Choosing an optician used to be fairly straightforward.
You went to whichever one your family had always used, the one nearest work, or perhaps the one offering two pairs for the price of one.
But if your eyesight matters to you, and your glasses are something you wear for perhaps 12 hours every day, there are some rather better questions to ask.
Halifax has plenty of places where you can have your eyes tested and buy glasses. They are not all trying to do the same thing.
So, whether you ultimately choose Bottomleys or somebody completely different, here are nine things we think are worth considering.
1. How much time will they actually spend with you?
This is probably the best place to start.
A good eye examination isn’t simply about discovering whether you can read a slightly smaller line of letters than you could last year.
Your optometrist is examining the health of your eyes, checking your vision, discussing any changes you’ve noticed and considering how you actually use your eyesight during everyday life.
Driving.
Reading.
Computer work.
Phones and tablets.
Hobbies.
Work.
Your requirements may be completely different from those of the person sitting in the chair before you.
At Bottomleys in Halifax, our private eye examinations can last up to an hour because we don’t particularly enjoy rushing people.
More importantly, it gives our optometrist time to listen.
2. Will you see an experienced optometrist?
Don’t be afraid to ask who will be examining your eyes.
Continuity can be enormously valuable too.
Seeing someone who knows your history and can compare what they’re seeing today with previous examinations can make the experience feel very different from starting again every time.
Our aim at Bottomleys is to build that kind of long-term relationship.
Some of our clients have been coming to the Bottomley family for decades.
3. What technology is included?
Modern eye examinations can tell us considerably more than whether you’re long or short sighted.
One example is OCT imaging.
OCT stands for Optical Coherence Tomography and produces detailed images of structures within the eye. It gives an optometrist additional information that can help them assess and monitor eye health.
But technology should complement a good examination rather than replace one.
A clever machine is useful.
A clever machine combined with an experienced human being who has time to interpret what they’re seeing is considerably more useful.
4. How do they help you choose your glasses?
This is where opticians can differ enormously.
The traditional model is familiar.
Hundreds of frames sit on racks around the walls. You wander around, pick up a few, put them on, look in a mirror and eventually ask:
“What do you think?”
We decided to do things differently.
At Bottomleys Halifax, our frames aren’t displayed all over the walls.
We sit down with you.
We look at your face, colouring, proportions, personality, lifestyle and what you’d actually like your glasses to say about you.
Then we start bringing frames to you.
Some will work.
Some definitely won’t.
And occasionally we’ll put something on you that you would never have picked in a million years…
…and that’s the one.
That’s one of our favourite moments.
5. Who actually designs the frames?
“Designer glasses” is a wonderfully vague expression.
A famous fashion name on the side doesn’t necessarily mean that company specialises in designing eyewear.
There is another world of eyewear populated by companies whose principal obsession really is glasses.
Independent eyewear designers experiment with materials, colour, construction, engineering and proportion in ways that can produce something genuinely different.
At Bottomleys we’ve deliberately sought out independent eyewear from designers and makers including Lindberg, Theo, Hoffmann Natural Eyewear, TREE Spectacles, Bellinger and others.
Many aren’t names everyone immediately recognises.
We rather like that.
Your glasses don’t need an enormous logo to prove they’re good.
6. What lenses are they recommending, and why?
People spend a lot of time choosing frames and surprisingly little time talking about lenses.
Yet the lenses are the bit you actually look through.
There can be substantial differences between lens designs, coatings, materials and the measurements used to make them.
This becomes particularly important with varifocals.
Two lenses can technically contain exactly the same prescription while giving the wearer quite different experiences.
We predominantly work with ZEISS lenses at Bottomleys and choose the lens based on the person rather than simply having one “standard varifocal” that everybody gets.
Ask what you’re buying.
Ask why it’s being recommended.
A good optician should be perfectly happy to explain it without burying you in jargon.
7. What happens after you collect your glasses?
This one is easily overlooked.
Glasses live on your face.
They get knocked.
Screws loosen.
Nose pads wear.
Frames gradually move.
And sometimes something simply doesn’t feel quite right.
Good aftercare shouldn’t feel like an inconvenience you’re imposing on the practice.
We actively want our clients to come back.
Adjustments, fitting and ongoing care are part of owning good eyewear.
8. Are they interested in selling you glasses, or finding the right glasses?
Obviously an optician is a business.
We sell glasses.
We’re not going to pretend otherwise.
But there’s a meaningful difference between trying to sell somebody a pair and trying to find the right pair.
Sometimes the right advice might even be:
“Don’t change them yet.”
Trust is worth considerably more to an independent practice than squeezing another sale out of somebody today.
We’d quite like you still to be coming to us years from now.
9. Do you actually enjoy being there?
This may sound like an odd criterion for choosing an optician.
We don’t think it is.
Having your eyes examined and choosing glasses doesn’t have to feel clinical, hurried or intimidating.
You should be able to ask questions.
You should feel listened to.
You should be able to say, “I hate those,” without offending anybody.
And you should probably be offered a decent coffee.
That’s certainly our view.
An independent optician in the heart of Halifax
Halifax itself understands the value of doing things a little differently.
We’re surrounded by extraordinary reminders of the town’s history, from the Piece Hall and Borough Market to Dean Clough and the magnificent buildings dotted around the town centre.
The Piece Hall alone is the world’s oldest surviving Georgian cloth hall, while Halifax retains one of Britain’s most complete Victorian townscapes.
Bottomleys has been part of Halifax life since Randolph Bottomley founded the business in 1948.
Today you’ll find our Halifax practice in another rather splendid local building, The Old Town Hall on Union Street.
We’re still independent.
We’re still a family business.
And we’re still rather obsessed with glasses.
Frequently asked questions about choosing an optician in Halifax
How much does a private eye examination cost in Halifax?
Prices vary between practices depending on the examination, technology used and time allowed. At Bottomley Opticians, our comprehensive private eye examination is £120.
Does Bottomleys offer OCT scans in Halifax?
Yes. OCT imaging is available at our Halifax practice and is included for members of our Eye Care Plan.
Can I visit Bottomleys just to choose new glasses?
Yes. You don’t necessarily need to have had your eye examination with us to discover our eyewear. Our styling consultations are designed to help you find frames that genuinely suit you.
Does Bottomleys sell designer glasses in Halifax?
We specialise primarily in independent eyewear designers rather than relying on large fashion logos. Our collections include distinctive European and international eyewear brands chosen for their design, craftsmanship and quality.
Where is Bottomley Opticians in Halifax?
You’ll find us at The Old Town Hall, 22 Union Street in Halifax town centre.
Do I need an appointment to choose glasses?
We recommend booking a styling consultation. It means we can put proper time aside for you rather than trying to help while doing three other things simultaneously.
Perhaps we’re your sort of optician. Perhaps we’re not.
And that’s absolutely fine.
If you want the quickest possible eye test and to choose something from a wall in ten minutes, we’re probably not the obvious choice.
If you’d rather have time, experienced clinical care, genuinely interesting eyewear and somebody prepared to tell you that the frame you’ve picked isn’t doing you any favours…
We might get along rather well.
Bottomley Opticians Halifax
The Old Town Hall
22 Union Street
Halifax
Telephone: 01422 331031
Styling consultations and private eye examinations are available by appointment.
