Samantha Ackland – who was born without an ear – is celebrating the work of a Newport optician who crafted bespoke glasses that ended decades of discomfort and DIY fixes.
The 55-year-old from the Isle of Wight underwent several operations to rebuild her ear but still struggled to find glasses that fitted properly. For 25 years, she modified frames herself with copper wire to make them wearable.
Samantha said:
“I knew my eyes were changing and thought, oh god, not again. I was prepared to take my new glasses home and replace one of the arms with wire, as I always did, so they would fit me.
“This is the first time someone has listened to me. For years I made do by fashioning a copper wire and clipping it over my glasses. The whole experience of wearing specs was uncomfortable.
“It’s pretty cool that now I don’t have glasses that fall off my face when I’m driving. I enjoy wearing them all the time and know that next time I won’t have the stress. It’s taken that dentist feeling away.”
Catherine Kidd, optician director at Newport Specsavers, commented:
“I had never been presented with this issue in my 25-year career, but I was confident to attempt something free-flowing. Sam explained her self-fix, so I asked how she wanted them to fit ideally and listened to how nobody had delivered a bespoke fitting before.
Article continues below this advertisement “I used basic heating and bending, following my intuition after years of adjustments. I was excited to stretch my abilities to create glasses that were comfortable and correctly positioned.
“I was saddened that she had suffered and compromised her vision all her life. I wanted to give her the best of my ability. I was buzzing for days afterwards and will always remember her. I look forward to helping her again in the future.”
The custom frames have given Samantha renewed confidence and comfort after years of frustration.
That’s brilliant! Well done Catherine!
Well done.