Reading glasses or prescreption glasses

[stickylies]

Alas, I have now entered the age where I need glasses. I'm a total virgin when it comes to these things so... is top charoen reliable? would it be recommended to visit one of their stores knowing in advance that NOBODY will be able to speak EN with me (where I live that is) or would it be smarter to travel to a city where EN is (probably) better understood. I can speak Thai enough to function here but technical stuff from an optician might be tricky. I have some issues reading but I have no idea if I need just reading glasses or something special. Peace.

ps. typo in title/OP, mod feel free to correct. tx.

Edited January 2, 2016 by stickylies

[JohnC]

You don't say where you live but Top Charon is to be avoided.

[trd]

I just bought myself an excellent pair of glasses from Top Charon. Not cheap but I went for the best quality. The eye test was done very professionally.

[Brit_Doggie]

Eye test at nakula market as in pattaya can you read this ok yes you can 250 baht please mr .

[kkerry]

If you go to your local market, look for a stall selling cheap plastic reading glasses. If you don't need reading glasses all the time then a few pairs of 80 baht glasses around the house might do the job.

[BngkkB]

There is an optometrist on the corner of Ekkamai and Soi 12. It's a small family run shop. He is good and very inexpensive. I have had many glasses made there for myself and family. When I took my daughter's frames to the USA the lady in the optometrist office said the frames were good quality and when I told her the price she was amazed. I had a pair of progressive lenses put in excisting frames for under 4000.

[Farma]

I've had bad experiences with the 2 optometrists that appear to have shops on every corner. Lenses falling out of frames, very expensive.

I now use a small family run shop in Siam square. Never had a problem, they test my eyes and give 1 hour service except for progressive lenses. They cut and coat lenses in the shop unlike some top brand shops that need to send the prescription away, charge a fortune and you wait a week for your glasses.

[AyG]

You don't say where you live but Top Charon is to be avoided.

Indeed. OP, avoid all the big chain shops and less us know whereabouts you live.

[BKKdreaming]

I use the 50 baht reading glasses......but maybe that is stupid......

The problem is that I am very bad about taking care of them and break / bend them all the time ,

How much is it to get new lenses (reading glasses) in my frames at the optometrist on the corner of Ekkamai and Soi 12. or a shop like that

If I find some older heavy "industrial" frames maybe I will not break them

I only need reading glasses for the first 12 inches , everything else is in focus.

Thanks for your ideas

[lopburi3]

If you only need for close (reading) all you should need are what they sell in market/supermarket. If you also need for computer perhaps a lower power of 1 or 1.5 will work. Take a normal size book with you and try several pairs in the 1-3 range for best view at normal reading distance (without over magnification). You might want magnetic split to hang around head or prefer several normal pairs to place in reading locations.

[stickylies]

Thx for feedback. I'll try the supermarkt glasses first.

[DogNo1]

If your eyes need correction for astigmatism and other problems, off-the-counter glass won't be satisfactory. It's best to get an eye exam before you decide on what reading glasses you want.

[SpokaneAl]

If you are lucky enough where both eyes have weakened equally (usually with age) reading glasses are fine. For the rest of us where one eye needs more or a different correction than the other, a prescription is necessary. An eye exam will tell which applies to you.

Edited January 3, 2016 by SpokaneAl

[lopburi3]

All you need is one eye to be in focus for your brain to work well. Doctors routinely prescribe one eye distance and one eye close prescriptions for those having IOL after cataract surgery. Most people do not need to waste money on reading glasses prescriptions. Be far more useful to save that money for a real eye exam by an ophthalmologist to check/prevent any medical issues IMHO.

[MaeJoMTB]

For reading, market stall glasses are great.

They will even make two different sets of lens into one if you ask nicely.

Prescription glasses at a fraction of the cost.

[KittenKong]

For most people the ready-made reading glasses (BigC sell them if you dont fancy a market stall) will probably do the trick. Anyone who spends a lot of time reading, or in front of a monitor, or who requires a more complex and personalised lens (a proper prescription takes account of rotation: off-the-shelf glasses do not) would be better off visiting an optician. It would be worthwhile getting a proper full eye-test done at least once anyway, just to check everything. You need to go to a proper eye clinic for this as "glasses shops" do NOT do it.

I think that Thailand is a bad place to get glasses made. Prices are very high and I often have doubts about the competence of the people doing the tests.

I have my full eye-test done at Boots in the UK every two years and I generally get the glasses made there also as the total price is low enough (full eye-test and two pairs of glasses cost me under 5000B equiv.). Sometimes I just get new lenses fitted to my old frames here, using the UK prescription from Boots. I pay 450B here for that.

Some people use their proper prescription to order glasses from online vendors (usually based in China) and this seems to be quite cheap and fairly reliable.

[Langsuan Man]

I have used over the counter reading glasses for years with never a problem and I used to work for an Optical company so their free glasses policy was of little benefit

As my friends have started getting older many have had to start using "reading" glasses but as time has gone on I need them less and less. I thought this strange that the number one sign of age was not effecting me

My Primary Care physician suggested seeing an Opthamologist during my last annual physical since she noticed that i might be developing cataracts, so I dutifully made an appointment and had the tests done

I queried the doctor about my reverse ageing thing with close vision and he sort of laughed since the explanation was that cataracts change the curvature of your eye initially and that was what I was experiencing, nature was providing me with built in reading glasses

He did recommend distance vision glasses for driving , yet stipulated my vision was still within the minimum per my state's motor vehicle law. My cataracts are not yet at the stage where they need to be removed but annual eye exams (by an ophthalmologist ) is recommend.

And even he stated that for close up vision OTC glasses are perfectly OK since using reading glasses will not slow down the progression of the aging process, they will just make reading easier. Prescription lenses will only be required when distance vision gets so bad that it is time for bifocals

[DogNo1]

I have a friend who recently had his cataracts removed and his lenses replaced with one lens for close vision and one for distance vision. He says that it works fine. Too bad that my doctor and Bumrungrad didin't offer me that option when I had my cataracts removed there four years ago.

I recently had progressive bifocals made by a shop in Central World. They are Hoya's top grade lenses and they are great. I've never seen so clearly before. Since they are Transitions VII (the newest type,) they turn grey in 3-5 seconds. It's amazing! The lenses are super clear. If you want to know the details, send me a PM.

I'd like to repeat my recommendation that people get their eyes tested before thay decide what prescription they need for reading. In the past, I used off-the-shelf glasses (got a bum recommendation from my Bumrungrad doctor) but have found that the prescription lenses that I can buy for about 2,000 baht are much, much clearer. I do a lot of reading so the clarity is important to me. BTW, I had my last eye exam done for free by a shop in Central Chidlom and they got the prescription spot-on.

[BKKdreaming]

I'd like to repeat my recommendation that people get their eyes tested before thay decide what prescription they need for reading. In the past, I used off-the-shelf glasses (got a bum recommendation from my Bumrungrad doctor) but have found that the prescription lenses that I can buy for about 2,000 baht are much, much clearer. I do a lot of reading so the clarity is important to me. BTW, I had my last eye exam done for free by a shop in Central Chidlom and they got the prescription spot-on.

I am sure that "real" glasses are better made than the 50 baht ones ,

I have bought some 20 year old "new old stock" reading glasses with real glass lenses and they are much clearer ,

Are there places to buy better quality reading glasses in BKK ?