Brexit
It is now three months since the UK had left the EU. Shops and people stocked up with food and many household items. The government warned there might be shortages or delays. All car production has stopped, factories were closing because they could not get raw materials in through customs and prices were rising. Mass unemployment was taking a toll on people’s lives.
Now only urgent medical supplies were getting though and some food. Many optical shops were closing as they had run out of blank lenses for spectacles also they had run out of contact lenses. When people tried to order online, they were told that the prices had trebled and they were to expect months of delay before they would arrive.
About a month before the leaving date, a friend of mine had rung me and asked for my help and advise. He had bought this old factory and warehouse that had stood empty for over 50 years. It was full and he needed help and advise with what was in there. When I arrived I got a big surprise. It had been a lens and glasses frame makers, there were thousands of blank lens and NHS frames. When I looked at them they were all glass or C39 blanks, my first thoughts was to get a skip and put them all in, but my friend had said that there were no skips available because the government had hired them all to clear old warehouses for emergency storage. Also you now needed permits to go to the waste disposal sites as they could not cope with all the rubbish.
He said it was urgent to move them, as the builders and electricians were coming in a few days to refit the building ready for extra food storage. I had large cellars under my shop and house, so we moved them all there.
Today, a very attractive young lady walked in and asked if we had any contact lenses available as she was wearing her last pair and they had a tear in them. All the other optical shops had closed down. It was very urgent she had to work tomorrow but her eyes were pink and she had no glasses.
“I’m a newsreader on TV. My contacts are multifocal, I can’t see to work, 2 of my colleges very sacked last week because they couldn’t see to read the monitor, their contacts tore and the shops don’t have any contacts or lenses to make glasses for them.” “I will test your eyes if you like but I think it will take a long time to get the blanks to make you a pair of glasses.” “Can you test my eyes then I know what I need.” She showed me her old contact lens box. “When did you have the last test?” “About 2 years ago, I was going for a test last month, as I have just returned from work from having a baby.” “Were you having any problems seeing with these lenses?” “Yes, I was finding it hard to see the news monitor, but I thought it was because it was a long time since I had read it.” “Ok, I think I want to recheck this as glasses prescriptions are always higher but there is a big difference to this test to your contacts.” “Can you have a walk around now with these test glasses on, go outside to see what they feel like.” “They are fine, thanks, I can see much better, my eyes must have got worse.” “Can you read this card ok?” “No, I can’t read any of it sorry.” “That’s much better now, thanks, it is all very clear now.” “This is the prescription you will need for glasses but I’m afraid I don’t have any in stock.”
R -21.00 -2.5. 130 add 3.50 L -21.75. -2.75 90 add 3.50
My assistant came over: “What about all those old lens and frames in our basement? Can’t you use them?” “What is your assistant talking about?“ “We cleared an old warehouse out the other month but they are old glass lenses or thick plastic, we don’t use that type of lenses now, the glass lenses are very heavy and the plastic ones are very thick.” “Anything will do. I just need to work. Can you see if you have my prescription?” “Do you need to see close as well as reading the monitor?” “Yes, I do.” “We have 2 options, either you change glasses for close work or I see if we have any Ben Franklin lenses.” “I don’t know what they are but I can’t keep changing glasses while reading news.” “I think it woud be better if we can find some C39 blanks. They will be very thick, I’m afraid but glass would be very heavy and you would get red marks on your nose from the weight. You might get a headache, too.”
Two hours later I had managed to fit franklin bifocal lenses into larger sized pink NHS frames knowing the lenses would be thicker in the bigger frames but I thought the children’s size would look silly on her face. She looked very shocked when she saw them. The right lens was about 30 mm thick at the edge and the left was almost 35 mm.
“Why are they broken in the middle?” “That’s how bifocals used to be. This is the best I can do, I’m sorry.” “I should be more grateful. I’m sorry if I sounded rude, it was just a shock at first to see them. I have to admit I can see very well and they are not too heavy. Thank you I can work tomorrow. I will have to explain to the viewers what has happened.”
The next morning I put the TV on to watch the breakfast time news. I could not believe how beautiful Abby looked. When she had come into the shop, she was not wearing makeup.
“Good morning. This is the 8 a.m. news. Im sure you must be wondering why I am wearing these glasses today. What you don’t know is I am very shortsighted and normally wear contact lenses, but I expect many of you are like me and can’t find contact lens now. I know without the help of the owner of EYES4YOU I could not be working today so if he is watching this morning here is a big thanks from me. Now, here is the rest of the news.”
When I got to my shop at 9 a.m. there were about 20 customers waiting me to open. They had all been watching the 8 a.m. news. I let the first 10 ladies in, and suggested the other gave their names to my receptionist and she would give them appointment after lunch and not to worry nobody would jump the queue. Also I asked them to take their contact lenses out one hour before their appointment time. It would appear that they all either worked in TV or were models, and wore contacts full time.
The first lady worked for the other TV company and was the midday news reader. Also her husband had never seen her without her contact lenses in as she wore them day and night. And she had no glasses.
She told me she was very long sighted and could not see to read even large prints and her right eye was the worst. After she had her contact lens out for half an hour my assistant did the basic test and handed me the printouts. According to the printouts there was a very big difference in her 2 eyes, with contacts it was not noticeable but with glasses the right lens would be a lot thicker. So I thought she wouldn’t be happy. I explained that I could make her a pair but the two lenses would be very different power so the right lens would be much thicker. I showed her the new prescription.
R + 18 Add 4.00 L. + 10 Add 4.00
“But I need to work, can you make me a pair, please, I will have to accept what they will look like. Can I have the pale blue coloured fames?” “I don’t think I want see them, will you just put them on for me please.” “Oh, I can see so much better with these than I could with my contracts and they don’t hurt me.”
The next lady was a actress in a TV soap. She had torn her last left contact lens, so she struggled to see to get here today.
“I’m very worried, I can’t manage to see out of just one eye, but I am very shy about being seen wearing glasses. I have a romantic screen shot tomorrow. My fans have never seen me wearing glasses and I am worried what they will look like. I started to have problems seeing when I was 12 and had contact lenses so I have never worn a pair of glasses.“
“Well, let’s check your vision first, then we can think about what we do.“
“You are very shortsighted. I’m afraid your lenses are going to be very thick and you will need reading glasses as well.” “I need to see, so I will have to except that. But what shall I do about the romantic seen?” “I could make you a extra pair just for that with a much lower sph and keep your astigmatism correction the same, you would not see very far but the lenses would be much thinner and if I stripped the plastic off of these round NHS glasses, they would be gold coloured metal underneath.”
She was very happy about that and the viewing figures for the program rose each week, after that I got many customers who wanted the same style. Some with the plastic strip and others in black. Business was booming and I took over 10 of the closed optical shops and re-employed the staff. I also had the option to take over the leases of 50 others later.
After nearly 3 years no agreement had been reached in the UK with the EU but supplies of lenses and frames started to arrive. So many ladies had got used to wearing glasses that they did not want contact lenses again. As a result they were all returning to buy retro style glasses, which were mainly in large black plastic or round golden coloured metal frames, but now with modern thinner lenses.
I have many ladies that said their husbands had enjoyed seeing them wearing thick lenses so they still bought a pair with the old C39 lenses and even a few still choose Ben Franklin bifocals. Including the lady that her husband had never seen her wearing glasses. She told me they now had 2 children, haha.