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[Willow]

Took my eldest son to the optician today for contact lens fitting. His younger brother was sorted a few weeks ago and it's all gone very smoothly. We realised things weren't off to a great start when they rang as we were going out the door to ask for a copy of his prescription. I explained if I took the time to look we'd be late as app was in 10 mins. So off we went and waited and waited. 1/2hr or so later she passed us as said ' Won't keep you long' when she was out of earshot my ES commented it was too late for that. She never actually apologised for the time we'd waited and when she did her various checks then sent him off with lens in for 10 mins my YS had 1/2 hr. when we returned she took them out and told us to make another appointment for teaching how to handle them. I pointed out I'd booked 2 appointments that morning ad discussed all this when I made the appointments and we had a teach appointment booked for this morning as well. So with great reluctance she agreed. After spending a little time with him she tried to send him off with 5 pairs of lens to try and told us he couldn't be fitted in for a follow-up check until Sept and he could not have any nmore lens until that check - I reminded them the whole point was to let him get used to handling the lens in school holidays. By this point we'd spend 2 1/2 hrs mostly waiting around to be seen so I was very cross and arranged that he could have a follow-up at another local branch end of this week with a different opticians.

 

Good job I did, he had some problems putting the lens in this afternoon and I notced he was aiming for the corner of his eye and kept hitting te lashes, so I showed him a better way and he was fine. Came to take them out this evening and he paniced as he had no idea how to remove them Fortunately I was comfortable removing them for him but if I hadn't we'd have had real problems !

 

I am so cross, he's only 14 and really should have had better care and service than that - today cost £25 and each subsequent month will cost £25. I complained to the opticians manager this afternoon but I hadn't realised ES had no idea how to remove the lens and hadn't actually done it in the teaching session so I think I'll be making another call tomorrow. I am tempted to make a more formal complaint but not sure who to. Glad I can vent here

[sadietoo]

That's appalling service, and extremely unprofessional. Personally, I'd find out which professional body your particular optometrist is registered with and complain directly to them. I can't believe your 14 year old was not shown how to remove the contact lens safely...

[Shirl]

Your poor son. I hope you have a good moan in the morning and that things are better in the other branch.

[bluekarin]

That is awful! Surely one of the most important things about wearing contacts is removing them safely, as if you have certain ones in for too long you can get infections. I would complain to the manger of the place and f you get no luck, then go onto the head office and the ombudsman.

 

I tried out contacts a few years ago. My eyes are a weird shape so I had to have toric (sp?) lenses, and they weren't to my prescription but they were for me to wear to see how I got on! Most odd I thought. So I tried them for almost a week, and just felt worse and worse about taking them out (I was ok about putting them in even though I did jump a bit each time the shlurped onto my eye). I was also having some problems with them, apart from not really being able to see, so I phoned them up and told them about it and they told me to come back in in a few days. I asked if I should wear the lenses or keep them out and was told to keep them out. So I went to my appointment, only then for the optician to treat me like a child about how on earth was he going to check I was adjusting to the lenses if I wasn't wearing them when I came in!!! The tone in which he spoke to me, I don't know how I didn't get out of there before bursting into tears. If I wasn't so liable to cry at the drop of a hat, I would have given him a piece of my mind. I didn't go back for many years, and I haven't worn contacts. Luckily now the staff have changed and I go there again, but for normal lenses.

[Tutti Frutti]

That's just outrageous! I'd be changing opticians pronto - as your son will need to go back for regular checks and annual contact lens fitting check-ups.

 

Quick tip for removal - look straight ahead, put a clean (!) index finger on the lens on the bottom outside "corner" (so for his right eye, put his right index finger on bottom right hand side) then keep the index finger on the lens, keep it still and look to the opposite direction (so right eye, look left). The lens will stay with the index finger but it's now slid off the cornea and is on the white of the eye, where there's no feeling So a quick squeeze between index finger and thumb and the lens will pop out

 

(works for me anyway but then I was taught 25+ years ago and still wear them I put them in in reverse order - so look to one side, put the lens onto the white and then look forward and it'll straighten itself up).

 

I hope your son settles with them - it took me a little while to get the hang of them but I've not looked back since

 

ETA, I got more help from this book than my optician!

[Daphne]

I would also complain. In the past we've had bad service/large bills from our local optician so when a new large Tesco opened fairly near we tried the in-house optician there. They have been fabulous - eye tests are free with very up to date equipment and knowledgeable staff, service is impeccable and glasses frames are extremely reasonable, in fact my mother in law has bought 3 pairs! I don't know how they fare on lenses though.

[Tutti Frutti]

Can I just add, I only pay £10 a month for continuous wear (so I sleep in them and only take them out once a week, overnight to rest my eyes - and no more solutions!) through Specsavers.

 

Not that I'm saying your son should get continuous wear (you have to be suitable and sensible so it took me years to get there ) - but that £25 a month seems a lot!

[Seagazer]

Thats really bad service, I would really kick up a stink.

 

I had bad service like that the first time I tried contacts, it was almost like a conveyor belt and the bloke got a bit shirty when I couldn't get the hang of putting them in within 5 minutes. It really put me off and I didn't try them again for years.

[chickenanne]

I wear lenses very occasionally. The last time I went for a lens appt, it was AGES since I'd last worn them, so had to do the full consultation thingy (fair enough). They made sure I could put them in and take them out, as according to the optician this was a legal requirement (she might have meant a professional requirement, but all the same).

I can understand being able to take them out in the shop, but not being able to do it later on at home.... but your 14 year old son was sent home with lenses and no idea how to remove them???? Not even taken them out himself at the shop??? If that's what happened then I would defintiely go back to the shop manager at the very least.

The whole thing seems like appalling service.

[Willow]

re cost I'm going for daily disposables as they are the least prone to eye infections and also soft if they get hit in the eye, I know it's an expensive option .

 

I understand my son was shown how to remove the lens but he got confused what to do when he went to do it for real. I'm not sure if he successfully managed it in the shop, I know he had some failed attempts. I was surprised he agreed immediately to my offer to remove them if he really couldn't as nothing would let me allow anyone other than a eye surgeon to touch my eyes

 

I will admit to being on the slightly paranoid side over potential damage to eyes as I'm too aware from myself how easy it is for them to get damaged.

 

I didn't get a chance to ring the manager of the optometrist concerned again today to tell her my son was left unable to remove his lens but I do intend to and will ask what she has done about my complaint.

 

I'm concerned this will have put him off as he made no attempt to put his lens in today and whilst I think he's handsome with or without glasses he does look more without his glasses

[ubereglu]

That's really bad. If you want to complain how about looking on the General Optical Council's website-they'll tell you how as all practising optometrists have to be registered with them.

 

I think 10 minutes is appalling, when I did work experience at a local opticians in Year 11 the contact lens trials were always booked in for 30 minutes and checks were 20 minutes.

 

I don't think £25 is too unreasonable for daily disposables, it really depends on his prescription. I did have a go with contact lens whilst I was 'working' there and I tried the normal ones, as that was all they had for my prescription-I'm very long sighted, +7.25 and +7.75 with a stigmatism, meaning I would have to have toric ones, except they only go up to +6. Thus I haven't had another go as I'd have to have custom made ones which are very expensive.

 

I'd recommend going to another optician, independents are usually better, for a new contact lens fitting and trial where your son will be told how to put them in and out better. When I had mine put in that one time I know how hard it can be and that was with the man putting them into my eyes!

[HennyPenny]

That's really appalling 'service' Patricia, and I think you should definitely complain to as many people as it takes to get to some kind of solution you're happy with.

My daughter has just been fitted for contact lenses and she had to put them in and take them out several times at the opticians to prove she could manage them after wearing them for half and hour. In fact, they sent her home empty-handed the first time since she couldn't manage to get them in and out to the optician's satisfaction and she had to go back the next week to try again which I think is absolutely the safest thing to do......and my daughter's 27!

[Willow]

Thanks all it's reassuring that I'm not being unreasonable in my expectations. I tried talking to the manager again today but without any success. I'll try again tomorrow.

[Krysia]

when you say no success did they dismiss you or would they not speak to you?

 

I would leave your number and advise that if you dont get a call in the next 2 hrs you will be going to the ombudsman or watchdog, maybe both you haven't decided yet! that should get a response and if it doesn't they deserve all they get!

 

Hope your son does try again and doesn't let these incompetent idiots out him off for life!