rab's top tip of the month: glasses

This is a new (unofficial) Indiamike feature and this is the first month of it (not got one for August yet ... anyway, read on).

I have scoured the Indiamike pages for a reference to this and the only one who has made a mention of it before is Midnite Toker - much respect MT.

But let me spell it out.

If you travel to India from anywhere in the west take your glasses prescription with you and enjoy buying good quality spectacles with great service and at an astoundingly low price. As a UK resident we all live in such a rip-off society and I am sure it is the same in the rest of Europe and in America.

The last time Angela (mrs. rab) and I were in India was about 18 months ago and we took our prescriptions into a small opticians on Colaba Causeway in Mumbai. It is on the same side of the road as Cafe Leopold and just along a bit towards the city.

We got measured up for frames and got our specs within 48 hours and they were excellent (wearing them now!) and they cost us only 17.00 GBP each.

That is about 29.00 USD or 42.5 AUD.

In the UK the same specs would cost us each about £175 to £250, that is at least ten times more.

If you don't wear glasses then no problem - just spend the money on something else!

Yes, bought new ones (normal & sunglasses - both with prescription glasses ) in Margao (shop on the main square - same side as the 'modern' coffee-shop ): cheap & good quality at low prices .

did you notice if the specialized stuff like thin lenses (from Nikon or equivalent), line-less varifocal, and anti-reflective coatings etc. were available? I have been meaning to look into it as I could use a spare pair or two but my prescription is quite strong and without the fancy (expensive) lenses, the glasses get pretty thick and heavy.

Hi -m2-
yes lineless varifocals and coated lenses are available. Also titanium frames. We usually get specs from Medikos opticians in Paharganj. The guy who does the eye tests is very good. Costs vary with the type of frame. My wife Caroline, had varifocals the first time which cost 2600 rupees, and the next time a better quality which cost a bit more. The titanium frames are great, she will just get new lenses fitted in them next time. The titanium frames cost 3250 rupees but are still fine nearly two years later. Much cheaper than UK anyway, and I would guess Canada also. Of course you can get specs and frames much cheaper than this.

Yeah Alan I've been using Medikos for years but sad to relate I think the big man has upped his prices for us tourists.
I bought some prescription sun glasses this trip, nothing fancy except maybe the thin lenses, 3900 rps I could have definitely gotten them much cheaper elsewhere.
Still I won't malign the guy too much he still provides an excellent service and stocks almost everything you would find in the west.
He cuts all the lenses to size upstairs in his workshop so he can have glasses ready in a matter of a few hours and he will send out "his boy" to deliver them to your hotel if you so wish!!
But if it's cheapness your looking for then it would be wise to shop around a bit!!

Great tip, Rab, and thanks to Alan & Cyberhippie for info about Medikos in Delhi, since I don't plan to be in Mumbai. And I do badly need new reading glasses...

Avoid the opticians around Connaught Place and Janpath in Delhi if you want a good deal on specs. We checked them out and compared prices for the same thing a couple of years ago and their prices were 150%- 200% of Paharganj prices.

thanks, Alan, good to know the options are there and to check around for prices. I used to buy cheap glasses and replace them every couple of years, but I lashed out for some good ones when I got a new prescription a few years ago and it really makes a difference in comfort and durability. titanium frames sound like a good idea too -- i'm tough on glasses .

Hi Dreamsyndicate,

I'm planning on getting a new pair of specs while in India and was wondering how long it took you to have your glasses made in Margao.

Just realized I have no backups!
any place to get glasses in Karol Bagh?

Thanks for the tip. Will get 'em made in New Delhi. Lenscrafters was quoting me upwards of $300 for a decent looking frame...yeesh!

with business looking up i thought now what do i do with my money! new car...no need ..my 40 yr. old and 12 yr. old are doing fine...take a holiday have a blast ...good food...hmmm...got all that living where i do! THEN for gods sake it dawned ...i can make ze dream come true...splurge on a rimless pair and extra soft disposable lenses(lenses r great if u live in sea side places and 'feel' young enough to impress with looks!!! So last time in delhi i got a real fancy pair for Rs. 850/- (special price otherwise rs. 2500/-) and the disposables cost (for 6 months) cost Rs. 1,500/-. In the commercial areas like cannaugth place they cost about 2 to 3 time more. Take a ride to lajpat nagar and get the same quality at half the price. Again after this post i'm going to look up telephone nos. and addresse of the optemetrist and ophthalmologist (my doc is actually an eye surgeon) i usually use services of (hey i am a little finnicky here) and post it on the forum. A tip ..when u get yr. glasses made ask to have them 'center' the glass with respect to yr. eyes/pupils etc etc etc...They'll do it and it makes a great difference.

My husband bought some glasses from an optician in Udaipur - rimless, loads cheaper than in Uk, graet service. A couple of months later he went to an optician in UK for minor adjustments. On hearing that the glasses were made in India, they would only adjust them on the understanding that it wasn't their fault if they broke - sure enough, the lenses cracked! Apparently, Indian lenses are made of an inferior plastic - I suppose you get what you pay for!!

That's bizzare. They probably broke them so you would start buying from them again Did you watch the lens break? Or did they "adjust" them behind the scenes?

Come to think of it, they did it behind the scenes!! Never thought of that before! And ,yes, my husband had to order a new pair straight away from them, as he had no other decent glasses! I had to drive home, as he's blind as a bat without glasses. I wonder if it was because they were rimless and so less protected than ones with frames??