Closer – 16th April 2011 edition is on sale now at all good newsagents (and some bad ones).

No one can even get close to our Value Glasses Range (£6 + delivery) and we even include ALL the coatings in the price – UV Protection, Anti-Reflection and Scratch Resistant coatings.  Others charge extra for these essential coatings.

Even on Designer Frames we cannot be touched since we offer thinner 1.56 index Thin & Light Lenses as standard on all but our Value (£6) Prescription Glasses, not to mention, we also include all 3 essential coatings unlike our competitors.  On top of that we also offer the biggest selection of Designer Glasses online.

See the cropped article here to read the details: -

Unfortunately, Tesco’s FREE Eye Test offer that we blogged about back in January has now expired – “booo” I hear you cry!

Well fear not, if you’re due an eye test now, in the next month or two, or at any time in the future, you will be happy to hear that supermarket giant Tesco and its Opticians are now offering FREE eye examinations for all at many of its larger stores – permanently!

Tesco Opticians used to charge £10 for the service to those not entitled to a free NHS eye test, this fee has now been waived. As with previous eye test offers from Tesco you are under no obligation to purchase glasses from the store, you can simply have your eyes tested and ask for a copy of your prescription including your Pupillary Distance (PD) measurement and purchase your next pair of glasses from a high street or online store of your choice.

SelectSpecs.com see this as great news for patients who may have been put off getting their eyes tested on a regular basis due to the costs involved.

Thanks to Money Saving Expert for pointing this great offer out.

Can’t get your PD?

We’re currently supporting a campaign so opticians HAVE to provide you with your full prescription including your PD measurement. Find out more information about this campaign here: Give me my Pupillary Distance.

Once you’ve had your eyes tested…

Why not take a look at our cheap glasses range with full rimmed frames for just £5 and semi-rimless for just £8 including standard prescription lenses, UV protection, Anti-Reflection and Scratch Resistant Coatings.  If you’re looking for something a little more special we have a great range of designer brands starting from prices as low as £43 including thin and light lenses and coatings.

Why you should get an eye test…

If you haven’t had your eyes tested recently (within the past 2 years) we strongly recommend paying a visit to your local optician to get them checked to make sure your vision has not deteriorated over time.  Not only will your optician be able to check the condition of your eyes, your optician can also alert you to any possible health issues (as mentioned in previous blog posts):-

“There are a number of high profile cases in which a simple eye test has resulted in the patient’s discovery of an unknown problem with their health or even a cancer, effectively saving their life thanks to the early warnings spotted by the opticians who examined them.”

See the “Want a long and healthy life? See your optician!” blog post for further information

£10 or £20 isn’t a lot to spend on an eye test once every two years especially if it could save your life, but thanks to special offers by struggling high street opticians who are desperate for custom in this tough economic climate, you won’t even need to spend that with the number of FREE eye test offers that always seem to be available through print or online media.

Usually there is no obligation to purchase glasses from your prescribing optician to receive your free eye test, allowing you to make even greater savings by purchasing your glasses online at www.selectspecs.com. And if money’s extra tight, why not go for some of our £5 glasses. Just remember to get a copy of your prescription as well as your PD measurement from your optician before you leave.

This information is correct at time of publishing and is subject to change at anytime.

Martin Lewis the Money Saving Expert here in the UK knows a good deal when he sees one.  Apart from having his own Money Saving website and TV show, he makes regular appearances on a number of other TV and radio shows with his favourite “Deals of the Week”.

This morning (22nd October 2009) on his regular slot on GMTV with Lorraine Kelly, Martin Lewis gave our very own “World’s Cheapest Prescription Glasses with Coatings” a very nice mention as you can see from the video below.

Good to see that he realises how good a deal we have going on with our £5 (USD$8) glasses including FREE Scratch Resistant Coating, UV Protection, and Anti-Reflection treatment.  The prices Martin Lewis quotes in the video are including delivery.

To see the full clip from the show, head on over to the GMTV website here.

As mentioned before these new frames are available as single vision glasses for just £5 (or US$8, AUS$12, CAN$10) complete with standard lenses, a FREE scratch resistant coating, full UV protection and anti-reflection treatment!  We believe these are actually the cheapest complete prescription glasses available to buy in the World, just see for yourself when you take a look at this offer!

Here are a few samples to whet your appetite…

These, and more are available now from our Cheap Glasses page from just £5!

Still not see anything you like?  Please keep an eye on our Cheap Glasses page as we’re always looking to add new frames to our Super Saver range to give our customers the best possible choice for the lowest possible price!

Savannah Prescription Glasses

Our Savannah range of glasses are available in both full rimmed and semi-rimless designs in both plastic and metal materials with the addition of spring hinges.  As with all our Prescription Glasses, our prices include FREE standard or thin and light prescription lenses, UV protection, Scratch Resistance, and Anti-Reflection, which makes this range of eye wear an essential purchase for under £20!

Bouganvilla Rimmed Prescription Glasses – £15.95

Mopane Semi-Rimless Prescription Glasses – £17.95

Click to view our collection of Savannah Prescription Glasses

A retired Oxford University physics professor has designed adjustable glasses that can be used by people in the developing world.  Professor Silver’s spectacles are altered by injecting tiny quantities of fluid into the lenses. The spectacles mean people can have glasses that suit their eyes without the need for a prescription.  The invention should enable millions of people in poorer parts of the world to get glasses for the first time.

To read more and to watch the news clip, visit BBC.co.uk

The findings are supported by another YouGov survey commissioned by medical insurer Engage Mutual, which suggests that over quarter of the UK population (26 per cent) are struggling to meet the cost of new spectacles.

Source: OpticianOnline.net (2009)

We find news stories like this worrying as we actively encourage our customers to have an eye test every two years (or sooner) to ensure their eyes are healthy.  We realise the cost of having an eye test can be expensive but there are often free eye test options available from various opticians at different times of the year to help reduce costs – and as we love to save our customers money, we will post any free offers on our blog as and when we discover them!

Many customers may also be put off by the thought of having to buy a new pair of expensive glasses from their optician right after having an eye test, however, under the UK Opticians Act of 1989, it is the obligation of any optician to provide you with a prescription so you can be free to shop elsewhere for your glasses and at an often greatly reduced cost.

So if you are lucky enough to have taken advantage of a free eye test and have your new prescription to hand we know you can pick up a great pair of stylish cheap glasses for less than £50 including FREE Thin and Light Lenses, UV, Anti-reflection and Scratch Resistant coatings.  Here’s a great example from our Arbor range of glasses…

Arbor Prescription Glasses, Banyan – £44.95 inc. lenses

If you are on an even tighter budget, you can have a new pair of lenses fitted to your much loved existing frame for as little as £15 by using our popular Reglaze service.  We believe our Reglaze service is a great alternative to buying a completely new pair of glasses!  More information can be found here.

Findings of The Wanted Ads Retail study of over 1,000 respondents commissioned by the Newspaper Society revealed that less than a quarter (24 percent) of consumers are tightening their belts on spending on opticians.  29 percent are cutting back on toys, 39 percent are slashing their DIY or gardening budgets, and 41 percent are reining in their spending on furniture.  The survey also revealed that Clothing and Fashion is set to experience the most severe slowdown with 61 percent of respondents stating that they were cutting spending in this category.  Source: OpticianOnline.net (November 2008)

Saving with SelectSpecs.com

So, how can we help you save money and beat the credit crunch?

For starters all our new frames from a low priced budget frame to top designer glasses  INCLUDE standard or Thin and Light Prescription Lenses FREE of charge, we also supply our glasses with UV Protection, Scratch Resistance, and Anti Reflection coatings at absolutely no extra cost, all of which are normally charged for as “extra’s” in many high street retailers by as much as £30.00 or more!   See our website for more information about our FREE Thin and Light Lenses.

Or, why not try our Lens Replacement and Reglaze Service if you want to keep your current frames instead of buying a brand new pair?  Simply select your current frame type, choose your lens options and enter your prescription, then pay for your order and send your frames to us!  We will then glaze your frames to meet your requirements and return them to you.  See our website for more information about our Lens Replacement and Reglaze Service.

Finally, if you are a customer with a UK based bank account, why not choose to make payment by Cheque?  Using this payment method will save you a further 5% on top of our already low credit crunch beating prices!