Every eye test will be custom to each individual patient. The optometrist will first ask a few questions about your vision, health, family & work lifestyle before performing any tests. They will examine your vision, the way your eye muscles co-ordinate, ocular health, measure your ocular pressure and peripheral vision. Digital retinal photography is a supplementary test advised by our optometrist for all patients. All our eye tests are performed with the latest technology.

We recommend for all patients to have regular sight tests every two years. However, this may be different due to medical, ocular and family history. Our optometrist will advise you how regularly to have your sight test, and we will always send you a reminder to help make sure this important health check is not missed.

We recommend for all patients to have regular contact lens checks every year. There may be occasions where we will need to monitor your eyes more regularly if wearing contact lenses for health or visual reasons, but the optometrist will inform you of this at your check up.

You may be entitled to a NHS funded sight test if any other the categories below apply to you.

• Under 16 years old.
• In full time education aged between 16 - 18 years old.
• Over 60 years old.
• Diagnosed with diabetes or glaucoma.
• Over 40 years old with a parent, child or sibling with glaucoma.
• Considered at risk of glaucoma by an ophthalmologist from a hospital.
• Registered blind or partially sighted.
• Registered blind or partially sighted. You may also be entitled to some financial help towards your spectacles or contact lenses along with a NHS funded sight test if the following categories apply to you or your partner.

You may also be entitled to some financial help towards your spectacles or contact lenses along with a NHS funded sight test if the following categories apply to you or your partner.

• Income Support.
• Income based Jobseekers Allowance.
• Income related Employment and Support Allowance.
• Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
• Tax Credit and named on a valid NHS Tax Credit Exemption Certificate.
• Names on a valid HC2 Certificate

Please bring proof of your benefit & national insurance number to your sight test to help complete the NHS form. If the categories below do not apply to you, a sight test fee will be applied. For further information regarding the charge of a private sight test, please feel to contact us.

Diabetes can affect the health of the eyes, sometimes without giving any symptoms. If these changes are detected early enough, we can take the best steps to help manage this, so it is very important to have regular eye tests.

You may be screened under the diabetic screening unit annually to check the back of the eyes for diabetic changes. It is still important to have regular sight tests, as we will be able to detect other aspects of the eyes for diabetic changes.

It is very important to regularly visit the glaucoma clinic to make sure the your glaucoma is controlled. However you can also develop other eye conditions whilst you glaucoma is under control. To detect any other changes in your eyes, it is very important to have regular eye tests.

Delivery times of spectacle will depend on the type of frame and lenses being dispensed. For most types of frames and lenses, 7 to 10 working days is expected. If the lens design is of a more technique type, this can take a little longer.

In some emergencies, we can provide a 24 or 48 hour turnaround depending on the optical correction and frames required.

In the very rare occasion should spectacles or sunglasses require repair after dispense, we will be happy to repair the spectacles. This will normally be covered by a manufacturing guarantee for all manufacturing faults up to 12 months. We are also happy to repair spectacles if they fall outside our guarantee policy or dispensed from another optical practice for a dispensing fee.

All frames during dispensing and collection visits will be adjusted to fit you best. Over time, all frames can come slightly out of shape, but we are always happy to help you adjust your spectacles.

Please note if the spectacles or sunglasses are over 24 months old, or dispensed from another optical practice, a dispensing fee will be charged for this service.

We are happy to test children's eyes at any age. It is always recommended to have the child's first eye test before they start school. Children's eye tests are different from adults, and the child's ability to read letters is not as important as we can use pictures as a form of visual measurement. Children's eyes are normally fully developed by the age of 8, so any problems need to be detected before this.

Even though modern contact lenses are very breathable and wet-able, there is always a risk of eye infections and other problems occurring if contact lens wear is abused. We always recommend regular breaks from contact lens wear, so it is always advisable to have a spare pair of spectacles with the latest optical correction.

If you feel discomfort or visual problems with your contact lenses, always remove your contact lenses, wear your spectacles, and seek medical attention from either an optometrist or medical practitioner swiftly.

If for whatever reason your contact lenses are not feeling comfortable, remove them immediately and wear your spectacles. You should seek medical attention from either an optometrist or medical practitioner swiftly.

Please note if your sight test or contact lens check is out of date, or you purchase your contact lenses from another practice we will have to perform full eye examinations with a professional fee.

We are always happy to provide you of your contact lens prescription once your contact lens specifications have been fully determined. To complete the contact lens specification, the optometrist will need to check the vision, fitting of the contact lenses, and the ocular health on at least two separate appointments before the contact lens specification can be confirmed.

However please note that this will differ for each individual, and some patients may need extra appointments. Please note there will be an admin charge for the contact lens prescriptions.

We are only allowed to dispense spectacles or contact lenses with a valid optical prescription that is in date. Unfortunately you will not be able to purchase any spectacles or contact lenses if your prescription is invalid, even if you feel there is no significant change with your eyes. This is to help protect your eyes from any risk of damage and is part of UK law monitored by the General Optical Council.

At your eye examination, the optometrist will inform you how frequently you need to have eye examination. Regular eye examinations are important part of your health checks.

All spectacle lenses will have certain amount of curvature depending on the optical prescription. This does mean that some sunglasses of a certain curvature would not be advisable for optical lenses. We have a large section of sunglasses that can house optical lenses. Feel free to pop in to have a look at our sunglasses collection.

In some occasions, the power required to correct the vision will be the same for both spectacle and contact lenses, but in majority of cases the prescription will be different. This is because contact lenses sit on the eye whereas spectacles sit away from eye resulting in the optics of the contact lenses differing from spectacles. This means you cannot purchase either spectacles or contact lenses with the other prescription.

Children are suitable for contact lens wear like any other patient as long as they follow the advice of the optometrist. The average age is roughly 13 years old, but we have younger children who successfully wear contact lenses.

You are entitled to your optical prescription once the sight test is completed. The information on the prescription will enable another optical practice to make up spectacles suitable for you. However if there are any issues with the spectacles, we will not be liable irrespective where is issue lies. We always recommend you get both sight test and dispense at the same practice.

The College of Optometrists recommend that "the prescribing and dispensing of spectacles are very closely linked and it would be in your best interests to have your spectacles dispensed where you had your eye examined. It is often more difficult to resolve any problems you may have with your spectacles when prescribing and supply are separated".

The Optical Confederation also advises "it is the responsibility of the dispensing practice to resolve any non-tolerance issue, which could involve providing a new dispense if necessary."