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look at the Eyemasters Website
Are you squinting at your screen or have you been peering out of the window, unable to clearly see things in the distance?
If so, or if you’re looking to replace your glasses, there’s a business based in Ventnor that can help you.
35 years experience
Richard Smith from Eyemasters has over 35 years experience in the ophthalmic lens business behind him and is offering his clients a personalised, one-on-one service.
This doesn’t mean it’s costly though.
Keen pricing
Like his glasses, his pricing is transparent. Frames, including prescription lenses and fitting, start from
£60 for single vision
£80 for Bifocals
£100 for Varifocal
Why a personalised service?
These days many people buy glasses from large chains and some even do it online. It was only by speaking to Richard that lead us to understand why this is often not the best idea.
“People’s faces are different from one another. Often one ear’s higher than the other and people’s noses are hardly ever in the middle of their faces,” Richard tells us.
The structure of your face, combined with your prescription brings the chances of you have exactly the same prescription as someone else to 13 billion to one.
Pupillary distance
When lenses are made, they’re ground from a single block of material, so where your eyes focus – near and far – and the position of your pupil centres are all important.
This information is rarely written on your prescription, but it is critical to the dispensing process. Richard measures this as part of his service.
How it works
So how does this service work?
Take the results of your eye test to Richard. You have a legal right to have your prescription dispensed at the outlet of your choice.
He’ll run through a series of questions, such as what you do for your work and what you like to do in your spare time. All of these will guide his recommendation to you, not only of lens, but help him pinpoint the right selection from the huge range of frames that he has available.
Thinnest possible lens
His background in the manufacturing process for the lenses has additional benefits. By understanding how it’s all done, Richard is able to have the thinnest possible lenses made.
Thin lenses bring two advantages – cosmetically they look much better, but less weight in the lens puts less pressure on the nose and stops the glasses slipping down your nose.
Coatings can be applied to lenses for an additional fee.
Large selection of frames
From what we saw on our visit, Richard has an amazing selection of frames – close to 1,000 he tells us.
With this breadth of selection many people might freeze with choice – we know we would. This is again where Eyemaster’s one-to-one service wins out.
By looking at your head shape; the shape of your eyebrows; hair colour and skin tone, Richard’s honing the range of glasses that he knows will be good for you.
Taking into account your responses to his carefully constructed questions, he reduces the selection further to those he know will work for you.
You then have the pleasure of wearing the right frames for you.
No unnecessary sales
Richard is anxious that no unnecessary glasses are purchased. A change of prescription doesn’t always mean that you need a new pair of glasses or lenses ( he will reglaze your frame if it is sound).
In addition, when he develops a history of your prescriptions, he can rapidly advise whether it is worth changing your lenses/frames, or not.
As he told us, “I’d much rather have a happy long-term customer than make short-term money.”
Contact details
Best way to get hold of Richard is on the phone – 852 658. He’ll arrange a time that works well for you, so you can see him at Spring Gardens in Ventnor.
Image: Big Glasses: Photo Mish Dan under CC BY-SA 2.0
Neon Glasses: Jinx! under CC BY-SA 2.0
Book and glasses: Misteraitch under CC BY 2.0
Lenses: psyberartist under CC BY-SA 2.0
