Free Eye Tests and Homemade Muffins: What Happened When Specsavers Opened Its Doors After Hours

It’s 6pm on a Monday evening, but Specsavers Twickenham isn’t closed. People are making their way inside for free eye tests. Outside, the high street is winding down. Inside, Katarzyna Grabka, retail director at the branch, and her team are setting up an out-of-hours clinic for people experiencing homelessness.

The clinic was organised alongside SPEAR, a local homelessness charity working across South West London. Running it after normal hours was deliberate. People who are experiencing homelessness or in temporary accommodation often feel uncomfortable walking into busy high street shops during the day. The quiet of an evening clinic, with no queue at the till and no other customers, makes a difference.

“People experiencing homelessness can be very reluctant to come in during normal opening hours because they might feel a bit of discomfort,” says Katarzyna.

So the team stayed late, laid out homemade muffins and tea, and waited.

One man arrived who had lost his wife. His life had spiralled after her death, and he’d ended up without stable housing. He was working, trying to rebuild, but hadn’t had an eye test in years. Another was barely out of his teens, with estranged parents and nowhere to go. He’d become homeless through a combination of circumstances that left him with no safety net. He needed reading glasses. A third man had lost vision in one eye as a child. He came in hoping for help with the other eye, which was starting to struggle.

“These people are not homeless because they want to be homeless,” Katarzyna says. “It’s because something happened in their lives. Usually as a result of exceptional and traumatic circumstances.”

None of the attendees had known they could access this kind of care for free. Some didn’t know that even without a GP they could get urgent eye care.

“No one tells them,” Katarzyna says, a mix of bewilderment and anger that something so simple has been made so hard. “This is why it’s so great to be working with SPEAR. They’re encouraging their clients to access healthcare and telling them how they can get help.”

The team carried out full eye examinations, OCT scans, and dispensed glasses. Two attendees had diabetes, which can affect vision. But there were no serious conditions detected that evening – no glaucoma, no macular degeneration – all issues that can be caught in a standard eye test. Mostly, people needed what everyone takes for granted: reading glasses to see a phone screen, distance glasses to navigate the street safely.

“If they’re a little bit older, it’s just the normal process of ageing,” Katarzyna says. “Something normal which we all experience and are confident to get checked.”

Language is another barrier. One man who attended didn’t speak much English and hadn’t realised he could access care. Katarzyna, who is Polish, was able to communicate with him directly. He’s coming back this week for a follow-up. SPEAR is now working on providing translators for future clinics.

Since that first clinic, the impact has rippled outwards. Four more people connected to SPEAR have come into the store during normal hours, introducing themselves using a simple system: they say they’re a “charity VIP”. The staff know immediately that means the appointment and glasses are covered. Katarzyna and her team recently attended a SPEAR health event and signed up 14 people for a clinic at the sister store in Richmond. They’re planning to run these clinics every two months, maybe more often if needed.

“It’s so rewarding. I can’t even describe how it makes you feel when you help people.” — Katarzyna Grabka, Specsavers retail director

The muffins were a hit. People stayed after their appointments, had tea, and chatted. It wasn’t just about the glasses; it was about being treated with respect and consideration, being welcomed, being seen. Since that evening, the store has become a place where people know they can come.

The Twickenham clinic is part of Specsavers’ wider work around homelessness, which includes partnerships with Crisis, Vision Care, and Big Issue. Over 100 Specsavers stores held similar clinics around World Homeless Day in October. The company is also calling for policy changes to remove unnecessary barriers – pushing for free eye tests and glasses for people experiencing homelessness, plus replacements if they’re broken, lost, or stolen.

For Big Issue vendors, Specsavers offers free eye and hearing care through vouchers that can be redeemed at any store in the UK. There’s a vendor who sells outside the Waitrose near Katarzyna’s store, and he knows he can walk in any time.

“We can fund it for people experiencing homelessness,” Katarzyna says. “It’s so rewarding. I can’t even describe how it makes you feel when you help people.”

To find out more visit specsavers.co.uk