Contact lenses · new wearers, switchers and the hard to fit
Contact lenses you forget you’re wearing.
If glasses get in the way of your day, or lenses have let you down before, it is usually the fitting, not your eyes. We fit every type at all five practices, teach you until you’re confident, and check them until they’re right.
Free 15-minute trial if you are new to lenses. Already wear them? Book a fitting (£95).
The problem
What people tell us about glasses and contact lenses.
- “My glasses steam up and slip at the gym.”
- “I tried lenses years ago and hated them.”
- “I was told my astigmatism rules them out.”
- “I need reading glasses on top of my lenses now.”
- “I’m scared of touching my eye.”
- “I don’t know what they’ll cost each month.”
Every one of these is common, and nearly every one comes down to the lens or the fitting, not to you.
Why us
Our optometrists fit contact lenses every day at all five practices, from a first pair of dailies to scleral lenses for keratoconus. Every lens on this page is fitted at every practice.
4.9 ★ from 600+ Google reviews
“Staff is polite and approachable. They explain the eye care around contacts very well.”Patient survey
How we fix each one
Six worries, six answers.
“I’m scared of touching my eye.” Almost everyone is, the first time. We teach you slowly, with someone beside you, and nobody leaves until they can do it without thinking. Most people are surprised how quickly it becomes normal.
“Assistant was very helpful and polite and was explaining everything to me about what she was doing and made sure I was comfortable with everything.”
“I tried lenses years ago and they were awful.” Lenses have changed more than almost anything else in eye care. Modern daily lenses are thinner, wetter and let more oxygen through, and a fitting today looks at your tear film first. Worth trying again.
“Very friendly, very helpful. Not pushy.”
“I have astigmatism, so I can’t wear them.” You almost certainly can. Toric lenses correct astigmatism and the fitting finds the one that sits still on your eye. It takes a little longer, which is why the fitting is with an optometrist.
“The optician explained everything really clearly.”
“I need reading glasses too.” Multifocal contact lenses correct distance and near at once. They suit most people over forty, and the fitting is where we find out whether they suit you.
“Explains everything in detail and happily helps with any issues you have.”
“Are they safe? What about infections?” Fitted, taught and checked properly, contact lenses are very safe. Daily disposables carry the lowest risk because there is nothing to clean. We tell you plainly what to do and what never to do, and we check your eyes every year.
“Staff is polite and approachable. They explain the eye care around contacts very well.”
“How much will it cost every month?” The fitting is £95, with free trial lenses if you are new. The lenses themselves are priced per box, and you see the monthly cost before you decide. Or pay by monthly direct debit, from £11 a month.
“Thorough and fair with prices.”
The plan
How it works
- 1Book a contact lens fitting
Thirty minutes with an optometrist, £95. If you’re new to lenses, the trial pair is free.
- 2Wear them for a week
We teach you to put them in and take them out, then you wear them in your real life.
- 3Checked, then ordered
A follow-up to check your eyes and adjust anything that needs it. Only then do we order your supply.
What you get. Lenses you put in in the morning and forget about.
Which lens
Every lens we fit, and who it is for
Every lens on this page is fitted at all five practices, including RGP, scleral, Ortho-K and MiSight. The fitting decides, with you. This is the map.
Daily disposables
A fresh pair every day, nothing to clean. Most new and part-time wearers, sport, holidays, dry-ish eyes.
Monthly lenses
One pair a month, cleaned nightly. Full-time wearers who want the lowest monthly cost.
Toric, for astigmatism
Lenses that sit still on a rugby-ball-shaped eye. Most people with astigmatism can wear them.
Varifocal (multifocal)
Distance and near in one lens, for over-forties who would rather not carry reading glasses.
RGP
Small rigid lenses for the sharpest vision, high astigmatism and early keratoconus.
Scleral and complex
Large lenses that vault the cornea, for keratoconus, post-surgery and eyes others turn away.
Ortho-K
Worn asleep, out by day. Clear sight all day with nothing in, and slows short-sight in children. Fitted at every practice.
Children and myopia
From about eight. Dailies for sport and confidence, and MiSight lenses that slow a rising prescription.
Dailies · Monthlies · Toric · Varifocal · RGP · Children · Lens care · Aftercare · Scleral · Ortho-K · Complex
The fitting in detail
What happens at a contact lens fitting, step by step
Thirty minutes with an optometrist, a week of trial, and a follow-up before anything is ordered. This is how every fitting here runs.
Before you are fitted
We start with your eyes
- 01
The conversation
What you want lenses for: every day, sport, weekends, a wedding. How long you would wear them, how you get on with things in your eyes, whether your eyes ever feel dry. Your prescription, and whether you have astigmatism or need help up close. This decides the lens before we touch a box.
- 02
Your eyes, examined
The front of the eye under the microscope: the cornea, the lids, the tear film. We measure the curve of your cornea so the lens sits properly, and we look at the oil glands in your lids, because a dry eye is the commonest reason lenses fail. If something needs sorting first, we say so.
- 03
The lens, chosen with you
Daily, monthly, toric, multifocal, or something more specialised. We explain what each would do for you and what it costs per month, and you choose. If you are new to lenses, the trial pair is free.
The fitting
Taught, not told
- 04
On, and checked
The trial lens goes on. We check how it sits, how it moves when you blink, and how well you see through it, near and far. If it is not right, we try another. The fitting is thirty minutes because that is how long getting it right takes.
- 05
Learning to put them in
As many tries as you need, with someone beside you, until you can put a lens in and take it out without thinking about it. Nobody leaves until they are confident. If you need a second session, it is included.
- 06
Living with them
You go home with trial lenses and clear instructions: how long to wear them, how to clean them if they are not dailies, and what to do if anything feels wrong. You wear them in your real life for a week.
After
Checked until they are right
- 07
The follow-up
A week later we look at your eyes with the lenses in, hear how they went, and adjust anything that needs it. Only then do we order your supply. The follow-up is part of the fitting, not extra.
- 08
Your supply
Delivered to the practice or to your door, on a schedule that suits you. You pay per box and you see the price before you decide. No subscription you did not ask for.
- 09
Aftercare, every year
A yearly check keeps your eyes healthy in lenses and keeps the lens right for you as your eyes change. £70, whoever fitted your lenses. We remind you when it is due.
Put it off, and you keep working round your glasses at the gym, in the rain and in every photo.
Get the fit right, and you put them in in the morning and forget about them until bedtime.
Five practices
Book a fitting at your nearest practice
The same fitting, the same prices and the same family at all five. Choose the one closest to you.
CheadleAbra & Co · 19 Wilmslow Road★ 4.9 · 106 Google reviewsOpticians in Cheadle → Also near: Cheadle Hulme · Gatley · Bramhall · Stockport
MiddletonAbra & Co · 36 Long Street★ 4.9 · 164 Google reviewsOpticians in Middleton → Also near: Heywood · Chadderton · Blackley · Rochdale
Heald GreenAshworth Opticians · 214 Finney Lane★ 4.9 · 131 Google reviewsOpticians in Heald Green → Also near: Gatley · Wythenshawe · Sale · Altrincham
WinsfordWinsford Eye & Footcare · 27 Delamere Street★ 4.9 · 75 Google reviewsOpticians in Winsford → Also near: Northwich · Middlewich · Knutsford · Crewe and Nantwich
HeckmondwikeArmitage Opticians · 14 Market Street★ 4.9 · 133 Google reviewsOpticians in Heckmondwike → Also near: Dewsbury · Batley · Mirfield · Cleckheaton
Free on the NHS if you qualify, £55 privately, at every practice. All five, with the towns each one serves →
Reviews
What our patients say
4.9★★★★★
G 600+ Google reviews across five practices
“Brilliant service very friendly staff and a no rush service Really informative and helpful when reviewing and selecting a new pair of glasses would highly recommend”Google review · Middleton · July 2026
“Many thanks to Abra & Co. I greatly appreciate the time that they spent helping me select the perfect glasses. The staff are friendly, informative and knowledgeable. I’ll be returning for years to come.”Google review · Middleton · April 2026
“Absolutely fabulous, professional and friendly always looking after me would recommend them”Google review · Middleton · March 2026
Frequently asked questions
How much does a contact lens fitting cost?
£95, with the teaching and the follow-up check included. If you have never worn lenses, the trial lenses are free. The lenses you go on to buy are priced per box, and you see the monthly cost before you decide.
Can I pay monthly for my contact lenses?
Yes. Pay for your lenses by monthly direct debit, from £11 a month. You see exactly what your lenses cost each month before you sign up.
Can I try contact lenses on the day of my eye test?
Yes, free. If you are curious we put a trial pair in before you leave so you can see how they feel. The full fitting, if you go on, is a separate thirty-minute appointment.
Which type of lens is best?
For most new and part-time wearers, daily disposables: a fresh pair every day, nothing to clean, the lowest risk. Monthlies suit full-time wearers who want a lower cost. Toric lenses correct astigmatism, multifocals help over forty, and RGP, scleral and Ortho-K lenses are for eyes that need something more. The fitting decides, with you.
I already wear lenses. Can you check them?
Yes, whoever fitted them. An aftercare check is £70: your eyes with the lenses in, how they fit and how you see, and whether a newer lens would suit you better.
My lenses have become uncomfortable. Why?
Nine times out of ten the tear film has changed, not the lens. Dry eye is the commonest reason lenses fail. We look at the oil glands in your lids, and if they are the problem we treat that first. Why lenses dry out → · Why lenses hurt when you blink →
Can children wear contact lenses?
Yes, from about eight, if they are ready to look after them. For a child whose short-sight is rising every year there are lenses that slow it. Children’s contact lenses →
Do you fit lenses for keratoconus or after eye surgery?
Yes, at every practice. RGP, mini-scleral and scleral lenses for keratoconus, irregular corneas, post-surgery eyes and prescriptions other places turn away. Complex contact lenses →
Show all 9 questions
Can I sleep in my lenses?
Only in lenses made for it, and only if your optometrist has said so. Sleeping in ordinary lenses is the commonest cause of serious infection. Ortho-K lenses are the exception: they are designed to be worn asleep and taken out in the morning. Ortho-K →
Guides on this
- Varifocal contact lenses: do they work, and could they work for you?If you are over forty, reaching for reading glasses, and wondering whether contact lenses can still work for you, they very likely can. This
- Why do my contact lenses dry out? And how to fix it.If your lenses feel lovely in the morning and dry, scratchy or blurry by the afternoon, you are not doing anything wrong, and you do not hav
- Why do my contact lenses hurt when I blink, especially at the end of the day?A lens that scratches or stings every time you blink is telling you something. It is usually simple to put right, and you should not have to
- Keratoconus: what it is, and what scleral lenses doKeratoconus is the cornea thinning and bulging into a cone. Glasses stop working because the surface is no longer smooth. A scleral lens mak