Before your appointment, a team member will call to check all your details so that we don’t have to do this in-store when you arrive.
To reduce the amount of glasses that get tried on and keep our retail space as clean and hygienic as possible, we also encourage you browse our range of glasses and put together a wish list to bring with you.
You can use our virtual try on to get an idea of what different glasses will look like on your face. A team member can then assist you with those frames and any others you would like to look at when you are in-store.
To keep customers and team members safe in-store, we’re practicing social distancing, thoroughly cleaning test rooms before each patient and cleaning frames and surfaces throughout the day.
For the protection of everyone, we’re following government guidelines and limiting the number of people that can be in our stores at any one time and reducing the number of seats in our waiting area to increase the distance between them. You’ll find a sign at the front of the store highlighting how many people, including our team members, can be in-store at the same time. If you’re early for your appointment, or the store is busy, you may be asked to wait outside for a little bit or to come back at your booked appointment time.
You will be greeted at the front of the store by a team member who will check you in for your appointment, provide you with hand sanitiser before you enter the store and transfer you to one of our clinical assistants who will take you straight through for your diagnostic tests before you see your optometrist.
We’re thoroughly cleaning each test room before each patient we see and following government guidelines and using protective equipment where required. We’re also limiting the number of people in our consulting rooms to just the optometrist, clinical assistant or audiologist and the patient. However, where a patient is supported by a carer, the carer may also be present in the room if required.
Diagnostic testing
Before you see the optometrist, one of our trained clinical assistants will conduct some diagnostic tests. These tests are performed on all patients and provide the optometrist with vital information to help them assess the health of your eyes.
The first piece of equipment is a Tonoref, which measures the internal pressure of your eyes, generates an approximate measure of your vision and measures the curvature and thickness of the front surface of your eye. These tests allow the optometrist to identify any potential abnormalities, assess your risk of developing glaucoma and help to determine how long or short-sighted you might be.
First, the tonometry test measures the internal pressure of your eyes and does this by blowing a gentle puff of air onto the surface of each eye. This is one of a variety of tests that allows the optometrist to assess your risk of developing glaucoma.
The second piece of equipment is an OCT (Ocular Coherence Tomography), which takes a series of advanced 3D scans of the back of your eye. This allows the optometrist to see the granular structures of your eye and identify early signs of potential eye diseases long before they become visible to the naked eye or you notice anything wrong.
These scans are saved and are useful in monitoring any changes in your eye health on future visits.
If you have an existing prescription and have brought your glasses along with you, the clinical assistant with use a focimeter to measure your existing prescription.
Optometrist Consultation
Once your diagnostic tests are completed, you’re ready to see the optometrist.
For the optometrist to do their job properly, at times during the consultation they will need to be closer to you than social distancing recommendations. This is completely normal and they will be complying with regulatory guidelines set out for health care professionals.
Your optometrist will talk to you about your eye health history, your family history and any issues you may be experiencing. They will also review your diagnostic tests and discuss the results with you.
During your consultation, your optometrist will further check the health of your eyes, look for signs of other medical conditions and check your vision.
To check your vision, the optometrist will perform a refraction test to determine whether your vision needs correcting.
To check the health of the front and back of your eyes, your optometrist will use a slit-lamp and lens. A slit-lamp is a powerful microscope which is used to examine the front surface of the eyes and allows the optometrist to check for abnormalities or scratches on your cornea, iris and lens. With the lens, the optometrist is then able to examine the structures of the eye and the back of the eye.
This is important as it provides additional clinical information and confirmation of what is visible in the OCT scan and allows the optometrist to look further into the peripheral areas of your eyes. Depending on the results of your eye test, you may require additional assessments to help the optometrist accurately determine what’s going on with your eye health and make a recommendation for you.
One of these additional assessments is a visual field check which tests the sensitivity of your peripheral (side) vision. This helps to detect blind spots and other visual field defects, which can be the sign of a problem. Visual fields are usually recommended for patients at risk of having glaucoma, but can also be recommended for various other reasons. The test takes about 20 minutes and is a bit like a hearing test but instead of detecting sounds, it involves detecting flashes of light in your peripheral vision.
In the instance that your optometrist has trouble gaining a clear view of the structures of your eye during your eye test, or would like to take a closer look at the back of your eyes, they may recommend a dilated fundus examination. This involves some painless eye drops that enlarge your pupils to allow the optometrist to get a better view of the structures in the back of the eye with a lens to thoroughly assess the health of your eyes, and obtain clear images with an OCT. Eye dilation can make your vision blurry and your eyes sensitive to light for a few hours, which can affect your ability to drive or work, so your optometrist will normally recommend that you arrange for someone to drive you home if you require this test.
After your eye test, you will be given a copy of your prescription and a team member will help you choose frames and lenses, or contact lenses, to suit your prescription and lifestyle needs.
They will start with the wish list that you brought in with you, but can assist you with any other frames that you would like to look at on the day.
Our team members will be cleaning the store throughout the day, including glasses that are tried on by customers to keep the store as clean and hygienic as possible.
The dispenser will take careful measurements to ensure your new glasses fit correctly. This is done using Digital Precision Eyecare technology, which assists the dispenser to obtain the important measurements needed to fit your lenses.
This is done at a dispense desk, which is cleaned before each customer. We have also introduced perspex barriers for additional protection.
Using state-of-the-art software, your dispenser can show you how different lens options will enhance your glasses in line with your lifestyle needs using a ‘real time’ demonstration.
Once they have taken your measurements, the dispenser will send your chosen frames, your measurements and lens selections, to the lab where your glasses will be custom-made for you. They will also arrange an appointment for you collect your new glasses.
The express pick up service is contactless and essentially just involves you popping into the store during opening hours to collect your order, which will be pre-packaged and ready to collect.
A collection and fitting appointment requires a booking and normally takes around 10 minutes. It includes fitting and adjustments to ensure your glasses fit perfectly. You can book a collection appointment directly with the store or online via the link you receive in your SMS.
