A couple of years ago I was suffering from crippling migraines. I saw the doctor who told me it was stress and prescribed a painkiller. She also suggested I get my eyes checked. I scoffed. I’ve always had excellent vision and can see long distance. I spend my days writing on the computer or analysing and editing photos. If something were wrong, I thought I’d have known. I made an appointment for a free eye test on the high street and was diagnosed with astigmatism ( I always thought that was 2 words: a stigmatism, anyone else?). So maybe my parents were right, I spent too much time looking at screens and my eyes went square… I wasn’t thrilled with the selection at said high street opticians so I took my results to our friends and clients at Cult Vision in Clerkenwell. The first thing they did was book me another eye test with Panos. This is where things got interesting. Panos also diagnosed the astigmatism but he noticed something else that changed my life. When I am tired my eyes naturally drift inwards, causing my eye muscles to work overtime to keep them straight. He asked about my migraines and if they got worse when I was tired or if I had a hangover or jetlag. They do. Oh boy do they ever. So in addition to my prescription he ordered prism lenses to compensate for the strain. I normally only wear my glasses at the computer or for reading but the lightbulb moment happened for me a few weeks later in New York City. I was on holiday with Violet who was 5 at the time. We were at the Museum of Natural History and I suddenly felt like I didn’t know how we were going to make it back to our (amazing) AirBnb on Staten Island. It wasn’t a headache so much as just feeling unable to cope. I put on my new glasses and like magic I felt better. Literally I went from being so exhausted I wasn’t sure if I could manage ordering a car to back to myself in seconds. We finished the day at the museum, went to Trader Joe’s on the way home and got the ferry back. It was nothing short of miraculous.
I’ve been going to Cult Vision ever since and I’m always thrilled with my new specs. The difference for me is that I have a relationship there with my optician. He takes the time to understand me and my lifestyle and the frames are always exquisite. My whole life I’ve had a thing about not wanting to look just like everyone else. Cult Vision stocks eyewear for individuals. They have a gorgeous curated collection of frames from Vintage, Einstoffen, Ogreen, Andy Wolf, Salt Optics and more. They have loyal clients from all over the city for a reason. They truly care about every client and find the best, most stylish frames to choose from that are affordable but look like a million bucks. Plus, they’re just really, really nice people. You know what they say about every time you order from a small business an actual person does a happy dance? THIS. So, if you’re a person who values creativity, integrity, and needs a pair of glasses then this is the place for you.
Here I am in my new Einstoffen frames, enjoying a breath of fresh air and the blue spruce outside the Shopify Unite Conference in Totonto, Canada.
#gifted but worth every penny at full price. Honestly, this is the ONLY place I would consider shopping for eyewear.
A xx