You have to pay if you need more than 1 pair
I am on income based support, so allegedly free glasses - no they are not - you have to pay if you need more than one pair. I booked for downstairs online appointment and checked about free glasses online before eye test. Firstly they wanted to rebook as more than one booking for downstairs, as I use crutches since 2001 with spine damage L3/L4/L5 I cannot do stairs unless on bum. I was then told to wait whilst other person had appointment. During exam I was asked if I wanted the advanced eye screening for £10 I explained that I was totally broke and did not have any money at all. After, I spoke to sales person and asked for Adult ladies free glasses, as I did not have even £10 for the advance screening let alone cost of a frame. So I was shown the £16.99 glasses and having been told I need both reading and distant lenses, varifocals lenses these would cost me £50 plus if I want coloured lens it would be more. If I wanted separate reading I needed more expensive frame and then more money for sunglasses or second pair. I explained to optician sales person that I do not have any money at all. I had to have glasses as I have Temporal Arteritis and Relapsing Polychondritis which is another autoimmune disease which affects eyesight as well as Steroid induced diabetes as I was having the eye test with the drops later that week in another opticians as they did not do the test. Eventually after ages on the computer, he discovered that I could have cheapest frame with varifocals lenses which were the cheapest make which he said "would not be as good as the more expensive ones" but as I did not have money it was irrelevant. But no anti glare or colour change and no additional sunglasses or second pair. So I managed for the first time ever to get one pair of glasses of which the lenses popped out within the first month and I cannot get fixed as they charge for fixing which is more than I have so lense is pushed in at an angle as best as I can and my eye tests are yearly due to all my problems I have the optician doing the eye exam was insistent about the care at my eyes as soon as I told him about my Relapsing Polychondritis and Temporal issues as they can cause blindness as well as the diabetes problem sense 1 yearly tests as my eyesight changes according to the pressure at the back of the eyes and he wanted me to have 2 pairs of glasses as well as sunglasses but I could not afford to do so. The following week my diabetic eye test was carried out and I was questioned why did I not have two pairs of glasses and sunglasses so I had to explain again no money. Surely there should be away to get second pairs for these sort of conditions let alone when lenses falls out.