Well, for one thing, it’s tucked right in the heart of Norwich, on that stretch of White Lion Street where the cobbles make you walk like you’re on a ship. You can pop in after picking up a pasty at the market or before a pint at the Bell. The location is so convenient that you have no excuse for putting off that eye test you’ve been avoiding since 2019.
Inside, it’s deceptively spacious—which is a polite way of saying you won’t have to side-step past a rack of reading glasses while someone tries to do the puffer test on your cornea. The frame selection is like a wardrobe of possibilities, ranging from “I’m a serious adult” to “I just want to look like a quirky librarian.” I spent a solid twenty minutes trying on tortoiseshell frames that made me look like a geography teacher from the 1970s. No judgment, just patient smiles.
The eye test: less terrifying than you remember
You know that moment when the optometrist asks, “Which is better, lens one or lens two?” and you’re convinced you’re just guessing? At this branch, they actually explain what they’re doing. Instead of rushing you, they’ll rephrase the question if you give them a blank stare. I once told the optometrist that lens one looked “slightly more purple,” and she laughed instead of writing me off as a madman.
They also have that fancy machine that puffs air at your eye—you know, the one that feels like a tiny, angry ghost. But here, the person operating it cracks a joke beforehand, so you don’t flinch. It’s the little things, like the way they hand you a tissue to wipe your watery eye afterward, that make you feel like a valued customer rather than a specimen.
Specsavers - Inspired Selections
