjustments" (R F Spooner) would probably even assist your distant colleague - and your patient - to be comfortably "re-glazed!" Oh, and if the excuse is that "the other optician can always give the regular optometrist a call..." they can't if it happens to be a half-day, or whatever, back in one's home-town. I have regular eye-tests and purchase my varifocal specs from our Optometrist. However, I am NEVER offered my prescription after the test, or when collecting my glasses. This year, it cost in excess of £1,000 for eyewear – no, not fancy big designer names, just comfortable lenses/frames, plus sunglasses. Yet STILL I apparently could not be trusted with my prescription, because it was not offered and I felt embarrassed to ask.

Other practitioners are equally shy about issuing a prescription and if asked, their demeanour seems to become decidedly chilly, hence my reluctance to ask.

So why do I want my script and PD..? Simple. I’ve paid for the services I receive, all the little add-ons and extras, I’m happy with the fit/lenses/etc., so if I’m unlucky enough to break my specs whilst I’m holidaying 200 miles from home, why the heck shouldn’t I be able to present a script to be filled at a local establishment? Your “little adjustments” (R F Spooner) would probably even assist your distant colleague – and your patient – to be comfortably “re-glazed!”

Oh, and if the excuse is that “the other optician can always give the regular optometrist a call…” they can’t if it happens to be a half-day, or whatever, back in one’s home-town.

]]> Comment on Give Me My Pupillary Distance by John Drake http://www.pupillary-distance.net?cpage=1#comment-661 John Drake Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:25:27 +0000 http://www.pupillary-distance.net/?page_id=40#comment-661 I found your page while doing a search on ways to get pupillary distance. However, I'm in the U.S.A. so your petition doesn't apply to me. Do you know of any such campaign in the U.S.A.? My wife has a strong prescription and she has a lot of trouble getting good eyeglasses. In addition, in the U.S., only 22 states require opticians(the people who make the glasses) to be licensed and my state is not one of those 22, so there are many untrained people here making glasses. We'd like to have the option of going online for glasses, but with her strong prescription, we don't want to risk measuring it inaccurately ourselves. Good luck with your petition. John Drake I found your page while doing a search on ways to get pupillary distance. However, I’m in the U.S.A. so your petition doesn’t apply to me. Do you know of any such campaign in the U.S.A.?

My wife has a strong prescription and she has a lot of trouble getting good eyeglasses. In addition, in the U.S., only 22 states require opticians(the people who make the glasses) to be licensed and my state is not one of those 22, so there are many untrained people here making glasses. We’d like to have the option of going online for glasses, but with her strong prescription, we don’t want to risk measuring it inaccurately ourselves.

Good luck with your petition.

John Drake

]]> Comment on Give Me My Pupillary Distance by Kashif Haque http://www.pupillary-distance.net?cpage=1#comment-651 Kashif Haque Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:29:23 +0000 http://www.pupillary-distance.net/?page_id=40#comment-651 Having recently had me eyes tested and sptting a pair of frames that I liked I attempted to order on-line only to be stumped as my PD was not on the prescription. I rang up Tesco's where I had my eyes tested where I was informed that it was illegal for the optician to give me this information. when I queried this I was told the optician ws too busy to speak to me!! (I have written to head office to complain). I attempted to get my PD from elsewhere only to be told by vision express they don't do it unless you but glases from them and optical express wanted to charge "between £30-£40" to measure it!! fortunatley a local independent optician did it for free and I saved over 30% on my new glasses. Having recently had me eyes tested and sptting a pair of frames that I liked I attempted to order on-line only to be stumped as my PD was not on the prescription. I rang up Tesco’s where I had my eyes tested where I was informed that it was illegal for the optician to give me this information. when I queried this I was told the optician ws too busy to speak to me!! (I have written to head office to complain). I attempted to get my PD from elsewhere only to be told by vision express they don’t do it unless you but glases from them and optical express wanted to charge “between £30-£40″ to measure it!! fortunatley a local independent optician did it for free and I saved over 30% on my new glasses.

]]> Comment on Opticians Talkback by John http://www.pupillary-distance.net/?page_id=118&cpage=1#comment-505 John Tue, 22 Jun 2010 10:24:56 +0000 http://www.pupillary-distance.net/?page_id=118#comment-505 As with all restrictive practices, omission of pupillary distance is justified by spurious "public good" arguments. For a long time this self-interested line of reasoning prevented us from buying reading glasses without a prescription. Cheaper glasses mean more people with good vision, not fewer. Here is the best way to dodge the anti-competitive obstacle: When you order your first online specs, send an old pair of prescription glasses to your online supplier. They will measure your pupillary distance from those. Ask them to keep it on record, because it does not change from one prescription to the next. Now you can order your new glasses from them each time you get a new prescription. A bit of a hassle, but that's what I did. All my online glasses are at least the equals of the ones I bought on the high street at a fraction of the cost. Now I can keep spares to hand, which was far too expensive before. When I was a kid, newspaper print workers operated a closed shop and were hugely overpaid. One day, they woke up to find Fleet Street closed, new technology installed at Wapping with new workers and no jobs. Airlines are experiencing the same phenomenon. This is the Age of the Web and we don't have to put up with this kind of thing any more. As with all restrictive practices, omission of pupillary distance is justified by spurious “public good” arguments. For a long time this self-interested line of reasoning prevented us from buying reading glasses without a prescription.
Cheaper glasses mean more people with good vision, not fewer.

Here is the best way to dodge the anti-competitive obstacle:

When you order your first online specs, send an old pair of prescription glasses to your online supplier. They will measure your pupillary distance from those. Ask them to keep it on record, because it does not change from one prescription to the next.
Now you can order your new glasses from them each time you get a new prescription.
A bit of a hassle, but that’s what I did. All my online glasses are at least the equals of the ones I bought on the high street at a fraction of the cost. Now I can keep spares to hand, which was far too expensive before.

When I was a kid, newspaper print workers operated a closed shop and were hugely overpaid. One day, they woke up to find Fleet Street closed, new technology installed at Wapping with new workers and no jobs.

Airlines are experiencing the same phenomenon. This is the Age of the Web and we don’t have to put up with this kind of thing any more.

]]> Comment on To General Optical Council : Give Me My PD! by professional http://www.pupillary-distance.net/?page_id=329&cpage=1#comment-49 professional Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:31:32 +0000 http://www.pupillary-distance.net/?page_id=329#comment-49 ewan mcfarlene.... I believe you need to let health professionals get on with their job! The PD should NOT be a requirement on a prescription. It can be misinterpreted by patients, and can also be dependant on previous spectacle PD as well lenses chosen and frames. When something goes wrong patients are ready to knock on the health professionals door to look for an immediate resolution, however, if you listened to them in the first place then no problems would arise! ewan mcfarlene…. I believe you need to let health professionals get on with their job! The PD should NOT be a requirement on a prescription. It can be misinterpreted by patients, and can also be dependant on previous spectacle PD as well lenses chosen and frames.

When something goes wrong patients are ready to knock on the health professionals door to look for an immediate resolution, however, if you listened to them in the first place then no problems would arise!

]]> Comment on To General Optical Council : Give Me My PD! by metsuki glasses direct » Blog Archive » Metsuki Accuses GOC of Regulatory Neglect http://www.pupillary-distance.net/?page_id=329&cpage=1#comment-32 metsuki glasses direct » Blog Archive » Metsuki Accuses GOC of Regulatory Neglect Sat, 06 Mar 2010 14:05:13 +0000 http://www.pupillary-distance.net/?page_id=329#comment-32 [...] a recent letter to the General Optical Council, Highland based internet glasses retailer, metsuki.co.uk accuses the [...] [...] a recent letter to the General Optical Council, Highland based internet glasses retailer, metsuki.co.uk accuses the [...]

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