Is it any wonder eye health and regular exams are not always top of the to-do list? Ask many people and their experience of high street opticians is a bit pants really. You’re on a conveyer belt of patients who put you through the motions, only to be presented with limited options if you need any products. NOT ANY MORE.

Dr Valarie Jerome located on the high street in Newbury, West Berkshire is a cool independent opticians where the design and aesthetic of the clinic is as important as the eyewear on offer and the top notch service. And it is the service that Valarie provides, with her sassy American drawl, that really makes this place stand out. Talk about a breath of fresh air.

So what can you expect? Well, all the latest, whizzy equipment for starters. Wide field retinal imaging and innovative DNEye scans are standard for all routine eye examinations. Brand new for this year is the Eye Spa – a one stop shop for those who suffer with debilitating dry eye. A course of IPL or low light therapy will be issued which is life changing when it comes to relieving and treating dry eye. Using the Optos Daytona Plus machine (the only of its kind in West Berks), you’ll get a 200° field view of your retina – all in less than a second – where the saltiness of your tears, the quality of your tear film, your blink pattern, and the quality and quantity of oil producing glands will be measured. A course of IPL or low light therapy will be issued which is life changing when it comes to relieving and treating dry eye.

Because independents are not tied to any particular brands (unlike many of the big high street names) the contact lenses, eye products and eyewear designs are almost limitless. The service feels utterly bespoke and personal to you. The emphasis is on maintaining good eye health and tackling problems when they crop up. But if you need contact lenses, Valarie will help you find the most comfortable pair that barely feel like you are wearing any.

In terms of the eyewear, well, you’ll get a bit giddy. There are brands for women, men and kids that tick the boxes for design, functionality, sustainability and social conscience. Expect to see Parisian brand WOOW, British brands like Booth & Bruce, Jaguar and Wolf, luxury brands Lunor and Minima and accessories like the Coti Vision frame chains that have been featured in Vogue.

Investing in talented optical professionals and state of the art equipment, Dr Valarie helps people take the best possible care of their eyesight while feeling great about themselves, whether that’s by discovering a beautiful pair of specs or the perfect lenses to achieve better than perfect vision.