please empty your brain below
I get my eyes tested at Boots. Consistent quality, lots of branches, no idea how much it costs though, as I don't pay (I am over 40 and glaucoma runs in the family).

They also willingly give you a prescription so you can get your glasses/lenses elsewhere (not all opticians are happy to do that). I highly recommend yourlenses.co.uk and glassesdirect.co.uk.

bitful | Homepage | 10.05.08 - 10:03 a.m. | #

I use Vision Express at Canary Wharf. They're not the cheapest, but they've always been very competent.

Mike Scott | 10.05.08 - 10:43 a.m. | #

oddly enough in my experience those chancers are the best opticians I've encountered in London. Their Victoria branch in any case.


The other big names have been rather slap dash.

Gareth H | Homepage | 10.05.08 - 10:50 a.m. | #

Eye emporium - Bethnal Green or Roman road - are great people and so helpfully. Can't recommend enough. http://www.eye-emporium.com/

James | 10.05.08 - 12:10 p.m. | #

Can't fault Vision Express at the Wharf, not as cheap as some others but you do get to pick up your glasses/lenses in an hour so plenty of time for a bit of retail therapy, or you culd always take some pics of the new installation in Jubilee Park? Just a thought.

Anonymous | 10.05.08 - 2:15 p.m. | #

I used specsavers in Ilford last year and was very happy with the service & the fact they said that as my prescription hadn't changed much I only needed new glasses if I wanted a change in style. I'd had my eyes tested for the first time at an independant optician in East Ham who was rude & didn't give me a copy of the prescription. It's probably commonplace but I was impressed when Specsavers put my glasses in some machine and up came what prescription they were. I know Ilfords a bit up the road from you but presume there will be one locally.

Andy S | 10.05.08 - 2:40 p.m. | #

Specsavers in Stratford aren't bad. And I've had dealings with their Bethnal Green branch and they're also fairly competent. E3 seems to be rather lacking for opticians.

Paul M | Homepage | 11.05.08 - 12:54 a.m. | #

I'd repeat the recommendation for Specsavers - I've been using them and swearing by (rather than at) them for the last ten years or more.

Herself also uses them for her contact lenses, so they're known to be pretty good on that score.

As for Vision Express, I had one nightmare experience with them (they managed to stress the lens so badly in the frame that the lens cracked within a week - and then they said I must've dropped the glasses or something, it couldn't *possibly* be something they'd done) and would never go back as a result. YMMV, of course.

Lyle | Homepage | 11.05.08 - 5:13 p.m. | #

Thanks for all the recommendations so far, either on here or via email. Much appreciated!

diamond geezer | Homepage | 11.05.08 - 10:12 p.m. | #

I thought that "incompetent disorganised jobsworth chancers" might have been google-whacked by now, but no - The Telegraph still comes out as top of the hits.

Rick | Homepage | 12.05.08 - 2:30 p.m. | #

When I lived/worked in east London I used a branch of Ronald Browns - the service was ok but is dependent on whether you get on with the person you're allocated to. I now prefer to go to Boots as they have a quality control system that means you are not subject to too wide a variation re the service. You can also get your contacts delivered to you, plus money off tests and second pairs of specs etc.

Bina | 12.05.08 - 2:35 p.m. | #











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