We’re thrilled to share that our very own Optometrist, Hasan , was featured on ITV News  this week! In the segment, Hasan offered some expert advice on contact lens safety this Halloween , reminding everyone how important it is to keep your eyes healthy while having fun with spooky costumes and coloured lenses. Whether you’re going all-out with a frightful transformation or just adding a subtle touch, Hasan’s top tips will help you enjoy the festivities safely. Catch the full ITV News clip below  to hear Hasan’s guidance and make sure your Halloween look is both safe and  spectacular!

They say that charity begins at home – and to us that means our community. We love supporting local, whether that’s local businesses, local suppliers or local events. We recently had the chance to support two local charities by getting involved in fundraising events and it was incredibly rewarding to see the impact they had, with thousands of pounds raised to support some extremely worthy causes. First up was an open evening which featured a raffle to raise funds for Compton Care – a hospice based in Wolverhampton – with additional money going to the Ukraine appeal. Compton Care provides free care and support for people living with incurable illnesses and their families. This year marks 40 years of Compton providing countless moments of care and support to families across the region who have been affected by incurable illnesses. The amazing team at Compton support families to navigate every aspect of life after diagnosis, including their physical, practical, and emotional needs. Care is tailored to each person and focuses on providing the tools, encouragement and support they need to live a good quality life. It was a privilege to be able to support them in their work and we were delighted to help contribute £438 to be shared between the two causes. Secondly, we were delighted to sponsor a particularly hair-raising event held in support of Secret Angels – a small non-profit organisation set up in April 2021 in Wolverhampton to empower communities and transform lives by helping residents in deprived areas tackle fuel and food poverty. The charity provides information and advice, run services in our local communities and campaigns with current projects including a food bank, digital inclusion and a clothes bank. The event, which was organised by Asian Music Radio, saw presenters Khalid Akhtar and Shabaz Ahmad have their bodies waxed in public while on air to raise money. Shabaz, aged 40, said: "My arm hair meant the world to me but we were happy to exchange our pain for people's pounds." The event raised an incredible £8,000 for Secret Angels. Founder Alvina Ali said: "It was a painful challenge for a good cause and raised a lot of money for our charity that will make a difference to people's lives.” Seeing the difference these events have made to all those charities has been a real boost to the team and has reinforced the importance of supporting worthy causes in our local community. We’re looking forward to getting involved in many more events in the future!

Kids are back at school, and after such a long break it may take them a while to get back into the swing of things. Not all problems are just down to a preference for video games or YouTube over schoolwork, though! Visual stress is something that affects at least 20% of the UK and can make learning and studying harder for children. A visual stress test and, if necessary, treatment such as visual stress glasses, could help your child to reach their full academic potential and make school life much easier in general. What Is Visual Stress? Visual stress, also known as Meares-Irlen Syndrome, is sometimes linked with dyslexia, but it is a condition in its own right and often affects children who are not dyslexic. It causes visual discomfort when trying to read and can put children off reading and impact their learning. There are a number of signs of visual stress, including: headaches and eye strain after reading for a short time text appearing to move on the page needing to use a finger to follow a line of text becoming distracted by patterns when reading fidgeting, squinting and a reluctance to read. If your child displays any of these symptoms, it is worth booking them in for a visual stress test. Treatment for Visual Stress The first step is to carry out a full eye exam to rule out any other potential problems, like vision correction. Next, we use a series of tests including a colorimetry assessment – you can find out more about what is included in the full assessment here. Research has shown that colour can be used to alleviate symptoms of visual stress, so the colorimetry, performed using an advanced piece of equipment called the intuitive colorimeter is used to identify which precise tint, out of thousands of combinations, is most effective in helping children to read with more ease. Once this has been identified, we can look at the best form of treatment. Coloured overlays can be used when reading from a page, but many students find specialised visual stress glasses which have tinted lenses are most helpful at school, as they can then read the board more easily too. We can even offer tinted contact lenses, if preferred. This isn’t an overnight cure, but rather a management method for visual stress, which is why more than one visit is needed to see our optometrist so they can continue to assess and monitor your child’s progress and improvement in reading. We encourage parents to enrol their children onto our Visual Stress Treatment Programme, as their appointments will then be covered at a set monthly fee. Children who have been diagnosed with visual stress and have gone through our programme have been able to enjoy increased self-confidence and fluency when reading, as well as reduced or eliminated headaches, allowing them to develop at the same rate as their school peers. Book an Assessment If you think your child could benefit from tinted glasses for visual stress or you’d like to find out more, contact us to discuss your child’s symptoms and book an assessment today.

At Taylor Biddle Opticians, we pride ourselves on the highest levels of customer service & top-quality eye care & products, near you in Compton & Wombourne. YOUR INDEPENDENT OPTICIANS IN WOLVERHAMPTON At Taylor Biddle Opticians, we pride ourselves on the highest levels of customer service paired with top-quality eye care and products. The two practices are conveniently located in Compton and Wombourne, both with easy disability access and free parking. MORE ABOUT US WELCOME TO WOMBOURNE WELCOME TO COMPTON SPECIALIST EYE CARE SERVICES FOR ALL YOUR FAMILY Customer service has always been at the heart of what we all do. This ethos, combined with continually pushing the boundaries by investing in the latest technology to improve eye care, and offering fabulous frames and lenses, ensures that we will always offer the very best service available anywhere. OCT & OPTOMAP EYE SCAN HEARING CARE & AUDIOLOGY CONTACT LENS FITTING & ADVICE VISUAL STRESS & COLORIMETRY DISCOVER DESIGNER EYEWEAR We stock some of the top designer frames including Ray Ban, Gotti and Jimmy Choo to name but a few. In addition we stock a fabulous selection of frames starting from just £29.99. VIEW OUR BRANDS EYEWEAR STYLING READ OUR PATIENT TESTIMONIALS “Great service from the whole team across a couple of visits. Many thanks to Dev, Tracy, Dale and Donna for explaining the various eye tests and assessments, making helpful, honest suggestions regarding choice of glasses, taking time to discuss lenses options and generally providing an exceptional customer experience. It’s not easy choosing new specs and the team not only helped but we were laughing throughout too. Can’t wait to get my new glasses. Highly recommend this great team!” - Rachel Evans - READ MORE REVIEWS Follow us on Instagram #wix @taylorbiddleopticians Load more

< Back Hasan Akhtar BSc(Hons) MCOptom DipTp(IP) Prof Cert Med Ret Prof Cert Glauc AFHA Hasan graduated from Aston University in 2016 with a 1st class honours degree in Optometry. He joined Taylor Biddle in 2018 and became a partner in April 2021. Alongside his work with Taylor Biddle, he is a Sessional Lecturer and Clinical Supervisor at Aston University teaching the degree programme as well as a Faculty Member for Johnson & Johnson Vision and Assessor for the College of Optometrists. Hasan specialises in Medical Retina and Glaucoma but also became an Independent Prescriber in 2023 allowing him to prescribe more medications to help treat eye conditions. Hasan has sat on the local optical committee since 2020 which allows him to stay at the forefront of Optometry and implement the latest shared care schemes and enhancements to the services we provide. In his spare time he enjoys theatre, outdoor adventures, socialising and travelling the world. Optometrist Director

We offer a more sophisticated way to purchase your eyewear. Our Eyewear Styling Consultation is a guided journey through the process of choosing new glasses. EYEWEAR STYLING & FITTING Your eyewear should be an extension of your personal style, not just something necessary in order to see clearly! You deserve to look great in your frames and sunglasses and we are here to ensure that. The ultimate goal of our dispensing team is to make sure that you leave with eyewear that fits and flatters your face perfectly. With so many frames and sunglasses out there, it can be hard to know which ones are right for you and what styles you should look for. At Taylor Biddle, we offer dedicated styling sessions where our specially trained stylists can consider everything from your personal style to your face shape and complexion to find a perfect match that will suit YOU. OUR STYLING CONSULTATIONS Our expert dispensing team have undertaken additional training and certification in order to provide the best possible styling advice so you can look and feel your best. The consultation takes approximately 1 hour to ensure you have all the time you need to pick out the perfect pair. In that time, we will asses your individual facial features, hair and eye colour, personal style, prescription, work and lifestyle to determine the type of eyewear that will reflect you and meet your needs. We have a great variety of different styles, shapes and colours to choose from so you can be sure that there's something for you. During our consultation, we'll put together a selection of frames and/or sunglasses for you to try on and we will work together to find which are the best for you. THE PERFECT FIT When you have chosen your perfect frames, we will take extra care to ensure the best possible fit for optimal comfort and clear vision. We use state-of-the-art intuitive technology to ensure we can take precise measurements. Following the arrival of your eyewear, we will invite you to have them properly fitted and adjusted to maximise on comfort and leave you feeling as good as you look! We can even discuss how best to care for your glasses or sunglasses to make sure you get the most out of them. Quick links: EYEWEAR BRANDS EYE EXAMINATIONS WHAT OUR PATIENTS SAY.. "We would like to say a massive thank you to EVERYONE at Taylor Biddle. They make your experience of getting an eye test and then choosing new specs such fun. They know all their customers personally and this helps them to find the correct style of glasses to suit you. They will spend time with you talking through different points of which style suit you best. James had already pre chosen 4 pairs of specs for my husband prior to his test and he knows him so well, that the first pair he tried on were the ones he went away with!! We wouldn't go anywhere else." - D. Taylor - 08/2021 via Google