Two things led me to finally get my eyes checked out. The first, and one might reasonably assume most important, was certain episodes of blindness. The second, which was actually the trigger (don't judge me) was noticing a tendency to screw up my eyes very slightly when looking at my phone, and the realisation that, long term, this could give me WRINKLES. I'm now officially nearer to 30 than 20 so this is totally legit as a concern.
Twenty Twenty, in addition to being pretty near my home, is a local name, so I had no hesitation in choosing them over a chain such as Boots or Specsavers. And I am so glad that I did.
Abdel, my optometrist, was just about the nicest guy you could hope to have asking you to read tiny letters from the bottom row. Perky and super-friendly, he was also horrified when I asked if the soft forehead-cushion on the machine was latex (because I'm allergic) and he realised he didn't know. He vowed to find out and was very concerned for me, even when I said that my fringe would do a fine job of protecting me for now. He talked me through absolutely everything the eye test entailed as he did it; he obviously LOVES his job, and even treated my - perfectly routine and boring - answers like I had said something both profound and very correct. That was a lovely feeling for an approval-hungry praise-termite like me and dispelled all my anxiety about whether I was Doing It Right (I get that a lot).
Once my prescription was diagnosed, I was passed on to the softly-spoken style guru, Philip, who padded calmly ahead of me and led me to the Wall of Wonder where all the frames were arrayed. This was the bit I was looking forward to. I mentioned my concerns about the roundness of my face and rather than flattering me truthlessly and flogging me the priciest pair regardless, he tactfully agreed and picked out a pair of frames that I loved right away.
Understanding my girlish need to try on everything in the shop first, however, he led me along the wall and we chatted about the comparative merits of this or that pair (including a truly awesome pair of purple glittery ones which were so incredibly mental that had they been the right shape I'd have gone with them and to hell with easy accessorising), finishing with a selection of three. He wasn't afraid to tell me if a pair definitely didn't suit me, which was nice, and I didn't feel embarrassed about telling him my budget limit.
When there was only one pair I preferred to the first pair I'd tried on, but I was concerned that the arms were too thin and flimsy, he toured the whole shop to try and find a similar but sturdier pair. No joy, but I appreciated it. And so (to Philip's evident professional satisfaction and pride) I went with the first pair he'd picked out for me. Apparently that happens a lot - bravo Philip!
A truly splendid experience from start to finish! read more