Optical Express - Manchester - St Johns

For a treatment which is relatively expensive (just over the 4k mark) I thought the level of customer care was extremely poor. Seems like optical express are happy overbooking for profits in favour of good patient experiences. The seating in the waiting room was similar to a sub standard NHS walk in clinic, and the wait times weren’t dissimilar either. Be prepared to wait around with little to no interaction from staff. Tea and coffee weren’t offered (but displayed on a flyer). The actual surgery itself was relatively quick and manageable. Expect to feel discomfort and stinging eyes until the following day and stay clear from direct light. Sunglasses are a must.... (Show more)

Optical Express St John Street Clinic - The staff were great from start to finish. Went through everything with me beforehand. The surgery worked, I am so impressed with the results. Aftercare was wonderful. Friendly, knowledgeable staff. Couldn't have asked for more, really.

Went for a contact lens check up . The optician I think her name was Reesha ,was very polite , and professional , as were the Reception stall also . I was offered Tea and coffee whist I was waiting , and was seen on time .10 out of 10 .Excellent Team .Thank you .

I feel really anxious going to the opticians as I always feel pressure to answer the questions quickly and worry afterwards that I've answered them wrong. I found it was completely different at Optical Express. Every single person that I spoke with and helped me was so nice and allowed me to take my time. I felt really cared for and that I wasn't just getting rushed through to get me my prescription so I can spend loads of money on glasses. I've decided to go back to pick my glasses, probably will go to the Trafford Centre one as they recommended it for more choice and there was absolutely no pressure for me to buy glasses there and then. Thank you so much to all of you for helping me. I won't feel anxious about coming back to Optical Express again and would actually recommend you to my friends - I wouldn't tend to recommend opticians normally. So, if you are anxious about going to the opticians, I would recommend going to Optical Express. I hope head office see this as well and can thank the staff for me too.... (Show more)

20/20 vision, completed it mate! I just want to say the staff at St John's Street genuinely care about you and are such kind people. I was very overwhelmed on my surgery day and got myself worked up for literally no reason. Everything was absolutely fine in the end and it was all worth it! The staff comforted me and calmed me down so well as I got very emotional throughout the day and they did not make me feel one bit embarrassed by how worked up I was prior to the surgery. I was scared and my eyes did hurt on the journey home but I had a 2 hour nap and woke up feeling absolutely fine and I could see perfectly clearly with no pain at all. So do not hesitate to go and get this procedure done here, I literally feel amazing. I returned for my post op check up the next morning and the staff remembered me and asked how I was and it just made me feel all warm and welcomed by them. Thank you so much to all the managers, medical, and front of house staff for everything.... (Show more)

Surgery was quick and painless, woke up the next day being able to see again. Staff are friendly and attentive

I had an ocular lens replaced which had an issue 10 years after it was originally placed. Optical Express in Manchester have been marvelous throughout my procedure. They arranged my transport and overnight stay and provided a map to get me from the train station to the clinic. All the staff were friendly and couldn’t do enough to put me at ease and talk me through every step of the process. Usman did my pre op checks and answered any questions I had. Smashing lad and very professional. Mr Aasheet Desai did the surgery and has done a fantastic job. He did explain all the possible outcomes and I felt confident and assured he would fix my problem. I’ve had my post op checks and everything is spot on. Less than 24 hours post surgery and I can see quite clearly and have no discomfort at all. I understand my vision will continue to improve in the coming weeks and months. Overall I’m over the moon with my results. Again, many thanks to all the staff.... (Show more)

I am a terrible whimp with my eyes but decided to do both eyes with lens replacement - literally life changing!! Amazing clinical team and in under 24 hours I have better than 20/20 vision!

To anyone reading this, please, don't use Optical Express. A pushy sales pitch from the Manchester team is followed by a £500 deposit and then cancelled surgery (twice) with flimsy excuses. Upon my first visit to the clinic, I explained that time was of the essense as I was leaving the UK in early August. Nevertheless, they twice cancelled my eye surgery at very short notice, offering me an appointment weeks later that they knew I could not attend. At that point, I lost faith in them completely and told them I would find another eye surgeon only for them to tell me it was my fault for cancelling and therefore they would not refund my £500 deposit. In fact, the previously friendly receptionist spitefully took delight in telling me that. Fortunately, I hadn't signed a contract with them so they had no basis to keep the money. It's apparent to me that the £500 is the commission for what is effectively a 'sales' office for eye surgery that you are better off seeking directly from a surgeon, hence their determination to keep hold of it at all costs. Most importantly though, after their 2nd cancellation, I spoke directly with an eye surgeon at Manchester Royal Eye hospital who told me that the lenses they had recommended (multi-focal IOL's) had a far higher incidence of halos and loss of contrast than Optical Express mentioned and I should go for a different option given my prescription. I learned far more in a 15-minute conversation with him than in the almost 3 hours I wasted at the Optical Express clinic in St. John's st. Manchester. I really feel as though I have dodged a bullet. Find another company; you can't rely on Optical Express to either a) be honest, b) give you the right advice about what is a major change to your vision, or c) give you your money back if THEY cancel your surgery. Their reply to my review below speaks volumes of their attitude. Instead of apologising for messing me around, they have tried to blame me. I would add in response to their reply, I was certainly not told enough by their sales team about the halos and about loss of contrast I might face. Finally, I did end up having a fantastic surgery experience with Mr Brahma at the Manchester Eye Hospital.... (Show more)

The staff at St Johns St Manchester branch couldn’t be more helpful or more knowledgeable. Thank you. However, as for the past however long I can remember, they are badly let down by a clunky and unreliable IT system wasting their time and losing patient data. It’s taken me 5 weeks to get new spectacles almost solely because of IT- related communication problems.... (Show more)

It’s been life changing getting laser eye surgery, the optical express team was really helpful and knowledgeable. Usman was great at answering all my questions and I didn’t feel pressured at all to go ahead with the surgery. I’m so glad I did go ahead with it and chose to go with Optical express Manchester... (Show more)

My visit was very good. Both reception people were pro-active and helpful and the optometrist himself was excellent: both thorough and explained the changes in my eyesight. The reason for not 5 stars is because of the shockingly bad treatment I have had from Optical Express up to this time which is the subject of a formal complaint at the moment.... (Show more)

Can’t fault the service. It’s been 3 weeks since the op, and the aftercare has been great. Able to pick up drops which i’ve ran out of easily. Saw some bad reviews when i researched online, but not experienced any of the problems left on poor reviews! Would recommend

I can see my friends from across the street now :)

I have just had laser eye surgery with Optical Express. From the first consultation to the final product I have nothing but respect for all the hard work the team have done. They made the whole process move very swiftly but also put me at ease when I had questions / concerns. The team at OE including Usman and the surgeon have done an excellent job and I would thoroughly recommend going there should you wish to have laser eye surgery. I know it’s a scary feeling having it done but honestly you are in an out within a couple of minutes. Thanks again for everything! Craig... (Show more)

Booked for both eyes, I had my procedure in less than a month with a Blue Light card discount. The operation was finished in 5 minutes with no pain, slight discomfort and a speedy recovery. I could see clearly within 2-3 days and have had no dryness since, 1 month on. I read plenty of these reviews before my surgery and am pleased I wasn’t deterred. Extremely pleased.... (Show more)

Lovely service! They were very professional and made me feel at ease. Plus getting 20-20 vision is life changing!

Most amazing experience from start to finish! Made me feel so confident, at ease & really put my feelings first. The after care has been amazing. I couldn’t thank all the team enough & my surgeon for doing the BEST job. I wish I got it done sooner! Not one fault