We’ve got a leaflet to help our Chinese speaking friends understand our process …

You can call them reading glasses if you like, but they really are not just reading glasses are they? Such glasses are actually to help you see clearly doing things that are closer to you - so your phone, removing a splinter, wiring a plug, painting your nails, changing a SIM card …. not just reading at all … more

If you order specs from an opticians, then when you collect them, they should be fitted. Sometimes that fitting means they fit well for the lifetime of that pair, other times addiitonal tweaks are required and sometimes it transpires that the chosen frame is never going to fit satifactorily and a new one needs to be picked. If you buy online …

People we see for eye tests are getting cataract surgery just a short number of weeks (most recent was 3 weeks) after we referred them. This sounds unbelievable when waiting lists in some parts of the UK are measured in years (just spoke to a Scottish friend who was very jealous). It’s good news as people with cataracts can start to struggle with everyday tasks in their work, rest and play …

We start with, “can we get you a coffee from John St Kitchen next door?”, but I accept that’s not an essential one. But, it’s significant as the questions you are asked at the start of the examination should take a while - long enough for you to drink a coffee. The questions should be purposeful and orientated around making sure the optometrist understands what visual issues you are (and are not) facing - in everyday life, at work and at play … more

This text accompanies the YouTube video 3 on the @EthicalOpticina channel I have set up to provide advice and information, to help you get better eyecare and eyewear. There is a myopia epidemic across the world. In late 2019, the World Health Organization released its first ever World Report on Vision, “It recognised that myopia is increasing globally at an alarming rate, with nearly five billion people or 50% of the world’s population predicted to be affected by the condition by the year 2050, including 10% with high myopia … more

When people talk about glare everyone gets very obsessed about car headlights, particularly modern car headlights. People say “they're too bright” and  “they're not properly aligned” and I agree, there is an issue with modern car headlights -  the designers of cars seem to be thinking about the driver rather than the whole road environment. But, in our experience a lot of night driving glare is made a lot worse because people are not wearing the correct spectacles for driving when they drive … more

I have set up a YouTube Channel to provide advice and information - to help people access better eyewear and eyecare. I am going to try and do short videos on common issues that come up and try to provide tips and help … more