How to select the best optician

What does it feel like when you walk into an opticians in Liverpool for an appointment? Does it feel like you’re looked after, appreciated for your loyalty, do you feel hurried in any way, do you leave with clear choices whether it’s about choosing some #sunglasses for your holiday or selecting spectacle or contact lenses?

For those unfamiliar to us, we are an independent, boutique optician ideally placed between Lord Street and Castle Street and close to Liverpool One.

The vast majority of our customers have remained loyal since we opened in 1992, and we pride ourselves on giving our customers extra time and attention.

Many of the high-street optician multiples feel under pressure to get a conveyor belt of patients moving through as quickly as possible. However, we know that people need and appreciate more time to discuss their eye issues whether cosmetic or health-based or both!

Establishing optical needs is complicated when there are any underlying conditions such as cataracts or glaucoma and you can’t put a time constraint on that.

It’s about being appropriate for people’s needs. Sometimes a customer maybe a little anxious about an eye test or perhaps they are looking to wear lenses for the first time.

There’s often a fair amount of information to discuss and take in too. For example, we’ve been working with Crizal on their state of the art lenses and it’s important for customers to consider in choosing them e.g. whether they may benefit from a special coating depending on their hobby or occupation, whether they are a sportsperson or they spend all day in front of the computer.

In explaining to a customer that Crizal UV Protective Lenses offer anti-scratch, anti-glare, ultraviolet protection and water-repellent coatings, you can’t just gloss over that in one sentence.

People also don’t mind paying more once they understand the benefits that premium lenses can provide.

Of course, to accompany all of this, we offer a vision test before moving on to a health check. Your health and lifestyle can affect your vision and we take the effects of smoking, nutrition and UV exposure very seriously.

Conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure can also affect eye health. We check eyeball pressure too, a good indicator for glaucoma.

It might seem like an extensive eye check-up and it is! You only get the one set of eyes, look after them!