Seen Opticians

Always excellent service, one of the top 3 in the city
With an amazing selection of frames from around the world, including hand-​made acetates, brilliantly engineered German and Japanese labels, Seen is a little gem amongst the other exclusive boutiques of St Ann’s Arcade. You get what you pay for with specs, and as I’ve worn them for 30+ years, I’d like to think I know what I’m talking about (full disclosure: I was Harry Potter in the 80s, before JK had her epiphany).
The service is strong with this one: always courteous, happy to help and let you try on everything. Their professional opinions have always been very good so if you’re a singleton, brave this bite-​size boutique.

The only place I go for my glasses! They are amazing, love these guys. They don’t just sell your average eyewear brands– really cool designers and collaborative pieces so if you want a pair of really cool specs, go here.
I dropped by because of reviews on Unilocal,wasn’t going to buy anything necessarily but came out with a really nice pair of Oliver Peoples/​Garrett Leight sunglasses. They were no means cheap but they fitted them just perfectly. Unfortunately I lost them in Austin Texas and didn’t know whether I’d be able to get another pair. They ordered them back in and gave me a discount on the original price for me since I was basically buying them twice.
I also ordered a pair of lenses for my old Ray Bans, they’re so helpful and quick to respond to emails. Very chatty, know about your face shape and what suits, but don’t do the hard sell. If you’re looking for cheap then go to your average high street store but if you’ve saved a few bob it’s a good investment.

Helpful, friendly and in no rush. So much better than a trip to the bigger chains!

Recently refurbished, this is quite possibly the coolest store in Manchester. The store itself is light, airy, and achingly cool You could almost be in Berlin. Don’t let the tired arcade put you off. It really is well worth a visit.
Service is always fantastic, from the moment you walk in you will feel like the team here really care about you, and they’re honest so you’ll never leave with the wrong frame selection.
As an avid eyewear fanatic, I have frequented most of the good opticians in Europe, and I can honestly say this has to be the one I love the most. Sure, there are cheaper places in town, but cheap won’t get you stylish, individual glasses and unrivalled service.
Tareq does a comprehensive eye examination, and they have the liveliest selection of frames– fresh eye popping colours, amazing shapes you would never imagine could suit you, yet actually look perfect (Theo, Kirk Originals, Claire Goldsmith) northern European style from Mykita, Ørgreen, Lindberg and laid-​back californian style from Oliver People’s and Garrett Leight. The Dita line of sunglasses is one of the world’s most exclusive, stocked by just a handful of boutiques worldwide. If you’re an eyewear enthusiast, you’ll love the vintage Cazal. And Seen has the biggest selection of Rayban in Manchester. What more could you want from your Optician?
Coffee? Yes, they do that well too.

Seen has a diverse range of glasses which is hard to come by in Manchester. They are some of the only stockists of Oliver Peoples, Cutler and Gross and Ørgreen that I have come across.
The staff are super friendly and will give you 110% of their attention when you are in the shop. They will stand with you while you go through 100 different types of glasses and tactfully give you their opinion. The people at Seen really know what they’re talking about, they don’t give you the same old spiel about not wearing round glasses if you have a round face etc etc, they don’t give you any cliches just help you to pick glasses you will love and look great.
If you want a particular colour they don’t have they will order it in for you (at a fee of about 15 pounds which is knocked off if you buy the glasses). I bought and had glazed a pair of glasses at Seen and the quality of lenses they use is second to none. It is like looking through the most crisp sheet of ice, and ok, they are not the cheapest lenses in the market but they are without doubt the best quality.

The best opticians in Manchester! I can’t say enough good things about the guys that work here, they are always helpful and friendly and have been known to spend hours making sure your glasses fit perfectly! They also once got me replacement lenses for my sunglasses when the prescription ones were not the same colour as the originals for no extra cost.
They have an amazing selection of designer frames that you won’t see everywhere and prescription sunglasses you actually want to wear!