Not necessarily.
In fact, we’d suggest travelling in the opposite direction.
If you live around Huddersfield and you’re looking for new glasses, the obvious assumption might be that more choice means heading into the town centre.
But there’s another option sitting rather nicely on Lidget Street in Lindley.
And it’s deliberately quite different.
At Bottomley Opticians, we don’t have hundreds of glasses covering the walls.
We don’t expect you to wander around trying to work out what suits you.
And we don’t particularly care whether the name on the side of your glasses is one everybody recognises.
What we care about is finding something that looks fantastic on you.
Welcome to a slightly different way of buying glasses near Huddersfield.
First things first: Lindley isn’t exactly the middle of nowhere
Anyone who knows Lindley knows it has developed an identity very much of its own.
Lidget Street, the Clock Tower, independent businesses, places to eat and drink and the surrounding village all give Lindley a character that’s quite distinct from Huddersfield town centre.
It feels local.
It feels independent.
And, importantly, you can combine choosing your glasses with getting a decent coffee.
We regard this as sound town planning.
So if you’re searching for an independent optician in Huddersfield, it’s worth widening the map slightly.
Because sometimes the most interesting things aren’t in the most obvious places.
Why would I travel for glasses?
That’s a fair question.
If all glasses were essentially the same, you probably wouldn’t.
But they’re not.
Most of us wear our glasses far more than almost anything else we own.
Think about it.
A favourite jacket might be worn twice a week.
A good pair of shoes perhaps a couple of times.
Your glasses?
They could be on your face from 7am until 11pm.
Every day.
People look through them when they’re talking to you.
They appear in photographs.
You wear them at work, at dinner, on holiday and while sitting on the sofa.
So travelling a few extra minutes to find the right pair doesn’t seem quite so ridiculous.
Some of our clients travel considerably further.
What makes an independent optician different?
Independent doesn’t automatically mean better.
There are excellent people working in large optical businesses and there are independent practices doing things in completely different ways.
What independence gives us is freedom.
We can decide how long appointments should be.
We can decide which eyewear designers we want to work with.
We can decide which lenses we recommend.
We can choose how we look after people.
And we’re not required to fill our shelves with whatever a central buying department has decided everybody should be selling this season.
For us, that’s rather important.
Because we want Bottomleys to feel like Bottomleys.
Where are all the glasses?
This is usually one of the first things people notice.
You won’t walk into Bottomleys Lindley and find every wall covered with spectacle frames.
They’re here.
We promise.
We just don’t think putting hundreds of them in front of you is necessarily the best way to find the right one.
Instead, we sit down.
We talk.
We find out a little about you.
What are you wearing now?
What do you like about them?
What don’t you like?
Do you want your new glasses to be subtle?
Interesting?
Colourful?
Minimal?
Completely different?
What do you do for work?
What do you wear?
What sort of person are you?
Then we start bringing frames to you.
Why is choosing from a wall so difficult?
Because choice is strange.
Give somebody three good options and choosing can be relatively easy.
Give them 300 and suddenly they’re comparing microscopic differences between pairs they didn’t particularly love in the first place.
There’s another problem too.
We naturally gravitate towards familiarity.
If you’ve worn brown rectangular glasses for ten years, you’ll probably walk towards brown rectangular glasses.
You know they’re safe.
You know nobody will laugh.
You know they’ll be fine.
But fine isn’t a particularly exciting ambition for something that’s going to live in the middle of your face for the next few years.
Our job is sometimes to interrupt that pattern.
Gently.
What glasses actually suit me?
This is one of the most common questions we’re asked.
The answer isn’t simply determined by whether your face is round, square, oval or heart-shaped.
That’s useful shorthand, but people aren’t geometry diagrams.
We look at things such as:
Your eyebrows.
Eye position.
Bridge.
Width.
Proportion.
Colouring.
Hair.
Skin tone.
And the way the frame physically fits.
Then there’s personality.
That bit matters more than people realise.
A frame can technically suit your face and still feel completely wrong for you.
Equally, the frame you would never have picked from the wall can suddenly make complete sense when you see it on.
That’s why having someone else select frames can be surprisingly useful.
What if I don’t want weird glasses?
Then we won’t give you weird glasses.
Independent eyewear doesn’t mean you have to leave looking like an eccentric European architect.
Unless that’s exactly what you’re after.
In which case, we should definitely talk.
Some independent eyewear is beautifully understated.
Lindberg, for example, is known for extraordinarily light, minimal design.
Hoffmann Natural Eyewear creates frames using remarkable materials and traditional craftsmanship.
Other designers are more expressive.
Theo has spent decades demonstrating that glasses can contain colour, humour and personality without needing a giant fashion logo stuck on the side.
There’s a huge spectrum.
The point isn’t to make your glasses louder.
It’s to make them better for you.
Are fashion designer glasses the best glasses?
Not necessarily.
The term “designer glasses” is slightly confusing.
Many of the world’s biggest fashion labels license their names for eyewear collections.
That doesn’t mean they’re bad glasses.
Some are very good.
But there’s another category entirely: companies where designing eyewear is the main event.
They think about glasses all day.
Materials.
Hinges.
Weight.
Colour.
Proportions.
Construction.
Fit.
It’s a bit nerdy.
We approve wholeheartedly.
That’s the world we’ve increasingly chosen to explore at Bottomleys.
It also means you can own something that not everybody else is wearing.
Can good glasses really make that much difference to how you look?
Absolutely.
Glasses can change the apparent proportions of your face.
They can draw attention towards your eyes.
They can introduce colour.
They can make your features appear stronger or softer.
They can look serious.
Creative.
Elegant.
Confident.
Understated.
Interesting.
Sometimes somebody puts on a frame and their whole face seems to come alive.
That sounds suspiciously like something an optician would say.
But when you see it happen, you’ll understand what we mean.
And what about the lenses?
This is where appearances stop and optics begin.
Because the frame can be magnificent, but you still need to see through it.
Lens choice should be based on more than simply your prescription.
How do you work?
Do you spend all day on a computer?
Do you drive extensively?
Do you switch constantly between a laptop, phone and people across a room?
Do you read for hours?
Have you struggled with varifocals previously?
The answers can change the lens we’d recommend.
At Bottomleys we predominantly work with ZEISS lenses, including single-vision, office and varifocal designs.
We’d rather understand what your eyes need to do before deciding what lens should be in front of them.
What are office lenses?
This is one of those things people often discover and immediately ask:
“Why didn’t anyone tell me about these before?”
If you use varifocals and spend significant amounts of time at a desk, you may find yourself trying to locate the relatively small area of the lens designed for your computer distance.
A dedicated office lens can be designed around the distances you actually use at work.
Computer.
Desk.
People across the room.
Depending on the design, that can make working considerably more comfortable.
They’re not a replacement for your everyday glasses.
They’re a specialist tool for a particular job.
A bit like using the right golf club rather than trying to play the entire course with a seven iron.
Technically possible.
Not ideal.
What if I’ve never got on with varifocals?
Don’t automatically assume that means you “can’t wear varifocals.”
There are many reasons someone may struggle.
The lens design.
Measurements.
Frame fit.
Prescription.
The way the glasses are being used.
Or simply expectations that weren’t properly explained.
Modern varifocal designs can be highly sophisticated, but selecting and fitting them properly matters.
If you’ve had a bad experience previously, tell us.
It’s useful information.
Is an independent optician more expensive?
Sometimes.
But comparing glasses purely by price can be misleading because you may not be comparing the same things.
The frame may be constructed differently.
The lens design may be different.
The measurements may be different.
The appointment time, fitting and aftercare may be different.
Our aim isn’t to be the cheapest optician around Huddersfield.
There are plenty of businesses much better equipped to win that particular competition.
Our aim is to provide excellent clinical care, genuinely interesting eyewear, properly considered lenses and enough time to do everything well.
For the people who value that, the difference matters.
What happens after I buy my glasses?
Hopefully, we see you again.
Glasses don’t remain perfectly adjusted forever.
They get knocked.
They loosen.
They get sat on.
Children grab them.
Dogs occasionally eat them.
Life happens.
Come back and see us.
Adjustments and aftercare are part of the relationship rather than an awkward conversation after we’ve taken your money.
We’d quite like your glasses to continue working properly.
Frequently asked questions about finding an optician near Huddersfield
Where is Bottomley Opticians Lindley?
Bottomley Opticians is on Lidget Street in Lindley, Huddersfield.
Is Bottomleys an independent optician?
Yes. Bottomleys is an independent family optician whose history dates back to 1948.
Can I have an eye test at Bottomleys Lindley?
Yes. We provide comprehensive private eye examinations at our Lindley practice by appointment.
Can I visit Bottomleys if I live elsewhere in Huddersfield?
Of course. We see clients from Lindley, Huddersfield and surrounding areas, as well as people who travel considerably further to visit us.
Does Bottomleys sell designer glasses near Huddersfield?
Yes, although our focus is particularly on specialist and independent eyewear designers rather than simply the largest fashion labels.
Where can I find unusual glasses in Huddersfield?
If by unusual you mean eyewear that’s a little more interesting than the mainstream, our Lindley practice carries collections from independent eyewear designers ranging from beautifully understated to distinctly more expressive.
Can someone help me choose glasses that suit me?
Yes. Our one-to-one eyewear styling appointments are specifically designed for this. We select frames for you based on fit, appearance, colouring, style and personality rather than leaving you to work through hundreds yourself.
Do Bottomleys supply ZEISS lenses?
Yes. ZEISS is our principal lens partner and we offer different lens designs depending on prescription and visual requirements.
Does Bottomleys offer varifocals?
Yes. We supply premium varifocal lens designs and take the measurements required to select and fit them appropriately.
So, do you need to go into Huddersfield for great eyewear?
No.
You could come to Lindley instead.
Have your eyes looked after properly.
Sit down.
Have a conversation.
Drink some coffee.
Try some glasses you’d never have picked yourself.
Reject a few immediately.
Be unexpectedly impressed by one you were convinced you’d hate.
And eventually find something that feels unmistakably like you.
That’s our idea of a considerably better way to buy glasses.
And it happens right here on Lidget Street.
Bottomley Opticians Lindley
Lidget Street
Lindley, Huddersfield
Telephone: 01484 643692
Private eye examinations and one-to-one eyewear styling consultations are available by appointment.
