A sight test is a vital health check - it's not simply to see whether you need visual correction or not. A thorough eye examination will not only reveal the health of your eyes, it will also provide important information about your general health.

In addition to checking for cataracts, glaucoma, colour and field of vision, our optometrists will look for signs of other health problems, such as high blood pressure and diabetes. An eye examination can often pick up these problems before the symptoms become apparent to you or your doctor, so you can benefit from early treatment.

We recommend that you have a thorough eye examination every 1-2 years.

Some eye tests are free

Whilst we charge for our professional eye examinations, there are a number of concessions available. All children under 16 are entitled to a FREE eye test every year. Free NHS eye examinations are also offered to the over-70s, people with diabetes or glaucoma, people over 40 with a family history of glaucoma and those on low incomes.

Corporate Eye Care for VDU users



If your job involves work on a VDU or PC screen, your employer must comply with new European Union (EU) legislation designed to protect your eyesight.

Your employer must pay for you to have a full sight tests at regular intervals, and provide "corrective appliances" - usually spectacles - if required specifically and exclusively for your VDU work.

Check with your employer to see if they operate an Eye Care Scheme, then contact us to make an appointment with our Optometrist. If your company does not already have a scheme in place, the James Read Corporate Eye Care scheme is a cost-effective way for your employer to look after your sight, help improve your work performance and meet his legal requirements. This offers discounted sight tests, centralised billing and up to £75.00 towards your prescription spectacles for display screen equipment work should they be prescribed.

The programme is easy to set up and run, and it costs nothing to register. Your employer only pays when an employee uses the programme, and not before.

If you think your employer would be interested in registering with the scheme, please kindly fill in our

Corporate Eye Care Programme registration section

Childrens Eye Care



We are always happy to provide eye examinations for children who appear to be having problems - for example, squinting to read from a blackboard in class. It is particularly important to spot and deal with eye problems before they become serious.

We stock a selection of affordable optical frames and sunglasses specially designed for children. Intended to make wearing glasses fun - traditional NHS specs are long gone! - the shapes are easy to wear, variety of colours, and every frame is made to the highest quality, with the emphasis on durability and safety.

All children under 16 or in full time education up to the age of 19 are entitled to a FREE eye test every six months, and if a correction is necessary, a voucher towards prescription lenses.

Contact lens examination



Your first contact lens appointment lasts approximately 40 minutes. It includes a full sight test as well as the fitting of your contact lenses, and an instruction (teach) appointment to show you how to insert, remove and maintain your lenses. We will also provide you with free trial lenses and advice on the most suitable contact lens to blend in with you and your lifestyle.

Contact lens aftercare

We always make sure that you have been thoroughly trained to look after and maintain your lenses before you leave our practice. We have a comprehensive range of daily, monthly, bifocal and 30 day continuous wear lenses all at competitive prices, by leading names such as Johnson & Johnson, Bausch & Lomb and Ciba Vision. We also stock colour enhancing and colour changing lenses and a variety of fun lenses too.

Younger Wearers

Fortunately, today's contact lenses provide a great alternative to specs. They're comfortable to wear, easy to care for, and virtually undetectable to others. You can even forget you're wearing them yourself - apart from the fact you can see the world in brilliant clear focus. Contact lenses are routinely recommended for the early teens onwards, and they're a real confidence booster!

Lenses for Sports

Whatever your chosen sport may be you'll benefit from the improved field of vision which lenses provide. Also for contact sports, contact lenses are definitely a safer bet than spectacles.

When you're working out in the gym, spectacles can slide around on the bridge of your nose. It's tempting to leave them back in the changing room, but that's not a good idea. For safety's sake, it's very important to be able to see clearly when you're enjoying any physical activity. Out in the fresh air playing golf, cycling, or just walking the dog, if you're caught in a sudden shower, you may find a mist developing before your eyes as your 'specs' get wet. Switch to contact lenses, and you won't get all steamed up!

Spectacles Wearers

If you've been wearing spectacles for some time now, you'll have grown quite used to them - so much so, in fact, that you may well have abandoned thoughts of contact lenses. Whether you just wear spectacles for driving, reading, or you never go anywhere without them, it's well worth taking another look at the alternative to 'specs'.

If you made a conscious decision against contact lenses when you found you needed sight correction, it may have been for a number of reasons. Perhaps you thought having 'something in your eye' would be uncomfortable. You may even have tried the older style hard lenses and given up, finding them too difficult to get used to. Or you may have felt contact lenses would be too expensive or too much trouble for you to use. The good news is that times (and lens technologies) have changed.

Older Wearers

As we grow older, our vision changes, usually over a relatively short period. One of the most common problems is presbyopia, a loss of flexibility in the eyes' internal lens, reducing the range of objects we can focus on either unaided, or with single prescription spectacles..

We may well find we need two pairs of specs (and we never seem to have the right pair to hand!), or bi-focals (which can make simple tasks like walking down stairs something of a challenge).

The over 40's are more likely to wear spectacles than contact lenses. They may have tried them some years ago (or known someone who did) and be left with the impression that lenses are uncomfortable and inconvenient to use, and expensive into the bargain.

However, radical changes in the production and composition of contact lenses have now made them an easier, more comfortable and affordable alternative to spectacles for people of all ages, including most cases of presbyopia. Why not ask us if contact lenses would be suitable for you? They could give you a whole new outlook on life! For more detailed information on contact lens care, please contact us or visit our practice.

ICaps

ICaps is a dietary supplement for the maintenance of healthy eyes. Containing antioxidant vitamins, minerals, Lutein and Zeaxanthin, ICaps is aimed at people at risk of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and who may require increased nutrient levels. For the most up to date information on ICaps, please visit http://www.icapsinfo.co.uk/

NEW FOCUS™ (Improved Pure Focus formulation) now has 25 x more Zeaxanthin, plus Gingko & Bilberry extracts. 

This Lutein and Zeaxanthin sublingual spray has significantly more benefits than tablets or capsules, as it is more bioavailable to the cells.  It can be difficult for the digestive system to absorb capsules or tablets, especially if a digestive problem exists.  New studies indicate higher levels of Zeaxanthin to be beneficial.

The following are excerpts from the book "10 Steps to Your Natural Eye Health."

‘Eye doctors in the USA have used this formula to help patients improve vision and prevent loss due to Macular Degeneration.’ 

‘Lutein and Zeaxanthin filter light and serve as potent free radical scavengers for the retina. Vinpocetine & Ginkgo Biloba improve blood flow to the blood vessels in the eye, as well as improving the utilization of glucose and oxygenation, increasing ATP production, and preventing vasoconstriction to the brain and retina (and improving memory). Bilberry, improves the integrity of the veins and capillaries.’

The main benefits from using New Focus are:

* Reduced glare 
* Reduced visual fatigue
* Improved night vision
* Improved contrast
* Improved acuity
* Brighter colors
* A clearer view

For more information on different eyesight conditions, please visit www.eyesight.nu