A Service Above the Rest

My son’s teacher recommended that I take Dylan for an eye test because he has a squinty ‘concentration face’ when he’s looking at the board. So I took Dylan for an eye test at a well known opticians in Norwich, where they offer free children's tests through the NHS. We were probably in there for all of about 5 minutes. The actual test didn’t take very long, it was quite literally a few lines to read. I could see that he got all of the letters right. And at the end of the test the optician said, ‘Yes there is a slight prescription, very slight, so I think glasses would help him.’ To which I asked, is it entirely necessary because he can read everything just fine… I couldn't really see the point of him having glasses. I didn't want Dylan to become reliant on glasses, when he didn't really need them in the first place.

The optician then turned directly to Dylan and said, ‘Would you like to wear glasses?’ Dylan, who is only 6 years old, of course got excited and said, ‘Yes some of my friends wear glasses and that would be really cool!’

And then they just took him out and got him sat down and started fitting him for glasses without me even being able to say anything. By that point I then felt terrible to turn around and cause a scene because Dyaln was excited about some bright blue star wars glasses. So I wasn’t very happy with that because I felt like they were doing it for commission, like everytime they get a customer in with a slight prescription they get money from selling glasses. I just didn't feel comfortable with their opinion because it was such a simple test and I had witnessed first hand that Dylan hadn’t struggled to read anything. It just didn’t sit right with me.

Dipple & Conway Eye Test Experience

So, through recommendations from friends, I decided to call Dipple & Conway Opticians Norwich and get Dylan an eye test booked in with them instead. Straight away I couldn’t believe the difference. Everyone was really friendly and lovely, and I didn’t feel like I was just a number. At Dipple & Conway the service felt more personable, they addressed us by our names and were just so friendly. We saw Sinead, and she was brilliant. She took us to a private room where she asked us why we had come to see them. I explained to her about our previous appointment with the other practice. I told her that I felt like they were just after a sale, and chasing commission rather than actually caring about Dylan’s eyes. I explained that it had been Dylan's teacher that had suggested we get his eyes checked out due to his squinting expression when learning.

Sinead guided Dylan through the eye test, we were probably in there for about half an hour. She did so much more in terms of assessment than the previous establishment. She also spoke to Dylan before he started and told him that if he struggled to see the letters, but could still read them, he could just use phonics. She knew he was only 6, so knew he was learning phonics which I thought was brilliant, not every child can actually remember the names of the letters. I was really pleased with that and Dylan did occasionally use phonics to express himself. It also meant Sinead knew exactly what Dylan meant, it was just brilliant communication. Then she got out colour tests and all sorts of health checks, it was so much more thorough. At the end of it, Sinead said Dylan had 20/20 vision and she really couldn't understand why the other place would have suggested for him to have glasses. She said that every test we’ve done he’s got absolutely correct. She said she examined his eye health too, very thoroughly, and said he was perfect. She was also baffled at our previous experience. That made me feel better. I was never adverse to Dylan wearing glasses if he needed them, but I just felt that it wasn’t right. Dipple and Conway gave me the confidence that we were doing the right thing, and I knew they genuinely cared about Dylan's eye health.

I had been expecting to pay for this appointment which was £45.00. I had already had the NHS free test with the other place and you need to wait 6 months before having another. But at the end, when I went to pay, they said, ‘Don’t worry about it, you don’t need to pay anything at all.’ Again, I just thought this was lovely. I had been prepared to pay, but the gesture was sincere and I really appreciated it. You just feel like they really care about you, and they’re not interested in making money out of you.

I will absolutely be using Dipple & Conway for all future appointments for not only Dylan but myself also. I couldn't recommend their services more.

- Charlotte Gurney, Norwich

If you’d like to come and see us for your next eye test, find your local practice and get in touch today. One of our friendly staff members will be more than happy to assist you.

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Dipple & Conway Eye Test Experience