Direct Sight

Direct Sight: family-run optician with its own laboratory in Amersham

Direct Sight is a family-run optician that began as a high street practice in 1960 and moved online in 2004. The company sells prescription glasses and sunglasses, with and without prescription, through its online store, and produces every pair in its own laboratory in Amersham (Buckinghamshire), without outsourcing manufacturing. The firm presents itself as a UK eyewear leader since 2004 and has over 41,000 reviews on Trustpilot.

Glasses and lenses catalogue

The catalogue covers frames for women and men, sunglasses — including polarised and prescription styles — and accessories. The selection is organised by frame colour and shape (square, pilot and aviator, cat eye, round, browline) and by lens type. Lens options include single vision, varifocal, bifocal, photochromic, blue light, polarised, tinted, high index and anti-reflective, along with various coatings and lens packages. The company also sells daily contact lenses.

The store's prices start at £9 for complete glasses with basic single-vision lenses included; blue light lenses are offered from £20, bifocals from £35, varifocals and photochromics from £45, and daily contact lenses from £24.99. The firm states that its prices can be up to 80% lower than traditional opticians.

Reglaze and lens fitting service

In addition to selling complete glasses, Direct Sight offers a reglaze service from £19 to fit new prescription lenses into frames the customer already owns. The company accepts valid optical prescriptions and recommends attaching a photograph of the prescription when placing the order; a UK-based team manually checks every prescription before fitting. The laboratory accepts standard prescriptions up to +/-8.00 sphere and +/-4.00 cylinder, and can make higher prescriptions for a £30 supplement.

Production and quality control

All production takes place in its own laboratory in Amersham, equipped with precision machinery. The company highlights that its MEI Bisphera edger can glaze up to 1,440 pairs a day and that every pair passes a seven-point quality check before dispatch. The firm stresses that it does not outsource manufacturing and uses the same materials and equipment found in traditional opticians.

Shipping, guarantee and returns

The store offers standard delivery within a few working days and a Next Day Express service: orders placed before 15:00 are made, checked and dispatched the same day. All purchases include 30 days for returns and a 365-day guarantee, plus scratch-resistant coating. The company states that its satisfaction guarantee covers any issue with a free reglaze, an exchange or a full refund.

Customer service and showroom

Direct Sight has a UK-based customer service team that can be contacted by phone Monday to Friday, from 10:00 to 16:00. The company also has a physical store in Amersham, with free parking, where customers can try on frames before buying; online and in-store prices are identical. The firm describes itself as an independent family business with over 66 years of optical experience.