I flew 500 miles to Buchanan Optometrists because I want the best

On Monday I got on a plane, flew 500 miles from Cork to Heathrow, then drove 60 or so miles to Snodland in Kent.

"So?", I hear you ask.

Good question. And the answer is... it was to get my eyes tested.

But why would I go all that way and brave the horrors of air travel, airport security and the awfulness of the M25, all in two directions, for something as mundane as an eye test and a new pair of specs?

Easy: because I want the best.

See, I run a small business from an isolated farmhouse in the South if Ireland. I am either writing and reading as part of my work for maybe 14 hours a day, and when I'm not doing either of those I'm writing or reading about my work. As you can imagine my eyesight is utterly crucial to my work.

In fact, the only time my glasses come off is if I'm showering, sleeping, or making love.

The moment I walked in to Buchanan's, I knew the entire trek had been worth it. The place was empty but for Alisdair and his small team of polite, efficient and knowledgeable eyeball experts. The place was bright, light, clean, and airy, and utterly calm and serene (helped in part by the tasteful classical music in the background).

Contrast that with the narrow, hot, crowded and busy "chain store" opticians I have locally where you're jostled by hassled mothers with hundreds of badly-behaved kids in tow at every stage of your visit, and you'll begin to see why making that journey was worth it.

But wait... there's more!

Because the full battery of tests I went through found I am almost certainly going to develop glaucoma in the near future. Not news I wanted to hear, but definitely new I needed to hear (and Alisdair broke it to me with a perfect 'bedside manner', making is as easy to take as these things ever are).

The thing is, the typical and routine tests I'd have got at other opticians simply wouldn't have picked it up anywhere near this early. That alone has made the entire trip worthwhile.

As it happens, though, I'm about to take delivery of a pair of awesome glasses that will utterly change my life. If you've never has to cart around two pairs of glasses all the time, one for reading and one for distance, then I can't explain the frustration to you; if you have, then no explanation is necessary. Varifocals have never worked for me, but this time the extreme high quality and precision of the workmanship and design mean the frames and lenses will be a perfect fit.

Me, I'm sold. I'll need to make that trip twice a year now to keep my eye on that approaching glaucoma (pun intended).

But it'll be worth every moment and every penny. I've been wearing glasses for 45 years, since the age of 4. And I've been to dozens of opticians, from small private practices to the big chains... and I can honestly say Buchanan's has given me by far the best experience of them all.

Jon McCulloch