SME News Q1 2026/ 20 Safarian & Simon Opticians: Sight to Behold In St John’s Wood Hundreds of so-called ‘independent opticians’ across the UK are co-owned by multiple shareholders, calling into question their inevitable claims about not having to appease shareholders and focusing solely on looking after their patients’ eyes. For those looking for a truly independent opticians practice in London, Safarian & Simon Opticians ticks all the boxes. Named the Best Independent Opticians Practice 2026 – London, we take a closer look at its multi-award-winning offerings below. A fixture of the local neighbourhood since it arrived in 1970, Safarian & Simon Opticians is a single-owner, family-oriented opticians known for being one of England’s leading service providers in this field. An opticians doubling as an eyewear store, its premises on the high street in St John’s Wood are the second in its more than 55-year history, moved into as the business had outgrown its original location on the back of both the comprehensive eye services and high-quality glasses it has long been renowned for across the region. The strength of any good opticians can be measured through its eye tests, and with Safarian & Simon offering by far the most advanced eye examinations in the area – its highly trained optometrists use stateof-the-art equipment to evaluate every aspect of the eye’s health and detect any conditions – it puts other ‘advanced’ eye tests to shame. Lasting anywhere up to 40 minutes, these eye tests are the first and only stage of the process for some, but for others, they are just the beginning of a full-service approach spanning their every need. Recognising that optimal eye health is a must for patients from all walks of life, Safarian & Simon offers both NHS-funded sight tests and private eye examinations. Whilst it serves NHS patients the best it can with the limited funding it receives, the team strongly urge any patients who can to upgrade to their private tests, giving these optometrists the chance to offer extra services such as the Visionix 120 Scan, 4D OCT, and retinal imaging, with these all being geared around the early detection of degeneration and numerous diseases. If its eye test identifies that a patient needs glasses, Safarian & Simon offers an unrivalled range of premium prescription frames to ensure that everyone leaves its store with an accessory that not only enhances their vision, but which also complements their own unique sense of style. Across designer brands such as Lindberg, Cartier, Chanel, Gotti, and Tom Ford, the perfect frames await. There to aid in selection and ensure everything goes smoothly are a team of eyewear specialists driven to deliver the ultimate shopping experience. Of course, frames are just the beginning when it comes to securing the right pair of glasses, and – recognising this – Safarian & Simon has teamed up with ZEISS to offer top-of-the-line lenses. Renowned for their unrivalled sharpness and detail, more than 200 million people worldwide boast ZEISS lenses in their frames. Safarian & Simon even uses the ZEIS Vlsufit 1000 to ensure accurate measurements across every frame. Then, thanks to its in-house lab and express glazing, this optimal vision can often be achieved within just one day. Beyond whether a person needs glasses, a Safarian & Simon eye test can also identify dry eye syndrome, which is a common disease but one that brings a range of frustrating symptoms, from redness and irritation to crustiness and teary eyes. If let untreated, more severe cases can also lead to corneal damage and impaired vision. Because it is better to get it treated early, the practice offers a variety of treatments designed to tackle the root cause of dry eye syndrome, from ointments and artificial tears through to wraparound glasses. However, these barely scratch the surface when it comes to the variety of options available. Since traditional treatments often fail to deliver relief long term, Safarian & Simon has gone a step further with its Lumenis Optilight IPL therapy, a natural light treatment designed to target chronic inflammation, the main cause of dry eyes. The team are also the first to offer the Lumenis Oplift (an RF treatment) and one of only a handful of teams in Europe to provide Meibomian gland probing. More on these treatments can be found here. As all of the above demonstrates, Safarian & Simon Opticians has everything its patients need to maintain clear vision and healthy eyes. From children’s eye tests and dry eye treatment to advanced eye tests and express glazing, the team here do it all. And, with their fierce independence to boot, there is no doubting the intentions of the service behind the business named the Best Independent Opticians Practice 2026 – London. Company: Safarian & Simon Opticians Web Address: https://safarianandsimon.co.uk/
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