Quick stats
£149 Average private spend (without an NHS voucher) on spectacles per person per year, according to the Federation of Ophthalmic and Dispensing Opticians
£167.52 Average spend per person per year on contact lenses plus aftercare, according to Specsavers
£2.7bn Annual amount spent in the UK eyewear market, according to market research group Mintel
Simple saver
Buy online and pay as little as £10 a pair for basic specs and £220 for a year's worth of daily disposable contact lenses from reputable companies. Comparison sites such as pricerunner.co.uk allow you to search for low-cost lenses.
Just remember that to buy online you'll need an up-to-date prescription - no more than two years old for glasses and typically 12 months for contact lenses. If an online retailer lets you buy without providing your prescription, go elsewhere. You can get a new prescription for glasses for between £17 and £30; contact lens checks might be more.
If you've lost your prescription, phone your optician for a copy: they are legally obliged to give you a copy for you to buy specs or lenses elsewhere if you want, so don't be fobbed off if they're reluctant to hand over your prescription. Indeed, some online sellers will contact your optician for you.
Advanced saving tips
1. Check if you're entitled to a free eye test
All over-60s, children in full-time education, those with diabetes and those with relatives suffering from glaucoma are tested free, as are people on certain benefits such as income support. You might also be entitled to an NHS voucher that offers £30 towards the purchase of your glasses - several online retailers accept these.
If you have a healthcare plan, you might be able to reclaim the cost of your eye test. Otherwise, keep an eye out for special offers for free or discounted eye tests that appear from time to time in newspapers or online.
2. Negotiate with your optician
It's worth haggling with the optician when you're having your eyes tested - some will waive the cost of the eye test if you say you're going to buy your new glasses from them. And remember that many offer cut-price deals on a second pair of specs, which can often be a pair of prescription sunglasses.
3. Don't get remeasured for glasses unnecessarily
If you already wear glasses, you should find details of sizing (including the width of the bridge) printed on one of the arms; you can use this when filling in your order on the net.
If you are worried that specs bought online won't fit you properly, you can go to a high-street optician to have them adjusted. Some online glasses companies will give you a full refund if they're not right, although you might have to pay the postage to return them.
Most websites also have a system that lets you upload a photo of yourself, so you can see roughly what you will look like in your chosen pair before you buy - whether they are going to turn you into an Ugly Betty or a Johnny Depp.
Among the cheapest online spectacle providers are:
Many offer designer models at a higher price, but still less than on the high street.
4. And the same goes for contact lenses
If you are a lens wearer, check a current pack of your contact lenses for sizing information: you can only order the type of lens online that has already been prescribed by your optician.
Although the choice of retailers is greater when buying contact lenses, the process is more straightforward than for glasses because the vast majority of lenses tend to be made by a small number of manufacturers.
Asda and Tesco online stores both sell a set of 90 Bausch & Lomb SofLens one-day daily disposable lenses for £51, while getlenses.com sells the same number of lenses for £54 and Specsavers online for £54.90. Most online sellers have a useful checklist of the manufacturer behind the own-brand name.
5. Consider having laser surgery
Say goodbye to poor eyesight forever (well, almost) with laser surgery; it will set you back from £400 to £1,500 an eye. And this doesn't mean you'll be free of glasses indefinitely: laser surgery doesn't help with presbyiopia, the condition that strikes most of us in our 40s when we start needing reading glasses. Also, not everyone can be helped with the surgery in the first place. Companies providing the service include:
Nice little earner
Cut your eye costs by taking out a "cashplan" scheme, suggests moneysavingexpert.com. You pay into the scheme and then reclaim any costs, although bear in mind it often won't be the full amount. Check you don't already have this as a work perk before joining - go to tinyurl.com/5nvqkr.
Planet saver
Daily rather than monthly contact lenses use up more lens-making materials, but do save on plastic lens holders and cleaning solutions (and their bottles). Don't throw away old specs - recycle them by donating them to one of the many opticians, such as Dollond & Aitchison and VisionExpress, who support Vision Aid Overseas, a charity helping people with poor eyesight in the developing world (vao.org.uk).
