Words vary throughout the universe when people are essentially trying to depict analogous things. In the UK, an optician is the term used to describe a person or the business that sells prescription specs and contact lenses. It is run by a professional body, which sticks to a code of conduct and works to agreed standards of care.
It’s big business, with the total revenue for England and Wales Optician market currently being around £2.4 billion – at least it was in 2006, but since then we have had a bit of a slow down in the economy. They estimate that about 2 in every 3 people in the UK needs some form of optical assistance – be it with specs or contact lenses.
According to UK law, spectacles and contact lenses need to be manufactured on the base of a formal eye test. The eye examination needs to be directed by a registered optopmetrist or ophthalmologist. There are about 17.5 million of these executed every year.
Once you have paid for your eye test, the optician is legally obliged to present the resulting prescription to you. Now, they will want you to buy their stocked contact lenses or glasses, as that is how they make the major part of their profit. Even So, you don’t have to buy for your specs online” in the same office that took your eye test.
The real secret to saving a lot of money is to not pay less for a lower quality product, but to pay less for the same quality product. Buying your specs online is a great way to achieve this. You need to take a little care when selecting your vendor, but if you do the basic things right, you will soon be enjoying a wonderful new pair of glasses in the near future and still have some spare change left!
