THE WIDNES BRANCH - DECEMBER 2022

We have made the decision to close our Widnes branch. We would like to thank all our customers who came to us over the years. The decision was not an easy one but due to the past 2 years trading conditions due to Covid 19 and unrealistic demands from our Landlords we believe we have made the best decision to move our business forward. Many Widnes customers have made the short journey during the lockdown period and have asked us to keep the records here also. All records have now been relocated to our Liverpool Huyton practice.

Some of our customers have already made the trip to the Huyton Branch, its approximately 8 minutes away (non peak times). Others have booked in over the next few weeks. We hope we can see as many of you as possible. Our Lab is situated in the Huyton branch and some jobs can even be completed while you wait.

Recycled Frames - Helping the world

We have some fantastic new frames from Coral Eyewear. Hear is what they have to say about them.

From Coral Eyewear

"We create stylish, sustainable glasses and sunglasses from recycled plastics and fishing nets rescued from oceans. Almost half of the UK needs glasses, with a current total of 34 million eyewear prescriptions. The problem? An overwhelming majority of designers and eyewear brands create glasses and sunglasses from virgin plastic frames. So we decided to create our frames from abandoned fishing nets left at sea. Not only does this curb the need for new plastic but it actively benefits the world, too. In fact World Animal Protection estimates just one abandoned net entangles 30-40 marine animals per year. With 600,000 tonnes of fishing gear in our oceans, that's a lot of plastic we can rescue and turn into our eco-friendly glasses."

Ellesmere Port Patient records

If you attended the Specs2U Branch in Ellesmere Port your records are now with Orrells Opticians 68 Whitby Road. Ellesmere Port CH65 0AA 0151 355 1077.

Ellesmere Port Branch

We have made the decision to close our Ellesmere Port branch. We would like to thank all our customers who came to us over the years. The decision was not an easy one but due to the past 18 months trading conditions due to Covid 19 and unrealistic demands from our Landlords we believe we have made the best decision to move our business forward. All records have been relocated to our Liverpool Huyton practice.

Some of our customers have already made the trip to the Huyton Branch, its approximately 20 minutes away (non peak times). Others have booked in over the next few weeks. We hope we can see as many of you as possible. Our Lab is situated in the Huyton branch and some jobs can even be completed while you wait.

Buy Local!

Just saying....use local businesses more and we all benefit. The money spent stays in the LOCAL economy and is spent on other local businesses - helping generate more local jobs and benefiting the community.

Happy customers

"I should be on commission, the number of people I've sent to you!".

One of our customers loves to recommend people he knows to use Specs2U for eye tests and glasses. He thinks he's up to 12 already. Its very much appreciated but also makes us feel good that everyone he's recommended has also had a great experience with us!

Eye tests for kids

The summer holidays are fast approaching. While the kids are at home driving you (or their grandparents) mad over the next 6 weeks you can get your revenge by making them sit quietly for 30 minutes while getting an eye test!

Joking aside, recent statistics show that around 70% of children under 16 in the UK have never had an eye test. Eye tests are free under the NHS and and it gives you peace of mind that they've been checked out and any underlying problems identified.

And if you're going to get them tested, it makes sense to have them tested thoroughly in a friendly and peaceful environment.

Call any of our branches and we'll aim to find a date and time that suits you. And you'll get a nice cup of tea or coffee and half an hour of peace!

Love Island sunglasses

As usual, Love Island is once again the shop window for trendy sunglasses - with mirror tints taking centre stage. If you want to capture the same look, pop into one of our branches to check out the tints available. Gold, silver, red, blue, green.....

We can put lenses (including prescription sunglass lenses) into existing frames or into frames you've bought elsewhere (including off the internet).

And if you're thinking of applying to be on Love Island 2019, you'll want to be ahead of the game in the sunglasses department!

Lost specs!

Someone we know lost their specs and couldn't find them for 4 days. Searched the house...car...everywhere.

They were eventually found...in the garden. Where she'd left them.

Can you spot them? 🤔🤓

Another great testimonial

Another day, another great customer testimonial.

"I would like to thank Phil at Specs2U for the excellent service provided.

After an eye test with a rival High Street chain I was told my eyes were fine and they would see me again in a year. They were wrong.

I had an appointment with Specs2U and they found something which had been missed by the High Street chain. This is now being treated. I have been extremely happy with the service and advice I have been given.

I can't praise Phil and his team at Specs2U enough. I have no hesitation in recommending Specs2U to friends and business colleagues alike"

Tom Watson, Director at Optimia.

You can still use Specs2U even if you don't live near a branch

We are increasingly providing specs on a 'remote' basis - i.e. where people live far away from where our branches are.  Indeed we've sent glasses to America, Spain, France, Portugal, Italy,  Northern Ireland, Scotland...and cities around the UK.

In most cases all we need is a recent prescription, a frame of yours with the lenses still inside and the postal details.  We can discuss requirements using email or over the phone. So if you want to use our services, access our specialist lenses or need specs in a hurry, why not contact us?

Reglazing (reusing old frames)

We do a lot of reglazes for our customers.  Nearly 30% of the jobs we do reuse people's existing or old frames.  But many other opticians either refuse to do it or charge so much for doing it that the customer decides to buy a new frame (which is probably what the optician wants them to do).

Our view is different.  In this age of recycling we have no problem reusing old or existing frames.  As long as the frame is in good condition then we're happy to use it.

This keeps our customers very happy. Rather than throwing away a perfectly good frame, they get to reuse it - and save money on the process.  Its a win win.

Sunglasses tint guide

Sunglasses tint guide (so you know what to ask for when looking at sunglasses). Note that many High Street opticians may not give you a choice however!

Light transmission is how much light gets through the tint on the lens (in % terms). The lower the class, the more light gets through (and the less UV protection you have). Class 0 and 1 provide NO UV protection (this includes the lower portion of a graduated tint).

Class 0 : 80-100% (clear) - use indoors or on overcast days. No limitations.

Class 1 : 43 - 80% (light tint) - use for low sunlight.

Class 2 : 18 - 42% (medium tint) - medium sunlight.

Class 3 : 8%-18% (dark tint) - bright sunlight.

Class 4 : 3 - 8% (very dark tint) - exceptionally bright sunlight. Not suitable for driving.

Polarised lenses are usually around 15% absorbtion.

Meet another of our customers!

Meet the customer!

Here's our latest volunteer. Scott came to us for an eye test a couple of weeks ago and (as you can deduce from the picture) needs more than one pair of specs!

Scott is a surveyor and has different requirements from his specs. He needs a pair for close work (reading / computers etc.). He needs a pair for on-site work with a tough frame - just in case - as working on-site means the opportunity for them to get knocked, dropped and bashed about.

His third pair is his everyday pair (at home, going out etc.) which he wanted to be more stylish.

And - just to reassure you - he doesn't wear all three at the same time!

All three now done and Scott is - of course - another happy Specs2U customer!

Ricky Tomlinson pops in

All our customers are stars to us - but sometimes a real-life star comes into Specs2U. Ricky Tomlinson and his lovely wife came to Specs2U for an eye test and new specs.

We did Ricky's new reading specs in 20 minutes! He's just like you'd expect him to be - down-to-earth, charming and cracking jokes. A real gentleman.

And he said "Thanks Lurkio" when I made him a cup of tea. I was made up! 🤣🤣

Fogged up specs?

There are some lens coatings that provide anti-fogging and under 'normal' conditions, they work quite well. You can get also sports glasses with special anti-fog lenses.

Outside, fogging normally occurs when warm air (such as your breath) is deflected upwards towards your specs - such as wrapping a scarf around your mouth and nose. The warm air condenses on your cold lenses and steams up. The obvious solution is to move the scarf down a bit and let the warm air dissapate

You can buy anti-fogging wipes - these basically create a layer between the lens and the outside world. Other suggestions are a drop of shaving foam or soap wiped over the lens and 'buffed off which do the same as the anti-fogging wipes. However, soaps with microgranules in them could damage the lens and we wouldn't really recommend any of the above.

However, in the extreme weather we have at present, nothing is going to be much use. Stepping from a very cold environment into a warm house, car or office is going to make them steam up regardless!

A quick wipe with a good lens cloth will take the surface moisture off the lens and help warm the lens up and so reduce the incidence of condensation.

But do not attempt to drive until your lenses are clear!

Project Australia

Project Australia. You won't have heard about it but it was successfully completed.

An Ellesmere Port customer came to us with a problem at the start of the year.. A relative had died in Australia and the funeral was scheduled for a week's time. Coincidentally his son also lived in Australia so he was going to spend a week in Adelaide and attend the funeral then spend the rest of the month in Sydney with his son.

But his glasses were broken and the repair to the frame and the time to replace the lenses would be finished after he was due to fly out - and he couldn't do without his specs!

So we made him a cheap pair to use temporarily for the journey while his main pair were being repaired. We then sent the main pair all the way to Adelaide do he'd have them for the majority of the trip.

The customer came in today to tell us all went well - where he was staying in Adelaide was a bit off he beaten track so the 'postie' just left the package on the front porch (so much for 'Signed For' delivery! They got there safe and sound however and he got full use out of them 'Down Under'.

Would your optician do that?

Don't fix your specs yourself

After having a couple of people coming onto the branch with broken glasses this week, a word of advice. Do NOT attempt to fix your glasses using superglue (or any other glue for that matter).

Superglue can wreck the coating on your lens and is also very hard to remove once on. In addition, the fumes can be an irritant to the eyes.

When used on the frame it can prevent the arms from folding and also clogs up screw holes (meaning that old screws cant be removed or new screws put back in). The residue left usually means that replacement lenses can't be put back either. If you have a loose screw in your specs get an optician to put a new screw in - don't glue one in!

The best bet in the event of a broken frame to take the specs to your opticians first. Usually metal frames can be repaired and / or the lenses put into a new frame. They can at least advise what to do next.

And you won't glue your fingers together either!

More word of mouth recommendations...

Just booked a lovely lady in for an eye test. When I asked her how she'd heard about us she said she'd been recommended by a friend.

She then asked if anyone where she works knew about us and had a glowing recommendation (apparently) from one of her work colleagues.

She then decided to check us out on our website and as a result of that (and reading some of our customer testimonials) she decided to give us a go!

We've obviously set the bar high! I hope we can live up to her expectations but its great to now how well thought of we are in the local community!

5 year birthday at Ellesmere Port

A little celebration this week - Ellesmere Port branch has now been open 5 years.