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Getting new glasses in France.


Blodwyn

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Do you still have to visit an ophthalmologist, to get a prescription, then go to an optician to buy specs? I fear it could be very expensive and the health service and mutual wouldn't pay much.

Last time we went to Specsavers while on a UK visit but it's hard to organise now OH has a health problem, finds travel difficult and has hospital treatment every 3 weeks. The cheap magnifying specs are no good for us.
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I think it depends where you are.

In the village we have an optician who will do an eye test that you then take to your GP who signs a prescription for the glasses, but she make it very clear that it is only a vision test, not a full eye examination.

I don't know if anyone else has come across this.

I do know that there is usually a long wait for an appointment with an ophthalmologist,
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We go to one in our local hospital, booking well in advance. I ask for both contact lens prescription and one for glasses. I then use an on line service for both - 25€ or so for my each of my contacts, colour coded for ease. 50€ or so up for glasses. Has worked fine for years.
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Interesting;  when you say 'booking well in advance' - can I just ask;  you are booking an appointment with an opthamologist, yes ?  

You are doing this off your own bat, without a note/appointment from doctor - you can just decide that you want such an appointment, and you can make the appointment - and then what about costs ?   Are they high for such an appointment?  

If you've done this using your own initiative, without a doctor's letter, do you have to pay full cost, or is it still something that CPAM will cover the 70% costs, and with the usual top-up of 30% from insurance or cash ?

Just asking, because I've got signs of early cataracts in both eyes (according to last eye test back in UK 2 years ago) - so I know I'm going to have to start action soon to have problem treated.

Sorry to be so nosey !

Chessie

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Normally you should have a note from your médicin traitant for an appointment with a specialist, but the wait is usually so long to see an ophthalmologist that you might as well phone up for an appointment as soon as possible and get the note later.

The referral ensure that you will be properly  reimbursed

http://www.ameli.fr/assures/soins-et-remboursements/comment-etre-rembourse/le-parcours-de-soins-coordonnes/objectif-des-soins-coordonnes.php

Simple sight tests such as I mentioned above are of course a different matter

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Husband has been to an opthal. appt. this pm, which I booked on the phone last October!

They took his CV and he had to pay 28€. We have a basic topup, but it doesn't cover eye problems.

He needs 2 new pairs of specs, distance and close work.  And he has a "petit cataract."

Then we went to  our usual optician. For the distance ones they can use the same frames, but for closework he had to order new frames .

Total cost will be 220€ approx.

C'est la vie - he won't go back to the UK!

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Chessie, the last appointment was about 2 years ago. We went to our local polyclinic without any doctors note and asked the receptionist for an appointment for the 3 of us. The wait was not a problem as it had to be during University hols. Total cost was about 90€ I think, but wife and no 2 son had extras (air blown on eye ball etc). Plus is was an "experience", the opthalmo is Spanish, was 9 month pregnant and wore 6 inch heels. Very feisty and gave me a bollo*king for not having specs in case I got an infection in my eye and could not wear lenses - she did not charge for this advice. We scanned and sent the presciptions to the oneline glasses maker in the UK after choosing the specs we wanted. Mutual and CMU paid usual rates.
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Hi Lehaut

Did you go to the Polyclinique in Avranches? My Dad aged 93 wants an appointment so we were going to ask his MT for a letter in the hope the appointment would be quicker!  At 93 he wants his new specs "now".

Thanks

Mrs H.

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