My mother always told me, don't be afraid to splurge on glasses because they are the window through…read morewhich everybody sees your face....well, when custom glasses like Iolla's are only £65 a full set including lenses that means I just buy every single frame I fancy! Call me crazy, but I bought 4 pairs! And here was my mental justification: Tortoise shell grey and black frame: First pair I was drawn too and they looked HOT! Amber framed sunglasses: Always wanted amber frames, but they look stupid with my dark features.. pop in a sunglass lens and BOom I'm in love. Black mat frame: Well, I am a nerd, I work in a laboratory, wear a lab coat, and it might as well be part of the uniform. Green glasses: Honestly I wasn't a big fan of these, but the three people I was shopping with and the gentleman who owns the store insisted they looked amazing, so I gave into peer pressure. If you don't wear glasses, you are missing out, so go buy some custom shades with whatever frame you like. Last but not least, Iolla has a cute little coffee bar in the back to keep you fuelled while you try on every pair in the store!

Iolla is a new brand of prescription eyewear that aims to revolutionise the traditional optical…read moremarket. Glasses are designed and assembled in Scotland to provide higher-quality, better-looking eyewear at a fraction of the current price. £65 gets you fabulous frames, thin lenses and anti-glare and anti-scratch coating if your prescription is between certain parameters. I have a strong prescription and have a slight astigmatism and that was included, too! I popped in to the Iolla showroom on a Saturday with Baby Girl unannounced; I had an appointment scheduled later in the week but had some time to kill and was passing by. Stefan, one of Iolla's founders, was so patient and helpful. It will come to no surprise to anyone who knows me that I tried on just about every frame in the showroom. Iolla have a variety of frames, all named after famous Scots, to suit every face shape and come in multiple colours. I went back and forth between a few different frames but in the end decided to go for a pair that were the complete opposite to my glasses I've had for the past 2 years. I love my new Stevenson frames in light blue crystal! They really make my eyes pop and are just so far removed from my big black frames. I love that at only £65 you can have glasses that are truly a fashion choice and not just functional. In fact I loved my Iolla glasses so much I went back 2 weeks later for another pair! Can you believe in 22 years of wearing glasses I have never had prescription sunglasses? For me they were just an expense I couldn't justify so it meant always wearing contacts when it was sunny or using these gigantic sunglasses my Dad gave me that go over your existing glasses so you look like a glaucoma grandma! My Bruce sunglasses in plum are far more stylish and made sunglare worries on my morning commute a thing of the past. I honestly can't believe I went this long without prescription sunglasses! Iolla frames can be purchased online and shipped straight to your door or you can pop in to the showroom on Argyle Street in Glasgow if you like to try on your frames before you buy. I love supporting local businesses and it's even more amazing when the local business service and product is better value for money than the corporate conglomerates!

The Best people I've ever seen when I need a new glasses. I…read moream so sorry for that late reputation. Don't know if u guys still remember me, I am the guy who wanted a glasses frame in 2020, maybe Sep or Oct,from China with bad English.(I guess my English is worse after leaving Scotland) It's been a long time since I came back to China but I too so long time to write that now. Still remember that stuff was from Japan or Italy, so I was waited so excited in those days. I said I would write a positive reputation that day with a such great weather. I am so sorry to write all of these so late again, if there is a time, I will come to see you guys and drink a beer together :)

Great service and lovely personnel. Plenty of frame choices as well. An all round lovely experience!read more

I'm all for independent businesses but when it comes to looking after my eyes I do like to go to a…read moretrusted name like Specsavers. I went to this Specsavers branch for an eye test and contact lens fitting last week and received excellent service as always. I am short sighted and usually only wear glasses for driving and watching TV. As such I tend to get my eyes tested at Specsavers but take my prescription to Oscar and Fitch to get some funky specs. I find the range of glasses at Specsavers ok but nothing special. However my eyesight has deteriorated a lot over the past two years and I now need to wear my glasses all the time so I thought I should start considering contact lenses for when I am partaking in some physical activity or for nights out when glasses will spoil my ensemble! The optician I saw at the Byres Road branch of Specsavers was really nice and friendly. He made sure he explained to me what he was doing and what he was testing for when he was putting bizarre apparatus near my face! You can feel a bit stupid during an eye test when they ask you to read stuff and you have to tell them you can't. It makes you feel like you can't read and that your an idiot when obviously you know and the optician knows that it is just your eyesight! My optician kept reassuring me though with lots of "that's great," and "well done Lisa". After my sight test he passed me over to the branch manager who helped teach me how to put my new contacts in and how to take them out. It took me aaaages to get it right but he sat patiently with me the whole time until I felt completely comfortable with what I was doing. I had a follow up appointment a few days later to have some tests done after a few days with contacts in, again the optician and other staff were lovely and didn't pressure me to sign up to any long term contracts with my contact lenses. They were happy for me to just pop in to pick up new lenses as and when I need them. I would definitely recommend this branch to anyone considering lenses or just for a regular eye test. It is a very small branch though so I do think it's best to go elsewhere to look for glasses frames.

Honestly, getting my eyes tested is something I always put off longer than I should. I'm lazy about…read morewearing my glasses anyway because I only really need them if I'm in the cinema. Also, eye tests are a weird process, I don't like getting them done. So, I only really visited Specsavers because I'd lost not only my glasses but also my prescription and so I was forced to get a new test. Booking the test was easy enough. When I showed up a little early for my appointment they were already ready for me. I got a very thorough test, not only to find my prescription but also to check my general eye health. The opticians kindly talked me through everything that was happening and explained my results. They told me they have a lab in store so can get a pretty quick turnaround on glasses that I ordered today. Unfortunately I didn't have time to shop for at the time, so I just took my prescription away with me, but it looks like they have a good selection at a pretty fair range of prices.

Perfect service from start to finish, great pricing. Particular thanks go to the man that tested my…read moreeyes, he was simply a pleasure. Thank you

I had broken my glasses and needed the arm repaired. The optician with very eager to help and was…read moresuccessful making them wearable again. He refused payment even though I hadn't bought the glasses there. A very positive experience!

I popped in here for my bi yearly eye test and pretty much all went well with the examination, very…read morepleasent and quick even when i was a wimp with the puff of air test!! So i had to go for the picking of the glasses. Settled on a style i liked and then looked at the price expecting to have a heart attack....£25 quid you say, for frames you say!! Fantastic. The lady helping myself was named Rachel and she was quite happy for me having picked a nice style and didnt try the pushy sales technique which was a refreshing change. Offered me a variety of options which i ended up taking and have never looked back so to speak and talked me through everything in a consistent and patient manner whilst also leaving to make a child feel better about the place and high fiving her!! All in all a very nice place for glasses without forcing the big sell on you :)

The store owner is SO kind and professional!He treated me as if my vision problems were his own…read more Will be returning for any future needs.

I first started wearing glasses when I was studying abroad and so having never been to an opticians…read morein Glasgow before, I wasn't really sure where to go when I realised I needed new lenses.. In the end I opted for Vision Express at the top of Byres Road, mainly because of its convenient location but also because the shop was new and shiny and I quite liked their adverts on TV. It was a good choice. I visited one wet, weekday morning and was immediately impressed with the friendliness of the receptionist and my optometrist who both gave me excellent advice on lenses and frames. I was concerned about being without my only pair of glasses as it was during my exams, and time was precious. Luckily however, my type of lenses were available in store and so I only had a short 20 minutes to wait to pick them up (and what a good excuse to treat yourself to a coffee in Heart Buchannan next door while you wait).