Back in May of 2025 I visited my regular optician for my two-year check-up. It turned out that I did need a new prescription for the single pair of glasses I wore at the time, with progressive lenses that darkened in the sun. Long story short, they got the manufacturer wrong (installing Essilor when they should have installed Hoya) and charged me north of £525 for the service. So I went looking for an alternative online.

Two aspects of the Specsathome Website stood out instantly: the price of both frames and lenses, and the easily accessible service. I ordered my first two pairs of frames and progressive lenses from him online, both frames from Reykjavik Eyes: For everyday use, Alvar, with Zeiss Smartlife Superb lenses, in Photofusion X Blue, with the DuraVision Gold anti-reflective and protective coating. And for work on my computer, a pair called Jesper, single vision. I’ve seen these frames, without lenses, selling for as much as £450 online.

From Kashan, I paid around £500 for both frames and both pairs of lenses. That market beating cost combined with the great care he took in his first consultation with me turned me into a repeat customer.

The arrangement has been great for us both as we move through our second year of collaboration. For my subsequent orders Kashan offered to drive out to my flat, about an hour outside of London, to go through the several other pairs of glasses that make up my ever expanding eyewear wardrobe.

So far, I’ve entrusted Kashan to glaze for me, mainly with Zeiss Smartlife Superb lenses, a pair of Lucas de Staël leather semi-rim frames, a pair of Esmont Caudron in 85% Pioneer Green and Polarised for daytime driving, for nighttime driving a pair of Lunor A5 with DriveSafe lenses, a pair of Masunaga Imaginiste browline frames with a 25% Pistachio tint, a pair of Barton Pereirra Ginsburg full frames as my reading glasses, JF Rey metal frames as a second pair intended for daytime driving, my experiment with Zeiss Adaptive Sun lenses (details in a following post), and just lately a pair of JM Mage Zephirin with a light blue tint, and a pair from Ahlem, the Rue de Turenne with a 50% Sweet Violet tint. 

I’ll have more to say about each of these frames and designers in subsequent posts.

Let me end this one with high praise for Kashan Aziz’s generous attention to detail with all of my past, present, and no doubt future orders, and for the personal care he always takes with his customers.