Ruby
£95
Rectangle · Acetate · Signal red, navy temples
Suits Oval, Round, Heart faces · 53-17-140
Reserve to try onIndependent optometrists in Exeter since 2009
An eye test that looks behind the answer.
Forty-five minutes with one optometrist, a 3D OCT scan of the back of your eye, and your prescription on paper. £45, or free if you qualify.
4.9 from 640 patient reviews · Same optometrist every visit
Book an eye test
Private test with OCT · 45 min · £45
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OCT scan included
A 3D scan of the back of the eye is part of every £45 private test, not an upsell.
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The same optometrist
You see the person who saw you last time, unless you ask otherwise.
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Free adjustments for life
Refits, new nose pads and screws, on any pair, whoever sold it.
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Your prescription, on paper
Handed to you at the end. Spend it here or anywhere else.
Services and prices
What can we help with?
Every appointment is with a registered optometrist, in one room, with the price on the page before you book.
Private eye test with OCT
from £45
A 45-minute eye test with retinal photographs and a 3D OCT scan of the back of the eye, for £45. One optometrist, one room, no sales pitch.
45 minutes
Contact lenses
from £35
A 40-minute fitting with trial lenses to take home, then a monthly plan that covers your lenses, solutions and every aftercare check.
40 minutes
Children’s clinic
Free
Eye tests for children from age three, run by an optometrist who does little else on those days. Funded for under-16s, with myopia control when short sight starts early.
30 minutes
Dry-eye clinic
from £65
Gritty, watery or tired eyes looked at properly. A 40-minute assessment with tear-film tests and gland imaging, and a written plan you can follow at home.
40 minutes
Glasses and lenses
from £59
Around 400 frames from independent makers, lenses glazed in our own workshop, and adjustments free for the life of the pair — whoever sold it.
30 minutes to choose, 7 days to make
Not sure which appointment you need?
Ring the practice and describe what is going on. If it sounds urgent, you will be seen today.
About the practice
Owned by the two optometrists who test your eyes
Velloway has no head office and no sales targets, which is the only structural reason an eye test here can end with “your glasses are fine”. Hannah and Tomasz bought the practice in 2009 and still see patients five days a week.
- Years on Quillan Row
- 17
- Minutes per test
- 45
- Sales targets
- 0
Your private eye test
45 minutes, and where every one of them goes
The same test whether it is funded or private. The difference is the OCT scan, which we include in every private test.
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10 minutes
Questions first
Your work, your screens, your family history, what has changed since last time.
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15 minutes
Vision and prescription
Better with one, or two? Found in quarter-dioptre steps, on a phoropter and trial lenses.
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5 minutes
Pressures and photographs
Eye pressures with no puff of air, and retinal photographs kept on file.
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5 minutes
OCT scan
A 3D cross-section of the retina and optic nerve, about four seconds an eye.
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10 minutes
Results, explained
The scan on screen, your prescription on paper, and a date for next time.
Book online
Book in under a minute, with the person you want.
Every free time for the next ten open days. Choose an optometrist or take the first one free; the price is shown before you confirm.
Prefer the phone? Ring 01632 960 418. Thursday appointments run until 18:00.
Frames
Which frames suit your face?
Around 400 frames from small independent makers, from £59. The frame finder narrows them by face shape, style and budget.
Maren
£129
Cat-eye · Acetate · Black over tortoise
Suits Square, Round, Oval faces · 51-17-140
Reserve to try on
Halden
£189
Round · Metal · Polished gold
Suits Square, Heart, Oval faces · 50-20-145
Reserve to try on
Stannary
£199
Rectangle · Titanium · Gunmetal
Suits Round, Oval, Heart faces · 55-17-145
Reserve to try onFunded or private
Do you qualify for a free eye test?
Many people do. The test itself is identical; what changes is who pays and whether the OCT scan is included.
Funded tests are provided under the [funded eye test scheme]. Bring proof of eligibility and we check it at the desk.
Every price on one page| Feature | Funded eye test | Private eye test |
|---|---|---|
| Who can have it | Under 16s, over 60s, people with diabetes or glaucoma risk, some benefits | Anyone |
| What you pay | Nothing | £45 |
| Time with the optometrist | 45 minutes | 45 minutes |
| Retinal photographs | Included | Included |
| 3D OCT scan | £20 extra | Included |
| How often | Usually every two years, yearly for some | Whenever you want one |
| Your choice of optometrist | Yes | Yes |
Patient reviews
640 reviews, averaging 4.9
4.9 out of 5 across every service
“The OCT scan picked up a small change at the back of my left eye that two chain-store tests had missed. Hannah showed me the scan, explained it, and wrote to the hospital before I had left the building.”
“Our son hated his last eye test. Priya had him reading shapes off the chart within five minutes and he asked if he could come back.”
“Fifteen years of giving up on contact lenses. Tomasz found a toric daily that stays put, and the lesson went on until I could actually do it.”
Eye-health guides
Plain answers from the consulting room
Eye health 5 min read · 8 September 2026
What an OCT scan shows that a sight test cannot
Four seconds an eye, ten layers of retina, and the reason a scan is worth most the second time you have one.
Children’s eyes 6 min read · 18 August 2026
Short sight in children, and what actually slows it down
More children are short-sighted than a generation ago. What the evidence says about screens, daylight and the lenses that can slow it.
Glasses 4 min read · 22 July 2026
How to choose frames for your face shape (and when to ignore the rules)
The face-shape rules are a decent starting point. Here is what our dispensing optician actually looks at when you try frames on.
Questions
Anything else you want to know?
The three things people ask about most. The practice phone is answered by a person.
Eye tests
How much is an eye test?
A private eye test is £45 and includes retinal photographs and an OCT scan. If you qualify for a funded test under the [funded eye test scheme], it costs nothing, and you can add the OCT scan for £20.
How often should I have one?
Every two years for most adults, every year if you are over 70, have diabetes, or have glaucoma in the family. Children should be tested every year. Come sooner if anything changes.
How soon can I be seen?
Usually within the week, and often tomorrow. The booking widget shows every free slot for the next ten open days. Sudden changes in vision are seen the same day: ring us.
Can I drive afterwards?
Yes, in almost every case. If we need to widen your pupils with drops we tell you first, and you should not drive for four to six hours.
Do you do home visits?
Yes, for people who cannot leave home unaided. Ring the practice and we will arrange it.
Glasses
How long do new glasses take?
Seven working days for most prescriptions, because we glaze lenses in our own workshop. Complex lenses can take up to two weeks.
Do I have to buy glasses from you?
No. Your prescription is yours, handed to you on paper at the end of the test. Use it wherever you like.
Can you adjust glasses I bought elsewhere?
Yes, free, while you wait. Nose pads and screws too.
What if I cannot get used to my varifocals?
Come back within 60 days and we will recheck the measurements and the prescription, and remake the lenses free if they are the problem.
Do you have a guarantee?
Frames over £100 carry a 12-month guarantee against breakage. Lenses are guaranteed against coating defects for two years.
Contact lenses
Can anyone wear contact lenses?
Most people can, including people with astigmatism and people who need varifocals. A fitting tells you for certain, and you take trial lenses home before you commit.
What does a lens plan include?
Your lenses delivered every quarter, solutions for monthly wearers, and every aftercare appointment. From £14 a month.
Can I buy lenses online and still come here?
Yes. Aftercare checks outside a plan are £25.
I cannot get lenses in. Is that normal?
Completely. The lesson runs as long as it takes, and a second one is free.
Can I sleep in my lenses?
Not unless we have fitted a lens made for it and told you so. Sleeping in ordinary lenses is the biggest single cause of serious eye infections.
Try frames on, no appointment needed.
Browse the whole wall Monday to Saturday. Bring your prescription from anywhere and a dispensing optician will help you choose.