Teenage opinions of retail optics

What does an average 15-year-old think of retail optics? As part of his work experience on Optician, Jordan Gillhespy provides us with his personal view of what retail optics looks like to a teenager

Teenagers usually associate glasses with something that’s not for them either because they are not cool or have decided glasses are for older people. So when a teenager takes an eye test and finds out they need to wear glasses it can be a very scary process.

Being a 15-year-old boy who knows absolutely nothing about optics, I was sent by Optician on a mission to the high street, Sutton, Surrey to find out what opticians are doing for people of my age and to express my opinions on retail optics.

Starting at the top of the high street the first shop I came across was Leightons. Going in the first thing I noticed was designer brands, rows of them, I couldn’t believe that these brands even made frames. I was then offered help so I asked to see the range of frames for teenagers. The lady then took me to the children’s section.

I was left standing there looking at all the Dennis the Menace and Beano frames thinking she was joking with me. She pointed to two boring naff frames and said ‘These two are probably suitable for you.’

Okay, I thought, so out of a whole store of frames these are the only two that you have for teenagers? She explained to me about the NHS voucher available to anybody under 19 in full-time education and then, being a teenager, I couldn’t help myself and I asked about the designer fames. When she showed me I couldn’t believe the price of them, then she stated that these were really for the adults. I said no more.

I couldn’t understand why only two styles of children’s glasses out of a whole practice store were for people my age. No wonder teenagers feel the way they do about glasses.

Moving on down the high street I came across Specsavers. I wasn’t offered any help but maybe this was because their store was set out so well. It didn’t take me long to find a section for 11-15 year-olds.

Although there was a whole section with a lot more of a range for people of my age I was still very disappointed with the quality of the frames. Nothing designer and nothing fancy, this section was basically children’s glasses in bigger sizes.