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.

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! 🤣🤣

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.

A message from Missouri

A message from Missouri

"Thank you for all you have done to help us. My son absolutely loves his Migratech lenses. He said it took a few hours to adjust but then everything became more crisp and defined. The fatigue he experienced due to his dyslexia is no longer an issue. He is thrilled with the difference these glasses make. Sincerely-Terri"

That has given me the biggest smile I've had this week.

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".

Going the extra 3,000 miles

OK - so why a map of Missouri? Quite simple really.

We had an email message from a mother who read about our special lenses that could help her son who has Irlen Syndrome. This means he has to use coloured lenses to read and work - but being 19 he's a bit self-conscious of doing so. So the mother asked if we could provide him with our special lenses that are - incidentally - clear (so they do the same job but look just like normal glasses).

The only problem? You guessed it - they live in Missouri.

No problem - because we're Specs2U. They're sending his old frame over together with his prescription. We're going to fit the new lenses in and send them back. And he'll hopefully never need to wear coloured lenses again!

Would your optician do that?

Diabetic screening - within a week!

We've been providing diabetic screening in the West Cheshire region for some time at our Ellesmere Port branch.  More and more people are starting to use us for the first time and have commented how quickly we can see them compared to their usual optician.  

It could be because we don't have a set day for screening and instead can provide screening on our test days (2-3 days a week normally).

If you're having trouble booking a place for diabetic screening in your opticians, call us on 0151 357 3456.

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.

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!

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.

Not being pushy is the best policy

A customer came into the Ellesmere Port branch the other day. He'd had an eye test in October last year and been told that although his prescription hadn't changed much he could benefit from new varifocal glasses and sunglasses. He decided not to buy them at the time but after seeing our advert in the paper he thought he'd try us out After around 15 minutes discussion he left having only ordered his sunglasses.

Did we disappoint him in some way? Not at all. We had a long talk about his glasses, how he uses them and what he needs them for - and what his priorities were.

He was quite happy with his existing pair of varifocals and he thought they could last him the 6 months until his next eye test. But he needed the sunglasses for his holiday in June (and was also finding driving difficult now that the sun has finally made an appearance).

Other opticians may have been pushy with him - insisting on having both pairs there and then. But we try to do things differently. By spending more time discussing the customer's needs we can better assess how best to look after them.

So we're making his sunglasses now - and he's coming back in October to sort out his varifocals. He told us that he found our 'non-pushy' approach quite refreshing and would also recommend us as a result.

So while we may have (temporarily) missed out on one sale, what we have hopefully gained is a happy customer for life.

So not being pushy is - for Specs2U - the best policy.