Buying specs in Thailand

[ricky2002]

Hi,.anybody have experience of buying specs here? Had a quote a couple of years ago and was surprised to find them more than I would pay in the UK. Oh! and the sight test was very basic                             o

Edited August 16, 2016 by ricky2002

[EddieAnd]

16 minutes ago, dabhand said:

Yep, you definitely need glasses.

yes I had the same experience. Just as expensive without the benefit of Private medical gap return that I get back in Australia. I always renew whilst back in Oz.

 

[Denim]

I have a prescription and with this I go down the wholesale spectacle shops in Chinatown ( Yawaraht ) and buy half a dozen pairs at a time costing from 40 baht a pair up to about 100 max. Perfectly good enough and pretty cheap.

However if one of your eyes is stronger than the other or you want bifocals then you will need to go to a regular opticians.

[ricky2002]

thanks Denim.............Unfortunately I need a complex prescription with varifocal lenses 

[lopburi3]

Visit hospital ophthalmologist for prescription and PD and then order from Zenni - will be much cheaper than buying locally and the same range of quality is available as from optical shops.

[BKKdreaming]

check that those reading glasses are what the sticker says !

 

I bought a handful last time and the sticker was wrong and I just left them at hotel when I checked out

 

But is there anywhere to get better reading glasses in Chinatown with glass lenses and frames that will last more than a week !

[pollyog]

If you are likely to take a holiday in Hong Kong, get new specs there.  Two of us bought 6 pairs between us - reading/distance/refractive lenses - and the money saved compared with Thailand prices paid our air fare on AirAsia!  They are good quality and no problems, still going strong, had them 3 years now.  Only 2 hours from testing to collection of glasses too, far better than here in Phuket.

[KittenKong]

I also think that glasses in Thailand are ridiculously overpriced (as are many things).

[Scotwight]

I got the glasses and eye exam at the fancy eyeglasses shop and the prescription was wrong.  Went to the hospital and got a prescription and took it back to they fancy eyeglasses shop and they re made the lenses for free and since then had one problem with the nose piece and they fixed that for free.  

[dotpoom]

The first pair of glasses I got in this country about 4 years ago was from an optician's shop in Jomtien, they were bi-focal, photo lense and cost 4000, Baht.

   I got my second pair about six weeks ago from a glasses supplier at  the Wednesday market in the Wat in Bang Saray.....supplied my own frames and bi-focal lense (not photo) 500 Baht, 300 Baht for ordinary lenses.

[sandyf]

16 hours ago, ricky2002 said:

thanks Denim.............Unfortunately I need a complex prescription with varifocal lenses 

I have photochromatic varifocals. Been getting them for about 15 years , at first from the one of the main chains at about 8K. At that time it was over 70/£ so a lot cheaper than the UK. I think had 3 pairs over a few years and they went up to around 12K but I always thought the eye test was quite good. Certainly a lot better than the last one I had in the UK, went to Specsavers, cost me about £250 and gave me a headache. I took them back for a refund and then started getting them here.

 

The last pair I got from a Thai optician near Bangkok, he copied the previous prescription and lenses and frames came to about 6K.

I need to go again but this time I am going to go to the eye clinic for the prescription and then have them made.

 

[tails]

I recently bought prescription lens and frame from Charoen and am very happy with them. The price was around 90% of what I paid at OPSM in Australia for the last pair. Admittedly they screwed up the first lens but were very happy to make them a second time and got them perfect.

[Retiredandhappyhere]

Two weeks ago I obtained a quote from Charoen for an eye test and new varifocal  tinted glasses. They quoted a ridiculous 27500 bahts without frames.  Needless to say, I did not proceed.

[TSF]

I get lenses fitted to my own frames for 500Bt. They are just regular reading glasses, I had special lenses ...the dual ones...for reading and distance, made once and they were about 1000Bt with my own frames. Seems to me the biggest cost factor are the frames. So I go look at the cheap glasses in Big C or Tescos or the glasses sellers in the shopping centers and select a pair of glasses with sturdy frames for about 200Bt, then take them to the  Charoen shop and tell them to use these frames for my new lenses. So I change my glasses about every 2 years and pay between 700-1200Bt total.

[Johnniey]

Used to be much cheaper over 10 years ago but this year I found them cheaper at Specsavers(UK) and got a free pair thrown in. 329 GBP for two pairs. here they were about 15.000 for the same ones(one pair)

[ableguy]

Just forget Charoen, they made me a very expensive pair, they kept sliding off when I took them back to the shop to adjust they cracked a lens then laughed at me when I told them to replace ,no you give it me like this, the staff and mall security had to pull me off this guy who I swear the rage I was in I would have throttled. 

I pass this on all the time.

[Denim]

2 hours ago, Retiredandhappyhere said:

Two weeks ago I obtained a quote from Charoen for an eye test and new varifocal  tinted glasses. They quoted a ridiculous 27500 bahts without frames.  Needless to say, I did not proceed.

 

They quoted me 5000 baht for a pair years ago. As I headed for the door they offered the same pair at special discount of 3000 ! Presumably they must have liked the cut of my jib.

[mankondang]

 

Charoen is a big no, no,no. The eye test is very basic, no glaucoma etc.

They seem to have many polite people to open the door for you, and lovely ladies smiling in their droves, BUT the prices are well over the top if you decide to test and buy totally from them. The advice given re taking your own frames if complex lenses are required, is good. Also for simple reading glasses, take the advice on China Town. Just make sure you check each pair in turn for the correct prescrption, and for mechanical sturdiness. 

[BKKdreaming]

Where can you find nice heavy "industrial"  quality glasses frames ?

 

can I just use industrial safety glasses and have lenses made for +225 reading glasses ?

 

it would be nice if the reading glasses frames were made out of flexible plastic , the ones I find are very brittle and crack if you put them in your pants pocket etc

[Keesters]

I was recently in the market for new specs. Having purchased here before I headed back to my usual "Better Vision" store. Was surprised to find the prices have more than doubled in the last few years. I thought of trying some other places and headed off to Central Festival on Pattaya Beach Road. Tried 3 stores. All run by air heads who insisted I didn't have astigmatism (I was diagnosed at age 11 and it was still there 50 years later), would only sell matched lenses (i.e. left and right same prescription) had no method to test other than that silly little computer check. And the frames 10,000, 15,000 even 20,000 baht. A complete waste of time.

 

Bumped into a friend who recommended a place on Central Road. Ordinary, old fashioned, non chain store, independent shop. Nice lady who did proper full check, confirmed left and right eyes different prescription and astigmatism. Found some nice frames and made a deal for 4,000. Ready next day evening.

 

Moral...avoid all those chain stores and find a proper optician.

[Sheryl]

The old-fashioned privately owned (i.e. not part of a chain) opticians are indeed a better value for money if you can find one where you live.

 

I would add that, for people over 40-45 years of age and/or with a complicated prescription, it i worth getting the eye exam and prescription from a proper opthalmologist rather than optician. Among other things this will allow for check for other eye conditions like glaucome, cataract.

[Oooooh]

I got varifocals from Tokyo Optic. They are quite expensive but I was happy with the service. When I went to them for an eye test about 3 years ago they still had a record of my eye test on their computer, done in a different branch about 8 years previously. They made new lenses to fit into the frames I had which saved some money.

[ricky2002]

On 8/18/2016 at 10:05 AM, Oooooh said:

I got varifocals from Tokyo Optic. They are quite expensive but I was happy with the service. When I went to them for an eye test about 3 years ago they still had a record of my eye test on their computer, done in a different branch about 8 years previously. They made new lenses to fit into the frames I had which saved some money.

You're lucky the prescription hasn't changed in 8 years and the frames were still ok after 3. My prescription has been the same for the last 3 years but now it tests differently............... Did you have your vision checked?

 

[Katia]

This is all good to know... I'm not due for an exam yet, but planning ahead (and while my prescription isn't complex, it's on the strong side and I do have astigmatism, so having an incorrect prescription and hence glasses really would not be good), especially since I'm thinking of getting contacts this time around, for those times when sports need them.  Has anyone had experience with an exam for contacts in Bangkok? 

[wtaumme]

Thanks for all these suggestions. This will be really helpful for all those who are planning trip out there.