Testimonials

Mrs N.A, Hitchin

I have been coming here for several years and have always found the service professional and friendly. Highly recommended.

Mrs W.J.B Luton

Service over the years has been exceptional, even a granddaughter visiting from Australia received great treatment in an emergency.

K.F Hitchin

Miss Turnbull has always been friendly, helpful and clearly an expert- especially filtering the answers my son gives during his eye tests. Thank you.

Miss N.M, Hitchin

I have been a client of this Opticians since I was a child and everytime I’ve gone elsewhere I have regretted it! Great service, and consistent, friendly staff. Thank you.

Liz and Chris

Thank you for looking after Ben this year and for your continued support. We are so grateful to you.

D.H, Hitchin

Very impressed with the attention to detail and thoroughness of the eye test. Always a pleasure to come into the shop.

S.H, Luton

I am always impressed and feel safe and confident in coming to this practice. Mr Akay takes time and trouble with my eyes and is always happy to answer any concerns and questions I may have. His staff are very approachable, polite, friendly and helpful. You all make a good team and long may it last! Also love your new practice décor.

I. Talks, Ashwell

I have been a happy patient at Shephard and Akay for over 17 years. Throughout that time I have always received the highest standard of care. Mr Akay always goes the extra mile to ensure that every single one of his patients receives the personalised help that they need. The practice is also extremely friendly, and you are always greeted with a smile. I would recommend Shephard and Akay to everyone who wants the best for their eyes.

E.N Hitchin

I am pleased with the service I get and can not suggest any improvements

Bob Campbell

I just wanted to personally thank you for the letter that you wrote and sent through to the DVLA on my behalf. It was a very good letter and finally alerted DVLA that I was able to drive OK and I am pleased to say that they returned my driving licence back to me and I have been enjoying my freedom since then and it honestly feels like I have been allowed to re-join the human race from a bad nightmare. I have been concentrating on rebuilding my business and that is why I have taken so long to write to you, so once again a very big thank you for taking the time to see me and to listen and to basically resolve my problem, I am very grateful and I wish you every good luck for the future.

Diane, Hitchin

I have been attending Shephard & Akay Optometrists for several years and would not go anywhere else. I have a complex sight history and have been extremely happy with the meticulous care I have received from Ali Akay. I wear contact lenses and his experience and expertise in this field of eye care is outstanding. As my eyes change with age, I often have to have them checked to see that the prescription is the one I need at the time. This can be a time consuming process but I have always been treated with care, patience and fine attention to detail. They also have an extremely good spectacles fitting service and a wide range of spectacles to choose from. They are always on hand to mend broken or bent spectacles without charge on the day you go in, if they are not too busy and the spectacles not so severely damaged that they need to be sent away for repair. All the staff at Shephard and Akay are friendly, helpful and professional in their dealings with patients. Their newly extended and refurbished premises are a testimony to the success of this thriving and customer friendly practice. If you are looking for a good optician or wish to change your current optician, I highly recommend a visit to Shephard and Akay.

M.Newton

Dear Mr Akay, Just to say “thank you” for the care and trouble that you have taken on my behalf, it is really appreciated.

S. Mullan

I recently saw Mr Akay after encountering problems with my previous glasses. I really felt worried that no one was going to be able to help after my symptoms got worse with the first optometrist I saw. I’m delighted to say Mr Akay reassured me that he would resolve the issue and the first pair of glasses and contacts he prescribed have completely rectified the problem. No more headaches or uncomfortable vision. My eyesight feels the best it has done in a long time.

S.Denman

I just want to say a massive THANK YOU to you all for the effort you made in getting me a replacement contact lens from USA in time for our holiday departure today. It will make a huge difference to our enjoyment of the holiday and I am very grateful to you all.

Corrina

Thank you so much for your great customer service over the last few weeks. I’ve been ringing a lot in a bit of a panic and everyone who answered the phone was so kind and patient. It’s been a weird month, but things can only get better. Elanor, you are amazing!

Mr Akay, Thank you so much for your time and patience with me today. I really appreciate you looking after my eyes. Have a great week.

F.G, Hitchin

Very detailed eye exam with quick referral to Moorfields (Bedford). Much appreciated the care and attention I was shown. You also appear to have a large range of up to date equipment which gives peace of mind that nothing is missed. Friendly, efficient staff.

K.W, Hitchin

Always very friendly staff and happy to help with any queries I may have. A very professional Opticians.

David

I wanted to say a quick thank you for an excellent eye examination yesterday.

K.O, Hitchin

Dear Mr Akay, I am happy to inform you that I have regained my driver license and would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your help regarding this. I think one has to try to have his, or her, license revoked to realise just how limiting it is to your freedom! It really makes you appreciate just being able to drive to the shops once you get it back- and not having to carry food and your daily needs home on foot! Many, many thanks for your help getting me out of that situation!

Toby

I have Keratoconus and have struggled to find comfortable contact lenses with good vision for years. Elanor understood my eye condition straight away and in no time at all had assessed the condition and was able to provide the most comfortable lenses I have had with the best vision I have experienced. Elanor was determined to make the fit and vision as optimal as possible and twice sought very minor improvements to result in the very best lenses available. I would recommend anyone with Keratoconus to visit Shepard and Akay as they are clearly experts in this field and provide a first class service to their patients.

Chris and Liz

Our son was born with cataracts in both eyes, and had several eye operations at Addenbrooke’s hospital. Throughout this time he wore baby contact lenses and was looked after by Mr Ali Akay and Ms Elanor Turnbull. They worked very hard to achieve this, monitoring our son extremely carefully, and changing the fit and prescription as necessary. Ben has progressed incredibly well under their care. Not only are the staff extremely knowledgeable in their expertise, they are also incredibly pleasant people – it’s not easy to fit an unwilling baby with contacts, but Mr Akay and Ms Turnbull are very professional, skilled and kind, reassuring Ben when inserting the contacts (and also us too!) to make a difficult process so much easier. The reception staff at Shepherd and Akay have similarly always been very professional and courteous; sorting out new contacts and appointments promptly, and passing on messages quickly.

In short, all the staff at Shepherd and Akay go above and beyond to get the best visual results possible, and communicate clearly, kindly and professionally. We are so grateful to them for their dedicated work and would recommend them unreservedly.

J. C, Hertford

Very impressive and attentive as always. Very experienced and friendly advice. Thank you.

Michael Hartshorne, California

In February 2016, on a visit to my native England and following a consultation with my esteemed Ophthalmic Surgeon, Mr. Martin Snead whilst I was there, I was directed to Shephard and Akay for glasses that would offer “a slight improvement” in my current vision. I ordered a pair of reading and prescription Polarized sunglasses – very necessary for where I live in extremely sunny climes.

The readers provided a better experience by way of sharper focus and greater contrast – well worth the money from my point of view. However, the prescription sunglasses transformed my vision to the degree that I now wear them almost constantly. The flare from the overhead sun and dual slightly out of focus and overlapping images I previously saw are vanished — COMPLETELY. I now see night lights such as car headlights, street lighting, even the moon, as sharp, in focus flare-less objects that I have never seen before with this degree of sharpness. Now tell me, how does a guy with myopia, nystagmus and a sense of slight foreboding when having to go out in the dark, suddenly PREFER and actually wear prescription sunglasses on the desert of southern California? I still do not believe that I wear sunglasses AT NIGHT? — with garbage vision like mine?

Next to my wife, my glasses from Mr. Akay of Shephard and Akay are my best friend. They are treated with far greater reverence than any of my other favorite possessions.

I would like to offer my sincere thanks and express and indomitable gratitude for this visual experience so late in my life. Thank you, Sir, I WILL be back on my next visit.

Dora, St Albans

Very efficient, helpful staff. I come from St Albans as I have a petite face and it’s been a joy to find an optician who helps with smaller frames- they are perfect!