In previous roles I observed a lot of eye tests performed by other optometrists - mostly people knew I was there to watch and feedback and I did a few incognito. The incognito ones horrified me, at the end I didn’t know whether to break my cover and give them a hug or shop them to the General Optical Council. The hug came from the part of me that recognised they were miserable and clearly were not enjoying their work; the reporting them to the authorities came from the point of view that I didn’t think they were performing up to the standards our professional guidelines set out.

When I was there to observe, as part of their development, the theme was frustration. Frustration that their patients were not being listened to well enough, frustration that the issues they came with were not being addressed and frustration that when I raised this with the practitioner they were either in denial or that they thought they had to work like due to lack of time afforded to appointments by their employer. I couldn’t disagree with them, but when I had worked in places where they insisted on 20 min per patient diary I had refused and left if more time wasn’t allocated. I asked them why they put up with it, if they knew the care they were offering was compromised and those conversations petered out in a series of shrugs and muttering about pensions …

It’s all a bit sad, as you need high grades to get on to an optometry degree, the course is full on and then the registration year is hard graft with tricky professional assessments throughout and stressful practical exams at the end. Then after all that, once you past the first thing said to you - is “now you need to get faster”.

Why book eye tests in to too short a time and get unhappy patients and practitioners - well, it’s money isn’t it. See more, sell more.

When we set up Eyeye we didn’t want to feel rushed and we didn’t want patients to feel rushed either. It’s good for eye health and mental health to feel there is time to listen, explain and respond.

Almost 9 yrs in we don’t regret our slow model at all.

All the stock we ordered in Paris - during our annual trip to the massive Silmo expo - has arrived!

Designed in Barcelona, The Netherlands, Spain, France and Scotland - our friends across borders, even if th eborders are harder to negotiate than we wish (longest Budget for ages and Rachel didn’t even mention it!).

We meet current suppliers and see thier new models and colours, find new ones and also enjoy a bit of Paris nightlife. This year Karl, Ali, Claire and Sharonjit went - Nonye couldn’t get a visa in time ..

Pop in for a look - no appointment needed.

You should book an eye test with us, as our eye tests are very good. They are good as we allow an hour and make good use of it - taking time to listen to you, understand the visual demands of your life at work rest and play. The hour we allow means we can go though the health of your eyes now - using pictures - and talk about keeping them healthy. We can make sure your understand your spectacle prescription and the options for making use of it to improve your vision, reduce strain/tiredness or increase your enjoyment of activities you love from reading, to tennis, to sewing, to volleyball.

Read our reviews on Google - they back up what we say.

We allow an hour for tests as we strongly believe that the standard 20 minute slot allowed in your average Specsavers, is insufficient. It’s obvious why they only allow that amount of time, as it means more tests can be done and more money can potentially be made. But, it’s not for us. It’s not just big multiples that do such short tests, many independents are very rushed too.

You can book online, call or pop in. When you come, we’ll get you a hot drink from the cafe next door and hopefully you will enjoy your time with us.