www.cyoungopticians.co.uk 46 High Street, Shepton Mallet, Somerset. BA4 5AS t: 01749 380043

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Volume 2 Issue 7 Designed by R. Young. Written by C. & R. Young

EYE TO EYE

Welcome to our latest newsletter. It is a bit later than usual as I have

been whizzing around the country looking at universities with the

boys, so I haven’t had time to sit down and think. More of that later.

Our 30th birthday party went off with a swing. Thank you to all those

who visited us on the day, and I hope you enjoyed listening to Lewes

playing his saxophone. We had hoped to hold the event in front of

the practice but at 8.30am when we were setting up it rained for the

first time in weeks, so we had to move inside. Nevertheless the event

was very well supported and I am very grateful for the effort that the

team put into making it such a success.

Family stuff

Edouard has decided that he would like to go to Sandhurst (assuming

he is accepted). He would like to obtain a degree before applying so

we have been looking at War Studies courses. Last weekend we ended up in Hull University where they

offer a semester working for a member of the security committee in Westminster. We had a long chat

with the admissions tutor and Ed is very focused on going there.

Tristan still wants to study computer game design so we visited De Montfort University in Leicester

where they teach the students to design the engines that run the

games, as well as the games themselves. This requires learning

programming skills that are transferable to other areas, such as

security, and so is much more useful than just a design course. We

are off to Falmouth with him this Saturday and Anglia Ruskin in

Cambridge two weeks after that, but so far Leicester appears to

tick the boxes.

Cléophée is enjoying her Applied Science BTEC at Strode College,

although the tutor has been very ill, which has caused a bit of a

problem. We hosted Rosenn’s parents for a lovely week in Sep-

tember. Unfortunately we sent her mother home with a dreadful

cold, which both she and Rosenn are still getting over. Neither

Yvon her father, or I were affected, and we are convinced that it is due to the Single Malts we enjoyed.

(for medicinal purposes only of course).

NEWS

Lewes blowing his own ‘trumpet’!

Yvon enjoying his medication.

www.cyoungopticians.co.uk 46 High Street, Shepton Mallet, Somerset. BA4 5AS t: 01749 380043

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IN THIS ISSUE I would like to give you an insight into why we do

some things the way that we do. In this issue I am

going to concentrate on the ’eyewear selection’

process. With the client’s permission I am going to

include a case study as an example, as well as a

copy of a review recently posted on our Google

page.

The Eyewear Selection Process

Glasses are a always a compromise. If you have a

focusing error, and you want to see clearly, you

have three choices, surgery, contact lenses or spec-

tacles, and for many people the last option is the

most practical or preferred route.

However no spectacle lens can replicate the optical

efficiency of the young eye—it is so well designed.

Spectacle lenses magnify or ‘minify’ images, cause

distortions, and

change the rela-

tionship that we

have with the

world around us.

Due to the physics

of light, we have to

adapt to these

changes in our per-

ception, and alt-

hough modern

lens design and manufacturing techniques make

adaptation easier, it is essential that we fully un-

derstand how our clients use their eyes so that we

can recommend appropriate products that allow

you to have maximum visual comfort.

The process starts in the consulting room. Lewes

and I will not only be determining the quality of

your vision and health of your eyes, but also finding

out in more detail what you use your eyes for.

The Eyewear Consultation

A member of the Eyewear team now takes over.

Based on what you have discussed with Lewes or

me we will pass on our recommendations to the

Eyewear Advisor—Mary, Juliet, Chloe or Tracy.

They will then sit down and grill you to make sure

they fully understand what you need, and that our

recommendation is appropriate.

They need to know at what distance you hold

things when you are reading, and at what angle.

Somebody who sits in a chair to read will need a

different vision solution from somebody who lies

in bed and reads. Do you lie on your back or on

your side? The distances and angles change de-

pending on this and can require a different pre-

scription or lens type.

Do you find sunlight dazzling? Will you benefit

from a transitions tint that gets darker in the sun-

light, or a polarised tint that reduces sunlight

glare, particularly off horizontal surfaces such as

wet roads?

Now that the advisor has an accurate idea of what

specific tasks you use your eyes for, they will help

you choose appropriate eyewear.

The first thing that people look at when they see

you is your eyes, so it is important that your glass-

es reflect your personality in the same way that

your clothes or shoes do.

In the same way that you may have several differ-

ent outfits for different occasions, many of our

clients have different designs of eyewear, and is

one of the reasons why we now stock our popular

Eyewear Wardrobe, and also why we give gener-

ous discounts of multiple pair purchases.

Having chosen a selection of frames, the advisor

can now recommend appropriate lens designs and

discuss the various options. There may be several

possibilities and it is important to remember that

this is a ‘menu’ from which you can choose all,

some or even none of what is suggested. There is

no obligation to proceed, and you are welcome to

bring in a friend or take some frames home with

you to seek a second opinion if you are not sure

which style to choose.

www.cyoungopticians.co.uk 46 High Street, Shepton Mallet, Somerset. BA4 5AS t: 01749 380043

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Testimonial

Finally, decision made, our advisor will give you a

printed quote, ask for a deposit, and either book

an appointment for you to have the completed

eyewear fitted, or inform you of how long they

will take to be manufactured.

Case Study

Mike was seen by Lewes for a sight test in July this

year. He is a helicopter pilot, flying the Augusta

Westland 139 for Bristow Helicopter Group in

Trinidad. The

helicopter has

two pilots, car-

ries up to 12 pas-

sengers and he is

currently flying

oil and gas sup-

port offshore.

Lewes intro-

duced Mike to

Mary to discuss

his visual re-

quirements.

Visual Requirements.

1. Mike needs to have excellent ‘all round’ vi-

sion, without any blind spots so that he has

a full view of the sky around him.

2. The instrument panel is 80 to 100cm away

from his eyes. The panel is below the hori-

zontal, so he is looking downwards at it.

3. He is flying in bright conditions

4. The instrument screens can be polarised

5. He needs a wide field of view through all

parts of his lens so that he can easily scan

the instrument panel and the horizon with

minimal head movement.

6. Mike needs to be able to see clearly at nor-

mal reading distance (40cms) so that he can

complete pre and post flight checks on a

clipboard.

Discussion

The best eyewear design for flying is, funnily

enough, called the ‘Aviator’. The actual design he

chose is called ’Pilot’ from Maui Jim. It is the classic

Top Gun design giving unrestricted peripheral vi-

sion and was originally created for American fighter

pilots.

Because Mike needs to see clearly from infinity to

instrument panel distance to reading distance he

will be most comfortable with an ‘Any Distance’ or

varifocal lens, and because he needs the widest

clear field of view the best design for him is the

Essilor ‘S’ Design, which is computer designed and

manufactured to give optimum performance de-

pending on the prescription.

Normally the best tint for bright conditions is a po-

larised tint, however if this conflicts with the polari-

sation from the instrument panel then Mike would

not be able to see his instruments, so Mary recom-

mended a fixed brown tint, Crizal Sun, which cuts

out 100% of UV light giving maximum protection

and comfort.

Mike emailed us with his photo on his first day back

at work. His comment ‘They work a treat’.

We received this Testimonial on our Google Page re-

cently, for which I am very grateful, and with Tim’s per-

mission I am copying it here. There is nothing quite like

blowing your own trumpet! We always enjoy receiving

feedback, especially if it is constructive:

This is a fairly long review because both my wife and I

feel it is important to put our successful outcome with

Christopher Young Opticians into context of our very bad

experiences with other Opticians in the Mid Somerset

area.

Stick with it to understand why we have been moved to

write this joint review.

For the last two and a half years we have both been go-

Mike wearing his prescription sun-

glasses at work.

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www.cyoungopticians.co.uk 46 High Street, Shepton Mallet, Somerset. BA4 5AS t: 01749 380043

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ing through the process of having eye examinations

with the expectation of purchasing new spectacles.

Not an unreasonable occurrence as this process hap-

pens many thousands of times each and every day

right across the country. Although in our early sixties

we don’t consider we have exceptional or highly unu-

sual prescriptions albeit we wear varifocals. We have

both worn spectacles for most of our lives, so we are

pretty well versed in the process.

As stated this process has been going on for two and a

half years and we have been to no less than 4 different

opticians in this region.

We were not successful in fulfilling our expectations

with any of them. Problems ranged from poor quality

frames that were not fit for purpose to a complete fail-

ure in respect of manufacturing lenses that were any-

where close to our prescriptions or even when they did

the original prescription turned out not to be what we

needed.

We heard just about every excuse there was to justify

the failings.

Our confidence was shot to pieces, we were beginning

to think that it might be impossible to get a correct

prescription let alone a pair of glasses correctly manu-

factured so that we could actually see out of them.

Then we were recommended to try Christopher Young

Opticians in Shepton Mallet. We can be forgiven at

being somewhat sceptical of the outcome, but we duly

attended their premises for an initial consultation.

My goodness me, how different was this.

We were actually being treated like you would expect

from a professional. We had in depth discussions re-

garding our wants and needs with a person that truly

understood that we are all different and therefore one

size does not fit all. We were given a full eye examina-

tion and as it turned out, this prescription did not in

any way change throughout the whole process.

We were given advice on lens choice as well as an ar-

ray of frames from which to choose from. We were

allowed to choose frames from a catalogue and they

were dispatched to the Opticians in a timely fashion

without obligation. It was from this process that we

eventually made our decision on frame style.

Specs were ordered (with fingers crossed) for both of

us and 10 days later they were ready to collect.

It was now judgment day!

I went first.

Yeah, I could see, not only see but see with better clari-

ty than I have experienced in a long time. I had been

recommended to have the blue filter, what a fantastic

choice.

My wifes turn next – exactly the same for her - first

time and they were spot on. Just a few fitting tweaks

and we were on our way.

So there we have it, on the very first attempt we were

both able to have specs that were ‘uniquely ours’ – our

faith had been restored!

Does it end there? – No it doesn’t – it gets better.

We both ordered second pairs of specs. When they ar-

rived they too were spot on.

This was amazing – after two and a half years, numer-

ous eye examinations and umpteen pairs of unsuitable

specs, we both had two pairs of specs that we were

completely happy with – all from a practice that, in our

honest opinion are head and shoulders above any other

opticians we have had dealings with.

Special mention must be made for the staff at the prac-

tice. Each and everyone we had contact with was ex-

tremely helpful, knowledgeable and very friendly – they

really enjoy their work and it shows.

They have certainly put an end to all our anxieties and

we are very happy to recommend their services to any-

one.

Tim & Sarah

UPDATE

We have both worn the second pairs for a week and

apart from minor fitting adjustments they are exactly

the same visually.

We have now reverted to the first pair without any is-

sues – vision is exactly the same in both pairs!

Well done Christopher Young Opticians!!!

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