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.

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! 🤣🤣

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!

Cup of tea?

Amazingly, while in Sainsbury's I bumped into another couple of my customers - and we chatted for about 5 minutes about holidays, glasses (obviously) and family. Again it shows the type of relationship we enjoy with our customers - you are certainly not just a name and number at Specs2U.

We're on first name terms with many of our customers and some pop in for a cup of tea and a chat when they're in the area. Indeed many book their eye tests by popping into the branch in person rather than just calling on the phone. I'd like to think its for my sparkling personality but I suspect its my tea and coffee making ability.

A testimonial

A testimonial from Mike Brougham of Kitchcleanse.

"We recently used the services of Specs2U with reference to my mother who was suffering from cataracts.

Specs2u's professionalism, knowledge of the job and speed of service has been excellent from when we first contacted them right though until the completion of treatment.

The appointment was given very quickly which was welcome and has led to the surgery of my mother taking place sooner than we expected with very positive results. I'd like to thank Phil and his team for pushing this through for us, avoinding any lengthy delays.

I would recommend Phil and Specs2U to my contacts and any of my clients.

Specs2U deliver excellent service at a competitive price. Thank you very much Phil".

The downside of Irlens

We've had a sad story told to us by a woman who found us through the Internet.  Her daughter has Irlen Syndrome and she has to wear coloured lenses to read.  Because of this she's been subjected to bullying at school and the experience has left her unwilling to read and also having to be taught at home for the time being.

She's coming into our Ellesmere Port branch on Saturday for an eye test and to see if our clear Migratech lenses will help her read without having to use coloured lenses.  

So she can go back to school and start enjoying reading again.

Would your optician do this?

What do you do if you have customers who can't pick up their glasses before Christmas...but need them before Christmas (as they're away or working)?

If you're a typical optician you tell them to pick them up in the New Year.

But we're not a typical opticians - so when we close the branch today, I'll be driving round the local area dropping those customer's specs off at their homes to make sure they've got them before Christmas Day. Good customer service is at the heart of what we do - and we aim to deliver it every single day.

If your current optician wouldn't go that extra mile (or two) for you, then think about Specs2U next time you need an eye test or glasses.

What your prescription actually means

A happy customer indeed

A lovely story from our Liverpool branch. A lady came to us for an eye test and we found she had an issue that could adversely affect her vision. We suggested our new MigraTech lens to help sharpen her vision to correct her particular issue.

On collecting the glasses she told us it was the best vision she'd ever had from a pair of glasses (and incidentally the best eye test she'd ever had).

She came back around a week later to have an adjustment to her glasses and our optometrist came out to help - and got a hug from our lady customer for her troubles!

She then came back for a second pair and also popped in to provide a box of chocolates for the staff (which Rob in the lab managed to demolish in an hour!) and also this amazing hand-made card to thank the staff for helping her. What a lovely gesture!

The difference is the service

We often get asked what makes Specs2U different to other opticians.  Rather than use our own words, here is just one example of what our customers say about us...

"I recently visited Specs2U at Ellesmere Port in order to assist my 84 year old mum who was fed up with her "High Street" varifocals.

When we arrived we were immediately given a warm welcome and a cup of tea. My Mum had her eye test which was very detailed and took over 45 minutes. The optician was very patient and explained to my Mum how the varifocals would work with her particular eye prescription.

Then my Mum was shown the selection of glasses and was helped by the staff to choose a pair of frames along with sunglasses.

This took another 30 minutes and at no time did my Mum feel she was being rushed.

The whole experience was very calm and you would certainly not get this sort of service anywhere else.

A couple of weeks later we went back and Phil very kindly fitted the glasses and explained to my Mum how they would help her vision and how to wear them.

Again, we were given a nice cup of tea!

My mum received a pair of varifocals and prescription sunglasses that she is delighted with and will have no hesitation in telling all her friends about the great service.

I would recommend Phil and Specs2U every time."

June J. Wirral

Google Doodle - Ferdinand Monoyer

Today's Google Doodle celebrates the work of Ferdinand Monoyer. You will probably never have heard of him (until today) but this French ophthalmologist is very important in the world of optics.

He invented the dioptre (the scale of measurement of visual acuity) based on how far away from something you need to be to see it clearly.

He also invested the eye chart that helps measure visual acuity - and which has been used around the world by billions of people. So when you next have an eye test, you'll now know who invented the chart they ask you to look at!

Going the extra mile - again...

The scenario?  Simple.  A lady loses her glasses in Chester and needs to replace them.  Simple, right?  Except she lost them on Saturday afternoon and needed a replacement for work on Monday morning.  And her prescription was out of date.   Rebuffed by all opticians in the area she came onto us.  The long and the short of it was that we arranged to get her prescription to the lab on Monday morning and hand-made the lenses to prescription. I then gave up half my day off to drive to Widnes with the frame, wait for the lenses to be fitted then on to Ellesmere Port so she could pick them up.  

The result  was she could go back to work on Monday afternoon (no-one else could sort her out for around 2 weeks).  Result is one happy new customer.

That is the kind of customer service we do.  

Knight in shining armour

I've been called a lot of things in my time (mostly good!) and to add to the list is 'my knight in shining armour'.  One of my customers had knelt on her glasses when measuring for a carpet and bent the arm over 90 degrees further than it should be (imagine the arm pointing straight up in the air) as well as badly twisting the frame.  

Without them she can't work and was worried that the specs were beyond hope.  Five minutes of heat and gentle bending they are back to normal and she can go to work as normal - hence the 'knight' reference.  

What makes Specs2U so different?

I'm often asked what makes Specs2U so different compared to people's normal expectations of an opticians.

There are of course the basic differences.  

We operate from out-of-town locations.  This means that parking is available, free and right outside the branch.  Town centre locations rarely if ever have that benefit.

We make our own lenses - which means that you are essentially buying direct from the manufacturer.  This means much better value for money but also access to expertise on how lenses are made as well as probably the widest lens choice available in the UK.

We provide 30 minute in-depth eye examinations for all customers - which mans you have more time with the optometrist and they have more time with you.

But what really makes us different is the customer experience.  Our customers make much of the welcome they receive, the general friendly and helpful environment, the fact that we are on first name terms with most our customers.  Some have referred to us as their own special 'club', they bring our staff small gifts as an additional 'thank you' and also just pop in to say hello.  Not, you may agree, how most people would view their current optician.

Just recently one of our customers told us that she was recommended to us by two of her friends - none of them knew the others were already customers of ours - and all had said the same positive things about their experience.  That alone defines just how different Specs2U is.

Why really thorough eye tests are important

A good example as to why Specs2U insists on in-depth 30 minute eye tests for all our customers.  A lady came in for a routine eye test today.  Her pressures were fine.  The fields test for periphery vision was passed with flying colours.  But our optom thought there was something else not quite right (following a prolonged session with slit-lamp and Volk lens to check all around the inside of the eye). The digital photograph confirmed it. The very early signs of glaucoma were identified with the blood vessels around the optic nerve.  As a result the lady has a much earlier notice of this serious condition and by catching it so early it will hopefully mean faster treatment.  We do 30 minute tests as standard for just this reason.  

The 7 ways older people can look after their eyes

1. Have a regular sight tests at least every 2 years, that allows the optom to check for Diabetes, Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), Cataracts, Multiple-Sclerosis, Blood Pressure issues, Cholesterol, Retinal Detachments and many other vascular related conditions.

Remember, that the eye is the only internal organ we can examine without an invasive procedure and it tells us a lot about the general health of the rest of the body.

2. Regular doses of Flax oil, Cod-liver oil and Evening Primrose oil helps stabilise the tear film and prevents “dry eye”. Always get advice from an optometrist or doctor though.

3. Wearing sunglasses or Transitions helps delay the onset of Cataracts and AMD by blocking UV light which damages the eye.

4. Ensure your current spectacles are up to date to prevent accidents and falls (and headaches and eye strain when reading). Also, ensure your spectacles are regularly maintained for comfort and to enable them to perform at their best.

5. Ensure spectacles or sunglasses are worn when gardening. Pruned branches and sharp leaves can pierce and damage the cornea.

6. Always have a spare pair of spectacles in the car or near to hand when on holiday or travelling to ensure you are able to get home safely.

7. Use the 20-20-20 rule when surfing the net on a computer or tablet. Rest your eyes every 20 minutes for 20 seconds by staring into the distance (i.e. at least 20 feet away). A natural green background is most relaxing for the eyes so looking into the garden is usually best.

Why don't the DVLA insist on regular eye tests?

You have to put your car through an MOT every year. You have to tax your car every year. You must insure your car every year. And you have to service your car every year. All these are compulsory legal requirements - you have no choice.

Yet there is no legislation or compulsory requirement stating that you should have your eyes tested to ensure that you are actually safe to drive that ton of metal around at speed.

You'd think there would be. After all, they ask you to read a number plate when you first take your test so the assumption must be that they take the ability to see clearly seriously.

The DVLA must assume that people will automatically take responsibility for their own road safety by getting their eyes tested every couple of years. But when was YOUR last eye test? Over 2 years ago? Three? More? Get safe on the road and get your eyes checked out.