Does anyone know if there is a fast service for buying glasses (spectacles) in Geneva, if you already have the prescription? In the UK there is a one hour service offered by some optician chains. Does this exist here?
I can't really say for Geneva, but when I mentioned this sort of service to German Swiss friends they were really surprised, and said that nothing like that existed to their knowledge. Glasses take 1-2 weeks. I got my last pair at McOptik, and this took 10 days from purchase.
Visilab (near Rive and Bel Air) have labs on their premises and do things in an hour or two, unless you're making a really special order. I'd suggest going to the one near Rive (in front of the Fnac), their labs are huge and they have a bigger workforce. Plus, you can drop by the Fnac while your glasses are being made.
I think it also depends on your prescription how fast they can do it. Normal prescriptions can be quite fast, but bi-focals or graduated lenses take longer.
Just saw that you are in Vaud. Why do you want to go all the way to Geneva to get your glasses?
I don't wear glasses but everyone in my family and most of my friends are blind as bats; those who have tried the quick service route were seldom happy with the results, quite probably due to tricky prescription and time constraints. Though you do have a trial period where you can return them for a re-do. That said, my wife is on try number 3 with the 2 week wait standard service .
Visilab does inded do 2hour service.. but two hours in FNAC turned deadly.
thanks for asking mrs. G. !!
( made a spectacle of myself yest'd )
I have seen the labs in some of the "one hour" type places here in Basel, unless the place you're speaking of has different equipment, they *should* be able to do even multi-focal lenses in one to two hours.
General guideline for this sort of service is if your "distance viewing" prescription is up to about -9.00 or +6.00 AND if you wear any sort of multi-focal (bi, tri, progressive / "varifocal") that it is up to +2.75 "add" (usually more limited selection of +3.00, but often available to some extent) that many of the "one hour" places should be able to handle it.
At least, assessing the type of equipment they had in the lab I saw, that's what I know the machines can easily deal with.
Yes, Visilab is the one to go to, they offer the fast service of 1-2 hrs.
If in Vaud, there is one at Signy Centre, if Geneva, some sites have already been mentioned.
thanks.. the issue is for now settled, but perhaps the info will come in handy for some other poor sod.