scrubbedexpat056

Hi All,
My wife has lost her glasses so we went into an optician we passed in the local supermarket. After some time I think we managed to understand that the eye test was free, but we had to be referred by a doctor as it's a specialism. She could probably find her old prescription, but it's a couple of years old now so she'd prefer a new one. From another post you may remember it's been impossible for us to register with a medecin traitant here in carcassonne so any visit to a doctor is a bit of a headache.
Googling it it seems we can visit an opthalmologist for the test and prescription for the glasses. I assume that means that the test will not be free and that as a specialist it will be at a higher rate than a doctor's visit for a referral, but that we will only be reimbursed the government amount plus our mutuelle whatever we do. Is that right? We just want to weigh up spending a bit more ourselves for less hassle and waiting.

Annetje

The last time I went to an Opth. I had a prescription from my doc, so can't help you on the costs.
However, an appointment took the best part of 3 months I seem to remember.

scrubbedexpat056

Ok, thanks.

dmu

You have to wait longer than that here for an appointment.....
Like gynaecologists and one or two other specialists, you don't need a referral from the MT to consult an Opth. I paid 28€ last time for a check-up, which was reimbursed by the Sécu and Mutuelle, but he charges more if he does more complicated examinations (fundus oculi, field of vision, etc...)

grannybunz

In our area it takes up to 6 months to get and appointment, with or withour a script from your MT,
Our solution is to visit our son in the Channel Islands every couple of years and have them book us an appointment . We pay £25.00 for the test and bring the prescription back to France for it to be fulfilled on Carte Vitale/ Mutuelle, We usually get the cost of the test reimboursed too. The optician we use says that loads of French people come over for this purpose in fact they employ a French optician.

scrubbedexpat056

We were wondering about her having the test back in the UK. She has to go back fairly often. Does anyone have an idea of a cost comparison between France and UK? Are the glasses in France after whatever can be claimed back cheaper then just buying them in UK?

spouse of scouse

I had my eyes tested at SpecSavers in the UK (England), about April 2018. The cost was £20 and they give you your prescription whether or not you purchase specs from them.

petitefrancaise

Cheaper? Depends on your mutuelle reimbursement. I had friends that got their eyes tested/new glasses in the UK and said they were cheaper there. Certainly easier to get it done! Toulouse area had a minimum 6 month wait for opthalmo appointments so with 3 kids that all wore glasses I always booked the next appointment whilst I was in the clinic.
Also, with 3 kids that needed glasses the local shop was fab at fixing/polishing scratches/replacing lost ones quickly.....
If you have an urgent problem with your eyesight (ie, teachers say you can't do school work etc) I found the opthalmo receptionist would fit you in.

dmu

I usually get peanuts reimbursed by my Mutuelle for glasses, but then this reimbursement for new lenses every two years (the Sécu won't reimburse you before then, unless you can prove a drastic change in vision during the year following the last prescription), is better than paying higher premiums for two years....

Tweedpipe

You're right a rdv with an opthalmologist can be a nightmare of waiting depending on location. A visit for an eye test and prescription for the glasses cost around 40 euros (plus the frames and glass). Our Mutual reimburses every 2 years for this.
Up until 3 years ago getting an appointment here with an opthalmologist in the nearest town (population approx 18,000) took about 3 months. Since then they opened a new centre with a number of healthcare specialists - opthalmologist appointment now approx 2-4 weeks. For one urgent matter (without going to my GP) the same opthalmologist saw me the same day, then an appoinment for cataract one week later, with an op the following month on both eyes at two weeks apart. All went smoothly, excellent service! Must say our Mutual/ PreviFrance which we chose a number of years earlier after much research and comparisons is first class.

dmu

This happened for me, too - once the opth rings back (since the secretary would never take a patient's word for it), they are always available for urgent cases, but this wouldn't work just for a check-up, all the more so for a new patient....
As an aside, my local opth isn't a surgeon, and I had to consult the nearest one in Béziers, with a referral from him. OTOH he (the surgeon) comes up to our local Clinique once a week to "do" all the cataracts in turn. Quite a profitable production-line!

Tweedpipe

Interesting.
I actually don't dislike the visits to my local Opth - who's also the surgeon. Needless to say in that line of work he appears to be doing a roaring trade.
The 10-15min in the waiting room is always of interest and well spent, as the side tables are piled high with UK Classic Car magazines. Broached the subject with him on one visit and not surprisingly it's he who's the classic car enthusiast, and we quickly realised we had that in common. Learnt that he drives a 60's Mk 2 Jaguar, which together with MG's and Lotus that I knew a little about, in between understandings of intraocular lenses and Lasik surgery, 3.8lt engines, knock-on wire wheels etc, the discussion took a few interesting turns.
On a post-op check-up recently, I mentioned that I had to particularly thank him because at long last I can actualy see to overtake - which seemed to amuse him.