Brian Davidson

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Welcome to Brian Davidson Opticians

We are an independent opticians practice creating bespoke eyewear and individually designed contact lenses. Expert staff and state of the art equipment ensure unrivalled eyecare backed up with the highest standards of aftercare.

Full Ocular Health Check

Slit lamp examination begins with the front of your eye, examining the lids, lashes and conjunctiva. We then look at the tear film for signs of dry eye before examining the cornea. The anterior chamber is checked for clarity, depth and angle with the iris. Cataracts are formed on the lens of your eye and are easily detected by our examination. Going deeper into the eye we can view the vitreous – where all those floaters reside – before a doing a full check on the retina, macula and optic nerve head.

Using further equipment, we use can analyse either 80,000 points on the cornea at the front of the eye or scan all the way through the retina at the back of the eye with the accuracy of 1 micron.

Individual and Unique

At Brian Davidson Opticians, rather than settle for the ubiquitous brands that appear everywhere, we invite you to be advised on what size, shape and colours suit you. We have smaller brands where we have often spoken to or consulted with the individual designers to hear exactly what their design philosophy is. This in turn helps us advise you. We regularly custom make a bespoke frame allowing you to specify every aspect of your frame, giving you a truly one-off pair of spectacles that will perform perfectly and look just how you want to.

We are always invited to London, Paris and Milan by designers and manufacturers to consider their latest creations and ideas.

Detailed Refraction

Your eye test will never feel rushed as I will take the time to listen to you as I need to fully understand what problems or issues you have been having with your eyesight. A computerised autorefractor shines IR light into the eye and analyses it as it is reflected back from the retina. This gives me an objective measurement of your refractive error. I then test your eyes subjectively by comparing different combinations of lenses before balancing both eyes together. A check is then made on your ocular muscle balance and any fixation disparity you might have. Are both eyes converging and accommodating well enough for your daily tasks? Do you have full and complete ocular motility? All of this and more is then put together before we decide on your final Rx.

Custom Contact Lenses

Although we use all of the major contact lens manufacturers found in other opticians, we have long found that someone often needs a more individual lens. Mainstream lenses are pre-made to fit more or less average corneas with average refractive errors. Since 2003 when the first computerised lathe came to the UK, I have been using the Keratron Scout corneal topographer to digitally map the front of the eye. This allows me to design virtually any lens enabling successful lens wear for corneal ectasias such as keratoconus and pellucid marginal degeneration as well as post-refractive laser surgery.

Orthokeratology is now becoming more available as manufacturers are jumping on the band wagon but I have been custom making Ortho-K lenses since 2004.

About Us

Jackie

Jackie

Stylist

Born and raised in Luxembourg before going to University in Vienna. She then went on to study media relations at EFAP in Brussels. Subsequently she worked in Paris before returning to Luxembourg City to take up a position with an advertising agency.

Jackie came to the UK in 1998.

Her home country is synonymous with Radio Luxembourg and often as a child Jackie worked there at weekends meeting our future Radio 1 DJ’s.

She twice presented flowers to the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest but we would all agree that she definitely can’t sing herself. She does however have lots of European style and flair – this enables her to advise patients on what frames best suit them.

Brian

Brian

Optometrist

Brian qualified as an optometrist in 1983. He also qualified as a commercial pilot in 1991 before purchasing the practice from Isabel Brown in 1992. He specialises in orthokeratology and myopia management together with complex contact lens fitting. When he was younger he was an avid golfer – playing off 3 at age 15 and was filmed for the early evening news programme Nationwide. He admits now that he can’t hit a golf ball to save himself and instead enjoys a weekly game of tennis. As a keen cyclist, he has completed many events in Europe over the years but is now just happy to cycle to work everyday.

Craig

Craig

Manager and Registered DIspensing Optician

Craig joined us straight from school in 2005. Initially helping out with some admin. He quickly progressed to lab technician. When a vacancy arose as an optical assistant he started dealing with patients face to face after having spent two years being locked in the lab glazing spectacles.

In 2015 Craig took up study with the Association of British Dispensing Opticians. In 2018 he qualified as a dispensing optician and is registered with both the General Optical Council and ABDO. Most evenings after work he can be found churning out the miles in the gym.

Jane

Jane

Optical Assistant

Lives in Newport with her young family and has been with us for 10 years. She is often on reception and has an amazing ability to remember almost everyone’s name. Her bubbly personality and willingness to chat to everyone makes patients feel very welcome.

Jane looks after our accounts and general admin work as well as helping with frame buying.

Bryan

Bryan

Technician and Optician

Born and bred in the west end, Bryan graduated from the University of Dundee in 1991 with an arts & social sciences degree and had intended to pursue a career in finance or journalism. However a stop-gap job in optics led to a permanent career and he’s worked in various roles in the industry ever since. Bryan does most of the lab work in the practice; along with some of the dispensing and pre-test routines. He is also our go-to I.T. specialist.
Outside of work, Bryan’s main passion is music – he’s a big fan of The Beatles, Yes and music from the early 80’s, and loves playing keyboards, guitar, ukulele and bass. He also enjoys watching greyhound racing and European TV/cinema, and is something of a connoisseur of real ale and continental beers.
  • If you are a UK resident, you can get a free NHS eye examination in Scotland.
  • This is not just to test your sight – it’s a thorough examination to:
    • check the health of your eyes
    • find any eye problems before they become more serious
    • look for signs of other health problems.
  • Your GP does not need to refer you for an eye exam.
  • You can have a free eye examination once every two years if you are between 16 and 59 years old.
  • You can have a free eye examination once a year if you:
    • are under 16
    • are 60 or over
    • have diabetes
Generally we recommend check-ups at least every 12 months or more often if necessary.

You should come for your appointment wearing your contact lenses in order that we can test and evaluate them in under your regular wearing conditions. This allows us to examine the lens condition, fit and power with the lenses in your eyes.

If we didn’t supply your contact lenses and you want us to check them, then either bring in the contact lens specification from your previous optician or bring the lens packaging with you as it helps us know what you are wearing.

If you have been fitted with Ortho-K lenses which are worn to sleep in and are removed during the daytime, then do not wear the lenses but instead bring them with you in their case. See our Ortho-K section for more information.

Full private eye examinations are available from Mr Davidson – please advise us at the time of booking if you require a private exam and if there is any special area of concern that you would like us to concentrate on. We can arrange private exams both during and outwith our normal practice hours.
We take care of many companies staff visual requirements. Typically these involve safety eyewear and computer glasses with associated tests and evaluations. We also advise on visual standards and fitness to drive.
Should you have trouble seeing with your glasses or don’t feel that you Optician gave you a “good test”, we recommend that you go back to your optician and explain your concerns. They should be given a chance to resolve your problem and make changes to your glasses if needed. The NHS no longer allows you to ask for a second opinion at another NHS Optician. We are however increasingly asked for second opinions and we are happy to do this although these appointments are charged privately outwith the NHS. We will take a full history and symptoms, and listen to your concerns. Then after a full and complete eye exam, we will give you our best advice.

Contact Us

OPENING HOURS

Monday 9:00 - 17:30
Tuesday 9:00 - 17:30
Wednesday 9:00 - 17:30
Thursday 9:00 - 17:30
Friday 9:00 - 17:30
Saturday 9:00 - 17:30
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We listen to your visual problems

 

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We understand your requirements

 

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We tailor make the solution

 

CONTACT INFORMATION

29 Crichton Street

Dundee  DD1 3AR

01382 221333

enquiries@briandavidson.co.uk

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