Specs of Kensington was opened in 1984 by Optometrist Daska Barnett to provide a personal, friendly and efficient optometric service.
From humble beginnings back in August 1984, we‘ve quadrupled the size of our family of staff members, and some of our team have been with us for the entirety of our 28 year history.
In 1993 she was joined by Elaine Styles who specialises in contact lens and primary eye care at Moorfields Eye Hospital. In 2005 they were joined by Chloe Robson who also worked within the contact lens department at Moorfields. She now works for us on a part time basis whilst she trains to be a doctor.
Farida Ahmed joined the Optometry team in 2008. She relocated to London from Newcastle, where she was working with Mike Offord, the Optomterist who first employed and trained Daska more than 30 years ago.
We are delighted that Hala has recently joined the team. When not at Specs of Kensington she works at Moorfields Eye Hospital as a Research Fellow in the Corneal and External Disease department. She is currently researching the Genetics of Corneal Dystrophies with the aim of gaining a Doctorate. Her approachable manner and great warmth make her a very welcome addition to our Optometry team.
They have continued to maintain the high standards. Their aim is to provide the best possible service, continuity of eye care and quality goods.This sense of being part of the same family also extends to our customers, the driving force behind our expansion over the decades. Incredibly for a central London practice, we regularly see three different generations of patients from the same households and even people who‘ve moved away still come back to see us. Currently, we have people visiting us from as far afield as South America, South Africa and Switzerland!
These patients will have noticed big changes to Specs of Kensington over the years, most notably our relocation in 2005 to beautiful new premises. Moving here has allowed us to expand our services and to continue investing in state-of-the-art equipment, so maintaining our constant commitment to clinical excellence and the needs of each individual. This is particularly important considering that our patients range from nine months of age to 99 years old. Everyone enjoys the same unbeatable level of service, and access to the best quality products available.
Whoever you are and wherever you come from, a warm welcome will always await you at our practice. Specs of Kensington‘s goal is to be the most respected, dynamic and recommended optometry practice in London.