Frames and Lenses

Practice Philosophy - "Eyecare before Eyewear"

First of all, it is important to highlight the philosophy of this practice, which is that at David Austen Optometrists our fundamental objective is to provide professional eyecare services. We feel that the fees charged for our services should be easily understood so that patients realise that we are committed to their visual health and not just to the supply of spectacles. For this reason we charge fees related to the time spent with your optometrist.

We are an independent practice that exists solely on reputation and recommendation. We have no window display and do not advertise as we believe both can be misleading. We are happy to answer your queries personally.

We keep up with the times in fashion, as well as meet the basic needs of those on tighter budgets. Our choice of frames is extensive: usually around 1000 to choose from, 100 of those being designer frames. The designer frames we select have well engineered hinges and are made from the best materials (titanium, stainless steel, and non-metal). These frames include models from the designers Dolce and Gabbana, Kookii, Adidas, Gucci, French Connection, Emporio Armani, Calvin Klein, Elle, and John Paul Gaultier. We also have a selection of rimless frames and we have Flexon frames (the frames that can be bent in any direction, and will return to their original shape). However, if you still cannot find a suitable frame, we will happily order several frames of your choice or help you peruse our many catalogues so you can choose your ideal frame.

New to the practice in 2008 are Maui Jim Prescription Sunglasses. We are an exclusive provider in the Leicester area of these unique sunglasses. Please visit the Maui Jim page to learn more or stop into the practice to view our 2009 collection.

Children's Spectacles
Youngsters love the Barbie and Adidas frames, and for those needing more sturdy models, the Flexon frames are also supplied in children’s sizes. For tiny tots, special curl-sided frames are often advised as these stay on best. Otherwise we have a selection of about 50 frames for children (under 16) to choose from, which together with the lenses, are covered by the NHS voucher. So children can receive spectacles free of charge.

Lenses
We can supply almost any lens made although we tend to use Hoya lenses because they are especially well designed resulting in very few non-tolerance problems. Varifocal or multifocal lenses can now be provided for most prescriptions, including those requiring corrective prisms. More recently Hoya has released a varifocal "wide" design, which allows fitting varifocal lenses to a smaller frame and provides larger areas for intermediate and near vision. Every plastic varifocal lens comes with a hard coat at no extra cost.

Shades and Tints
We can supply tinted lenses of varying darkness and can colour match almost any lens. Tinted prescription sun spectacles are popular. Lenses with special coatings such as 'mirrored' lenses used for skiing may be supplied as can other sports spectacles such as swimming goggles and cycling visors.

Thin Lenses
We have equipment which measures frame details so that patients with a high hyperopic prescription (> +3.00) can receive lenses of minimum thickness. This is possible for both single vision and multifocal lenses.

Similarly, for those patients with high myopia, we can supply ultra-thin lenses (high refractive index lenses) in both glass and plastic. In short, we enjoy the dispensing challenges that complicated prescriptions provide.