Our glasses are cheap compared to the high street, not because our quality is poor. In fact quite the opposite - but because we have cut out the middleman, the Optician. We do not have the expensive premises, staff costs and overheads that High Street Opticians have in order to run their business. Because our overheads are low we are able to save you £££’s.

We are based in the Orkney Islands, Scotland.

No, we are not Opticians. We are qualified Spectacle Makers and retailers of optical goods. We are registered with the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) as a supplier of Class 1 medical devices. Everything we do is mechanical. As a rule, Opticians don't make spectacles and Spectacle Makers don't perform sight tests! We can not advise you on clinical matters regarding your sight. If you require a sight test or consultation you should visit your GP or local Optician.

Glasses 4 Less is the ecommerce site of Orkney Optical Laboratory. It is our web site address.

We are bound and abide with, the Data Protection Act 1998. All information that you provide to us is secure. We will not share your information with third parties. The information you provide is used solely by ourselves and our suppliers to provide you with the product you order.

When you visit a high street shop or opticians, staffing and consultation costs are built into the cost of the products you buy. The on-line store is a 'self service' centre with an on-line shopping cart in a virtual world, without the high overheads and staffing costs of your typical high street shop. This means we can keep our prices low and save you £££'s.

More and more frequently customers are calling us for general help and advice on a whole range of topics, without necessarily purchasing from us. Some customers simply prefer to browse on-line and purchase over the telephone. We can only maintain our low prices on-line if we charge appropriately for the time we spend assisting those customers that prefer to talk to us directly.

Please note that e-mail support is free and is our preferred method of contact, especially during busy periods.

An 0871 number is a Fixed Rate Tariff number. This means that the caller always pays a rate of 10p/min when calling this number from anywhere in the UK.

Yes. We have a range of sunglass options. Polarised lenses, Light Sensitive Transitions and fixed sunglass tints. If you order a sunglass tint we automatically add the UV400 (Ultra Violet ray blocker) FREE of charge to your lenses. We do this for to protect your eyes from the damaging effect of the suns rays. With a standard tint alone there is no protection from harmful UV. It is not ethical to provide tints without UV protection.

Our lenses are all made of plastic. We do not supply glass lenses as standard. Plastic lenses have the benefit of being light weight and they are safer, since they do not shatter on impact. If you require glass lenses you will need to contact us directly prior to confirming your order.

We do have a selection of designer labeled frames for sale. Just click the link in the navigation bar. If the label you are looking for is not listed then we do not currently stock that range. We focus heavily on affordable quality. The frame designs we carry meet the needs of 80% of our customer base. We do, however, hope to increase our ranges in the near future.

Yes you can. For a payment of £5 (non refundable) to cover postage, packing and administration costs we will post out frames on approval for 14 days. Once you have sampled the product simply return it to us for glazing or a return to stock. If you fail to return the item within 14 days we will charge your credit card the full cost of the frame.

All of our lenses are checked for conformity with the relevant British Standards during manufacture. All our lenses are checked using a Focimeter to ensure they comply with your written prescription and for conformity with the relevant British Standards prior to glazing the frame. All completed jobs are checked using a Focimeter prior to dispatch to ensure the accuracy of the work and that the spectacles conform to British Standards and are within tolerance.

All of our frames are CE Trademarked and quality checked by our Frames suppliers.

If you require Varifocals and you have never worn them before it is in your best interest to go along to your optician. However, if you would like us to re-glaze a frame containing an existing pair of Varifocals, (a simple prescription update). We would consider a job of this kind. We would need to see the spectacles prior to any commitment. The frame should be in good, serviceable condition and you should have been comfortable with your varifocals prior to the prescription change. This is because we will duplicate the fitting height and centres. If your Varifocals were causing you problems there is little point in us duplicating any errors.

If you cannot read your prescription or have any doubts whatsoever you should send it or fax it to us for interpretation (Fax: 0871 288 7313). If we cannot read or understand it the only options available are to ask your optician for another prescription or allow us to contact them on your behalf.

Contact lens prescriptions are not the same as prescriptions for spectacles. Contact lenses are obviously designed to correct your vision at the eye, whilst your spectacles are designed to be worn 12 – 13mm from the eye. Whilst your contact lens and eyeglasses prescriptions may seem the same, they usually have differences. You must therefore have your eyes tested and a prescription issued for use with spectacles.

If you have astigmatism this just means that your eye is not a perfect sphere shape. This is extremely common and nothing to worry about. Most people suffer from this condition to a lesser or greater degree. The presence of numerals under the cylinder or CYL heading of your prescription and also an AXIS direction indicates that you have astigmatism.

You have a number of options available to you:

• Go to your optician and ask him / her to measure your PD value for you. Ask them to specify whether the measurement is for Distance or Near PD's . Monocular PD's are better (the distance from the centre of each eye to the centre of the bridge of your nose)
• Ask a friend or family member to measure it for you, following the instructions on this site.
• Accept the standard average of 63mm that we have indicated on our order form. However we can not stress enough just how important this measurement is to your overall comfort, especially with higher prescriptions. Your spectacles will be so much better if you provide us with this information.
• Please Note: On higher prescriptions we will insist that you provide us with the PD measurement. It would be unethical to process your order without it. We reserve the right decline an order if we believe that it would not be in your best interest.

Your Pupil Distance is the distance in Millimeters from the centre of the pupil in your left eye to the centre of your pupil in your right eye.

We need this measurement in order manufacture the lenses so that the centre of each lens sits opposite the centre of your pupil. This allows for maximum visual performance of your lenses without visual stress. In higher prescriptions especially, if this measurement is not as accurate as possible it could cause visual problems or headaches when wearing your glasses.

In the site menu we have a link to a page called ‘P.D Form’ This gives you detailed instructions on how to measure your Pupil Distance.

Our bifocal lenses are manufactured with 'D’ shaped and round segments (D28). The bifocal lens sits 3 to 5mm below the optical centre of the main lens. The segment is inset 2mm from the distance for reading. Please tell us if you use your bifocals for a lot of close work or just occasional use. It is assumed that you wear your glasses approximately 13 - 14mm from the eye. For optimum performance please send use your existing bifocals so that we can take your measurements from them.

Yes you can. If you wish to order the frame only and take it to your local opticians to be glazed we are more than happy to do this for you, simply call us for price details on 0871 288 7312.

Yes you can. We get asked this all the time. People are buying spectacles as a fashion accessory. The lenses we fit are optical quality plano (plain) lenses. Unfortunately they cost exactly the same price as any other single vision lens as plano can actually be part of a prescription. The upside is that your lenses will have perfect optical clarity and more importantly look the part. If you would like these lenses simply write PLANO in the sphere box on the right and left lens of the order form. No P.D measurement or other information is required.

The prescription page of our website contains very clear information on how to enter prescription information. If you are unsure it is probably best that you fax or post your prescription to us. If you would like us to help please feel free to call us on 0871 288 7312. If we are busy please leave a message and someone will return your call.

You can get your prescription from you optician. Your prescription should have been handed to you after your sight test. If you have had an eye test within the last 2 years simply go to the optician who carried out the test and ask for a copy of your prescription. Opticians are legally obliged to provide you with this. If you are going along for an eye test always ask to be provided with the prescription before you leave. You are not obliged to buy your glasses from the Optician who conducted your sight test. The law states that you shouldn’t be pressured into a sale. You can telephone your optician and request a copy of it to be sent to you. If you prefer you may have it faxed to us direct, simply give the optician the following fax number: 0871 288 7313.

If you enter you details incorrectly then you need to call us immediately so that we can correct the order before we go to production. It is important that you do this because once the spectacles or lenses have been made for you they are unique. We cannot offer refunds or replacements for incorrect prescription entries. For this reason it is best to send use the prescription, that way it transfers the liability to us. Any mistakes become our problem!

Once we begin manufacturing your glasses we cannot accept a change of prescription. If you realise that your prescription information was entered incorrectly, you need to call us immediately on 0871 288 7312 we will inform you if it is possible to make any amendments.

You may already be a spectacle wearer. If so, the frame measurements will be indicated at various locations on the frame. The first place to look is on the sides. If you are lucky all three measurements will be together.

Example: 48 x 18 x 135 or 48 □ 18 135

The first number, 48 is the eye size in millimeters. The second number is 18; this refers to the bridge width. The final three figure number 135, is the side length. The larger the numbers the bigger the frame. Other places to look are the inside of the bridge (especially on metal frames) or the inside of the right nose pad on plastics frames. The side length can sometimes be stamped on the inside of the plastic end tips.

This method alone is not always the best method for obtaining a good fitting frame. Two further measurements are included that ensure more accurate results. These are:

1. Frontal Width ~ Measured in millimeters, this is the horizontal distance between the centres of the two dowel screws that secure the sides. This is the OVERALL WIDTH measurement that we give for our frames and is an industry standard for measurement.

2. Lens depth ~ This the total depth of the lens in millimeters at its deepest point between upper and lower rims.

Compare your own frames measurements to those listed on our web site for a good fitting frame.

Other important notes regarding measurement

Side length is always measured as total length (as if the side were straightened) from the centre of the dowel screw that secures the side.

If you do not have a pair of glasses to go by, then you can easily take your own rough measurements. If you are unsure about sizing then a metal frame with adjustable nose pads is a good choice as it is easily adjusted.

Remember, you can always order frames on approval prior to purchase to save any disappointment.

If you're new to wearing spectacles you can always try on a few pairs in your local opticians to get some idea about size and style.

Please call our customer service number 0871 288 7312 if you require assistance.

The one thing that just isn't possible to achieve via the internet is an adjustment. If you are not comfortable about adjusting your spectacles yourself, your local optician may do this for you for a small fee. You may find that bragging about how much money you have saved by buying your glasses over the internet is a bit of a conversation stopper, and not recommended!

Your payment details are entered in to a secure internet site that our website links up with managed by Protx and in conjunction with Natwest Streamline. Glasses4Less does not record customer payment details as this is all managed on a secure server. If you telephone your order through, your card details are keyed in manually on a terminal, however once the transaction is completed the information is deleted.
If we are using your credit card as security on a sample frame we will charge your card the total amount due if it is not returned to us within 14 days. Once the transaction is completed the information is deleted.
You can rest assured that your card details and transactional information is very secure.

Yes - of course. We offer a standard 14 day money back guarantee on all purchases. If you are not entirely satisfied with the goods please return them with all packaging in an unused and re-saleable condition and we'll refund you in full.

If you receive items damaged in the post please contact us within 3 days. Please retain all packaging so that we can claim for the damage from the carrier. We will of course refund or replace the goods for you.

Special notes regarding spectacle sales
With spectacles we will refund the basic cost of the glasses or if you prefer, we can exchange them for another frame (once) - making any price adjustment necessary.

Please note: Prescription lenses are unique to you and once cut can not be returned in a re-saleable condition for a full refund. The lenses cannot be re-used. They are simply thrown away. These are unrecoverable expenses. We will therefore still have to make charges for these even if you don't like the frames. If you are considering optional extras (e.g. coatings or high index lenses) or expensive frames it is in your best interest to try before you buy. We can not refund the cost of optional extras. These are simply scrapped along with the lenses. Occasionally it is possible to cut lenses into smaller frames. However it could save a lot of time and money if you take a frame on approval. Call us on 0871 288 7312 for details

It is very easy for us to tell if a spectacle frame was damage due to lack of care. Manufacturing faults are quite easily defined.

If you have provided us with incorrect prescription details or PD measurement this is not covered by our guarantee. Your money will not be returned nor will you receive a new pair of glasses.

Extended Guarantee
All your purchases are guaranteed against defects in design, materials and workmanship, for a period of 12 months from the date of purchase. During this period we will refund, repair or replace the product or any defective parts free of charge.

We are under no liability in respect of any defects arising from willful or accidental damage, fair wear and tear, improper use and negligence, abnormal conditions of use, misuse or alteration or repair of the product without our approval. Buyer remorse is also not covered by this warranty.

This guarantee is offered as an extra benefit and does not affect your statutory rights as a consumer. This guarantee does not confer any rights other than those expressly set out above and in particular we shall not be liable for any consequential loss or damage.

If a defect appears, please return the goods for our inspection (if returning spectacles include the case and lens cloth) enclosing a letter giving your name, address and reason for return. Please enclose proof of purchase and date if the defective goods are within the guarantee period. Once we have inspected the goods we will notify you of your position.

Defective goods will be returned to the manufacturer for their consideration.

Unfortunately We do not accept NHS Vouchers at this time.

You can pay by credit card, debit card or switch card over the web or over the phone. You may also pay by cheque or postal order. We will allow 4 working days for the cheque to clear before beginning the manufacturing process.

Yes. You may buy glasses for someone else as long as you have the correct prescription and that you are not purchasing spectacles for anyone under the age of 16 or anyone who is registered as being blind or partially sighted.

The guarantee covers any faults or defects in the goods or spectacles that you receive. Items received broken, electrical items not working etc. With respect to glasses it covers errors or faults in manufacture. Glasses not made to the specifications given to us at the time of order. It does not cover breakage caused by you and does not cover buyer remorse.

Spectacle Guarantee

Your spectacles are guaranteed against defects in design, materials and workmanship, for a period of 12 months from the date of purchase. During this period we will repair or replace the product or any defective parts free of charge.
We are under no liability in respect of any defects arising from willful or accidental damage, fair wear and tear, improper use, negligence, abnormal conditions of use, misuse or alteration or repair of the product without our approval. Buyer remorse is also not covered by this warranty.
This guarantee is offered as an extra benefit and does not affect your statutory rights as a consumer. This guarantee does not confer any rights other than those expressly set out above and in particular we shall not be liable for any consequential loss or damage.
If a defect appears, please return your spectacles for our inspection (including the case and lens cloth) enclosing a letter giving your name, address and reason for return. Please enclose proof of purchase and date if the repair is within the guarantee period. Once we have inspected the goods we will notify you of your position.

If you are returning the goods due to a manufacturing fault on our part or a breakage on receipt of goods we will either replace the goods free of charge or refund you in full for the goods purchased. If you are returning the goods for any other reasons we will consider refunds / part refunds on a case basis. Any concessions we may provide we do so without prejudicing our position or our right to enforce our terms and conditions.

The guarantee is for 12 months from date of order.

UK mainland postage is included FREE OF CHARGE on all purchases. Shipping outside the UK is subject to charges (contact us for a quote). A shipping charge of £2.50 per frame will be made for returning customers own frames (UK only). Valuable items requiring insurance will be charged postage accordingly. We will not accept liability for items lost in the post and not properly insured.

We will try to dispatch all stock items within 2 – 3 working days and all spectacle orders within 7 – 14 working days. During busy periods however these times may be extended. Our terms and conditions state a maximum of 28 days for delivery. This is because time needs to be allowed in case there are any unforeseen problems during manufacturing / supply or with the delivery agent. These problems are outside of our control. However please be assured that we will try to deliver your goods as soon as possible. If extended delays are to be expected we will keep you notified.

Not in the slightest – People often think that because we live on a remote Scottish Island that we lack amenities. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The Island of Flotta for example is the main terminal for North Sea gas and oil. The main town of Kirkwall boasts a Cathedral (which technically makes it a City) and an airport.
All item posted before 12 noon via Royal Mail Special Delivery are guaranteed to be delivered by 1pm Next Day. The post leaves the islands twice a day and arrives on the early morning flights or ferry. The only time we ever suffer delays is during bad weather which normally affects Scotland as a whole.

Goods paid by cheque will be delivered to the address specified on the original order. Payments made by credit card require us to deliver the goods to the registered card holder’s address only. This helps prevent card fraud. If paying by cheque, please write your name, address and guarantee card number on the reverse.

If there is a problem with the goods supplied please contact us immediately on 0871 288 7312 If the fault is with spectacles supplied to you please do not wear the glasses again until you have spoken with us.

We deliver the majority of our goods via Royal Mail 1st class post and 1st Class Recorded. The majority of items that we ship are boxed or packaged small enough to fit through a standard letterbox; therefore, for small ow value items you do not need to wait at home for delivery.
However, if you request and pay for Special Delivery or you order larger more expensive items a signature will be required and the item will be to large for letter box delivery.