Eye Glasses

[Ninafarm]

Anyone know a good optometrist in East Pattaya, I need new glasses.

[Cake Monster]

Try the Guy whos shop is across the road from the Fish Market in Naklua

Speaks English as a plus.

[Kerryd]

I'm sure they are probably all about the same as far as quality and service. Maybe a bit more expensive at the big shops.

If you are on Soi Khao Noi near the Chill mall, there is a guy with a small set-up inside on the left side, just past the exercise equipment. 

I went there last year as I noticed my vision getting worse. He did all the usual eye checks and told me what I needed for lenses. I was actually in a hurry as I was leaving the next morning on a trip. He got ahold of his wife (who works somewhere else I think) and they had the new lenses cut and mounted within 2 hours !

They worked great and when I got back, I brought him a frame from some old sunglasses. I liked the frame shape/style and got him to make me another set of lenses to fit. Picked them up the next day.
He speaks pretty good English too.

I notice he has a young guy manning the booth sometimes now. The guy I dealt with was in his mid-30s maybe ? Maybe late 30s. 

I also like doing business with him because he's not a "big chain" store. I like to use local businesses where possible. Help out the "little guy" so to speak instead of giving my money to the big conglomerates. 

Edited July 4, 2020 by Kerryd

[giddyup]

4 minutes ago, Kerryd said:

  He did all the usual eye checks and told me what I needed for lenses.

When you say he did all the usual eye checks, what did he do specifically?

[johnray]

Try Top Charoen at the big c or tescos.

 

The check up was instant no wait, collection time was faster and they had more frames than the UK specsavers.  Plus it was cheaper.  I am impressed by that.

Edited July 4, 2020 by johnray

[Kerryd]

The standard eye chart, then the one where you put your chin on the machine and it (measures lens diameter or something ?) and then the machine where you look at a picture and he changes the lenses back and forth until you get to the clearest, sharpest view, then the same thing for the other eye.

I had glasses done years ago at one of the Top Charoen chain stores. I don't recall much difference in the process, though they did have a large selection of frames on display. 

(Not sure if the guy in the Chill mall has a catalogue of more frame choices or not as I didn't need other choices in my case.)

[Kerryd]

There's a Top Charoen shop a little further down Khao Noi as well, just before the Bangkok Bank branch on the left side (as you are heading to the railway bypass).

[Rimmer]

10 minutes ago, Kerryd said:

There's a Top Charoen shop a little further down Khao Noi as well, just before the Bangkok Bank branch on the left side (as you are heading to the railway bypass).

 

The shop is just about opposite Mr DIY right?

 

I just bought a pair in there, very good they are too, just have to be sure they do not sell you the very expensive lenses, normal lens should be about B800 plus frame but some of the lens prices go way up above that if you let them talk you into it.

 

[Kerryd]

The only Mr DIY I know of on Khao Noi (now) is upstairs in the Chill mall but shops down Khao Noi seem to change as often as it rains (maybe because they get washed down the soi every time it rains and are never seen again) ? 

With the lenses these days, they have a lot more options than in the past. Used to be all the money was in selling you fancy frames but now they have "progressive lenses" and "scratch resistant" lenses and I think tinted/coated ones as well and of course, all more expensive than just the ordinary kind.

I usually go for the cheapest option as I know that they won't last long. No matter how expensive the frame or lens, I'm going to end up scratching them, bending/twisting them, sitting on them or just plain forgetting them somewhere and have to replace them. Again. And again.

[Matzzon]

1 hour ago, Ninafarm said:

optometrist

You are meaning an optician, right?

[Emmess]

My Hoya progressive lenses cost me THB 8000. And yes there is a vast difference between cheap progressive and expensive ones. If getting single vision like for reading , lenses are available from THB 500 which work absolutely fine.

[Curt1591]

We've had our best luck with "Better Vision". I'm sure they have shops in Pattaya. 

[moontang]

Zenni...they are currently running a 30% off of upgraded lenses.  Most of the Thais don't seem to see more than a few feet in front of them, and have almost no peripheral vision..before they started looking at the phone while they shuffle, err I mean walk 40 feet to the moto.

[northsouthdevide]

I've got vary focal lenses from top chareon, and I have to say, the frames are good, but the quality of the lenses aren't as good as lenses producesed in EU labs. 

There's a fantastic online company in the UK called selectspecs.

If you pick frames and send prescription, they will deliver to UK adress. 

Very very cheap. 

[moontang]

2 hours ago, northsouthdevide said:

I've got vary focal lenses from top chareon, and I have to say, the frames are good, but the quality of the lenses aren't as good as lenses producesed in EU labs. 

There's a fantastic online company in the UK called selectspecs.

If you pick frames and send prescription, they will deliver to UK adress. 

Very very cheap. 

Zenni delivers to LOS. Select looks similar, with labs in hkg and China.. They both ship globally. 

Edited July 5, 2020 by moontang

[salsajapan]

And nobody here is even able to list the nice Thai guy with small shop in the soi in front of land department soi, when crossing third road ?

 

Sorry i forgot the name, but anybody living in Pattaya and knowing what he is talking about usually list this shop as the best and cheapest.

 

 

[salsajapan]

On 7/4/2020 at 4:22 PM, Kerryd said:

There's a Top Charoen shop a little further down Khao Noi as well, just before the Bangkok Bank branch on the left side (as you are heading to the railway bypass).

 

Top charoen just are the worst and most expensive in Thailand, great choice !

 

 

[Kerryd]

Just now, salsajapan said:

 

Top charoen just are the worst and most expensive in Thailand, great choice !

 

I didn't recommend them, just pointed out where there was one close to the OP's area.

[johng]

On 7/8/2020 at 11:14 AM, salsajapan said:

And nobody here is even able to list the nice Thai guy with small shop

well I will give a shout out for  First Optic

https://www.google.com/maps/@12.920795,100.8785025,3a,66.8y,252.5h,84.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sGKzrOf_HyqWBCayQ6RV73w!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

 

[Susco]

9 hours ago, johng said:

well I will give a shout out for  First Optic

https://www.google.com/maps/@12.920795,100.8785025,3a,66.8y,252.5h,84.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sGKzrOf_HyqWBCayQ6RV73w!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

 

 I buy from first optic for many years already, very friendly guy, and very correct in business.

 

Last 2 sets of progressive lenses I bought from him were Hoya, but it is a very strong material.

 

Don't remember the exact name but think they are called CR36.

 

Use them in a frameless frame, and they have no coatings, hence also after several years of use not the slightest scratch.

 

He explained to me that the coating is actually why you get scratches, because coatings are soft.

 

Price is 3500 Baht a pair

[samtab]

18 hours ago, Susco said:

 I buy from first optic for many years already, very friendly guy, and very correct in business.

 

Last 2 sets of progressive lenses I bought from him were Hoya, but it is a very strong material.

 

Don't remember the exact name but think they are called CR36.

 

Use them in a frameless frame, and they have no coatings, hence also after several years of use not the slightest scratch.

 

He explained to me that the coating is actually why you get scratches, because coatings are soft.

 

Price is 3500 Baht a pair

 

Thank you, clearly the best and less greedy shop around Pattaya.

 

 

[giddyup]

I have used first optic and wasn't very happy with result. The lens keeps falling out of one pair, the other frames are on a standard with 100 baht pair of sunnies, The pair I got for the computer are useless for anything other that close reading of a book.

[johng]

21 hours ago, giddyup said:

I have used first optic and wasn't very happy with result. The lens keeps falling out of one pair, the other frames are on a standard with 100 baht pair of sunnies, The pair I got for the computer are useless for anything other that close reading of a book.

I've never had any trouble with First Optic.

 

Some of those half frame (no bottom portion)

with nylon clear "string" holding the lenses in are prone to letting the lens pop out

I always buy full frame now.

 

Didn't you pick the frames you wanted whilst in the shop  ?

 

surely you tried  reading something at the distance you normally sit from your computer with the

"mock up"  /test glasses when he tested your vision in the shop ? 

if the "lab"  made a mistake and the actual lenses didn't turn out correctly I'm sure he would  remedy the situation for his customer.

[giddyup]

Just now, johng said:

I've never had any trouble with First Optic.

 

Some of those half frame (no bottom portion)

with nylon clear "string" holding the lenses in are prone to letting the lens pop out

I always buy full frame now.

 

Didn't you pick the frames you wanted whilst in the shop  ?

 

surely you tried  reading something at the distance you normally sit from your computer with the

"mock up"  /test glasses when he tested your vision in the shop ? 

if the "lab"  made a mistake and the actual lenses didn't turn out correctly I'm sure he would  remedy the situation for his customer.

You don't know how durable the frames are going to be until you use them for a few months. He asked how far I sat from my computer and I showed him, but I have to have my nose to the screen to see anything.

[moontang]

1 hour ago, giddyup said:

You don't know how durable the frames are going to be until you use them for a few months. He asked how far I sat from my computer and I showed him, but I have to have my nose to the screen to see anything.

Did you consider a larger monitor?  Or for zero cost, you can change the fonts and size of the letters. You can do the same for closed captioning displays on most TVs.

[giddyup]

3 minutes ago, moontang said:

Did you consider a larger monitor?  Or for zero cost, you can change the fonts and size of the letters. You can do the same for closed captioning displays on most TVs.

Nothing to do with the monitor or the font, the glasses are only suitable for reading books. If I sit back normally from the computer it's a blur. Who wants to sit 6 inches from the screen? I have bought glasses many times before, but first time with First Optic.

Edited July 15, 2020 by giddyup

[moontang]

4 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Nothing to do with the monitor or the font, the glasses are only suitable for reading books. If I sit back normally from the computer it's a blur. Who wants to sit 6 inches from the screen? I have bought glasses many times before, but first time with First Optic.

If you can't see the logic of larger letters and displays being easier to read, your problems are far more serious than vision.

[giddyup]

8 minutes ago, moontang said:

If you can't see the logic of larger letters and displays being easier to read, your problems are far more serious than vision.

Can you grasp this, I'll say it for you one more time as you seem to be a bit slow. The glasses are  out of focus if I sit at the computer normally, enlarging the font will just give me a large blurry font. Capiche?

[tontraveller]

On 7/8/2020 at 11:14 AM, salsajapan said:

And nobody here is even able to list the nice Thai guy with small shop in the soi in front of land department soi, when crossing third road ?

 

Sorry i forgot the name, but anybody living in Pattaya and knowing what he is talking about usually list this shop as the best and cheapest.

 

 

First Optic, that is. I use his service many years ,always excellent ..