The Optical Gallery

29/07/2026

📚 Is your child ready for the new school year?

Did you know that children often don't realise they have a vision problem? If they've always seen the whiteboard a little blurry, they simply assume that's normal.

Before the new school year begins, it's worth checking for these common signs:

👀 Squinting or tilting their head to see clearly
📖 Holding books or tablets very close
📺 Sitting too close to the TV
😣 Frequent headaches or tired eyes after school
📚 Losing their place while reading or avoiding close-up tasks
🎒 Struggling to concentrate in class without an obvious reason

A simple eye test can make a real difference to your child's confidence and learning.

At The Optical Gallery, we're here to help families across South West London and Surrey with children's eye tests at our practices in Cheam, Chessington and Twickenham.

📅 Book an appointment today: https://opticalgallery.optinetnova.com/bookings

14/07/2026

Some designs arrive years before the world understands them.

This J.F. REY "New Black" from the Going Beyond Standards collection was one of them.

Long before material innovation became fashionable, it combined titanium, acetate and advanced construction in ways that challenged conventional eyewear design.

Its philosophy wasn't to follow trends.
It was to question them.

That made it the perfect canvas for Lens Art®.

Rather than choosing a lens, we began with the frame's philosophy.

Inspired by the changing light of late winter afternoons, we created our signature OG Winter Berries Lens Art® interpretation.

Warm and understated indoors.
Vibrant and expressive as the light evolves through Dinamica technology.

The result isn't simply a new lens.
It's a continuation of the frame's original design philosophy.

Because when a frame was designed to think differently...
its lenses should too.

What would Lens Art® interpret for your favourite frame?

13/07/2026

Some luxury brands are recognised by a logo.

Others are recognised by a colour.
This original 1990s Tiffany T101 didn't need reinventing.

It already had an identity.
So instead of asking which lenses should we fit?

We asked a different question.
What if the lenses became part of Tiffany's story?

Inspired by Tiffany's iconic blue, we designed a bespoke gradient that respected the character of the frame before pairing it with Transitions® GEN S™ technology, allowing the colour to evolve naturally into a rich amethyst as the light changes.

Finished with a glamour anti-reflective coating, every decision was made to complement the frame rather than compete with it.

That is Lens Art®.
Not choosing lenses.
Designing them.
Every frame has a story.

What would Lens Art® create for yours?

10/07/2026

👂 Are you finding conversations harder to follow this summer?

Busy restaurants, family BBQs, holidays and social gatherings can often be the first time we notice our hearing isn't quite as sharp as it used to be.

Some common signs it might be time for a hearing test include:
✅ Frequently asking people to repeat themselves
✅ Struggling to hear in busy or noisy places
✅ Turning the TV or radio up louder than everyone else

Hearing changes often happen gradually, making them easy to overlook. A professional hearing assessment can provide reassurance or help identify any issues early.

At The Optical Gallery, our experienced audiologists offer comprehensive hearing assessments at our practices in Cheam, Chessington and Twickenham, helping you stay connected to the conversations that matter most.

📞 If you've noticed any of these signs, why not book a hearing check and enjoy the rest of your summer with confidence?

07/07/2026

What colour are these lenses?

It’s a simple question… but there isn’t a simple answer.

When I designed this pair for our overseas client, I wasn’t chasing a HEX code or trying to find the “perfect” tint.

I started with something much harder to describe.

A feeling.

I wanted warmth.

Better contrast.

Comfort that would last all day.

Only then did the colour begin to reveal itself.

Indoors, OG Winter Berries feels calm and understated.

Step outside, and the Dinamica photochromic technology transforms the lenses into rich berry tones, changing with the light around you.

The frame didn’t dictate the lenses.

The experience did.

Maybe there isn’t a right or wrong way to design eyewear.

Sometimes you fall in love with the frame first.

Sometimes you imagine how you want the world to feel… and then find the frame that completes that vision.

For me, that’s where Lens Art begins.

AHLEM Addy Campbell 19
OG Winter Berries
Custom crafted for an overseas client.

02/07/2026

The PARASITE Eyewear Radius Y feels like it’s already living there.

The brushed titanium skeleton, floating polyamide lens surrounds and patented Skull Grip temples all work together, moving with the wearer rather than simply sitting on the face. It’s one of the most technically fascinating pieces of eyewear we’ve had through the gallery.

For this collector’s piece, we created a bespoke Lens Art cocktail.

Inside, a calming ultra-violet to Teal blue gradient creates a cool, high-definition view of the world, perfectly echoing the sapphire blue sheen that appears within the polyamide when it catches the light.

Step outside and everything changes.

The lenses transform into a deep Indigo photochromic. The world becomes darker, calmer and incredibly immersive. Almost like looking through futuristic ultra-violet optics.

Finished with our Blue Crystal coating, the lenses pick up a metallic sapphire glow that complements the frame beautifully while delivering exceptional clarity.

Engineering from France.

Lens Art from London.

02/07/2026

One frame. Two personalities.

The PARASITE Eyewear Vega 6 already refuses to fit into a category.

Its sculptural polyamide front shifts with the light. One moment it appears deep translucent grey, the next it reveals warm red and orange undertones hidden beneath the surface. It reminds me of Mystique from X-Men, constantly changing depending on how you look at it.

For the lenses, we matched that same duality.

Unactivated, our OG Tangerine Dreams delivers a warm, high-contrast view of the world. Comfortable, vibrant and incredibly wearable.

Step into the sun and everything changes.

The lenses awaken into a dramatic cocktail of blood orange, fiery red and fuchsia. We finished them with a Glamour coating, adding a subtle metallic sheen that perfectly complements the futuristic aesthetic of the frame.

It’s the kind of combination that makes people stop and ask,
“What are those?”

Sometimes the frame inspires the lenses.

Sometimes the lenses redefine the frame.

This time, they evolved together.

🧡 OG Tangerine Dreams
☀️ Dinamica Photochromic
✨ Glamour Coating

⸻

🎟️ Want to see Lens Art in person?

On 28 October 2026, Masunaga takes over the entire Optical Gallery for a one-day eyewear exhibition. Limited spaces are available and tickets are now live.

Link in bio.

30/06/2026

This MASUNAGA since 1905 000 has done a few miles.

Crafted in Japan, shipped to its owner in America, sent to us in London for a bespoke Lens Art transformation, and now making the journey back across the Atlantic.

The brief was beautifully specific: a bottle green gradient tint, transitioning outdoors into a vivid Dinamica Jade Green.

To keep the colour pure, we finished the lenses with Crystal Elite coating. All the anti-glare benefits, without distracting residual hues disturbing the lens colour.

The 000 is such a clean, confident shape. Gloss black, highly polished, beautifully balanced.

Lens Art™
Crafted, not manufactured.

⸻

📅 28th October 2026

Experience the complete Masunaga Collection as Masunaga takes over The Optical Gallery for an exclusive one-day eyewear exhibition.

Limited tickets are now live.

🎟️ Link in bio.

29/06/2026

The JACQUES MARIE MAGE Yoshi is one of my favourite releases.

From a distance, it’s simply a beautifully proportioned frame. Get closer, and the craftsmanship begins to reveal itself. Under magnification you’ll find hidden side-shield ventilation, impossibly crisp polishing and one of the most satisfying hinge mechanisms I’ve handled. It has a subtle springiness that makes it incredibly comfortable, while feeling reassuringly engineered.

This is the kind of detail that never appears on a specification sheet.

It has to be experienced.

For this pair, we wanted the lenses to feel as considered as the frame itself.

We paired it with our own OG Amber tint. A warm, high-contrast tint that is effortlessly wearable indoors.

Outdoors, it transitions into Dinamica Brown, one of the most overlooked colours in the Dinamica lineup. Combined with OG Amber, it develops into a rich burnt-brown tone that feels completely at home with the frame.

To finish, we applied a Crystal Elite coating.

Every anti-reflective benefit you’d expect, without the distracting green or blue residual reflections, allowing the colour of the lenses, and the craftsmanship of the frame, to remain the focus.

⸻

📅 28th October 2026

For one day only, Masunaga takes over The Optical Gallery with an exclusive exhibition showcasing the complete Masunaga K3 collection, alongside many pieces rarely seen together in the UK.

If you appreciate Japanese craftsmanship, it’s an event worth experiencing.

🎟️ Tickets are now live. Spaces are strictly limited. Link in our bio.

27/06/2026

A little first look at something I've been quietly working on over the past few weeks.

What started as a factory visit has slowly evolved into a documentary celebrating one of the most inspiring figures in British eyewear.

I'm also really pleased to be collaborating with Daniel Brunson from Hicks Brunson Eyewear in the USA. Two independent opticians from opposite sides of the Atlantic, sharing the story of someone who had a real impact on our industry.

There's still plenty to film, edit and refine, but I'm excited to finally share this first glimpse.

I hope you'll enjoy the finished film when it's ready.

The Last Tom Davies Factory Tour is more than a factory tour.It’s...