‘I didn’t even make it to the ceremony, which probably says everything about how much I expected it’
An independent business in the Custard Factory scooped a national award over the weekend(Image: Blend Family)
A Digbeth business owner was named best in the UK at a London awards ceremony.
Originally from Coventry, Scott O’Neill is now an award winner after being named Dispensing Optician of the Year at the Optician Awards (December 13).
The national recognition came as a surprise to Scott, mainly because the eyes behind Doctor Oculus forgot to attend.
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Whether it was forgetfulness, or not expecting to win, Scott called the news ‘equal parts brilliant and slightly embarrassing’.
In part, Scott attributed success of his business to ‘just being a normal human being’ with no targets of scripts.
Doctor Oculus owner Scott O’Neill was named 2025 Dispensing Optician of the Year(Image: ANASTASIA JOBSON PHOTOGRAPHY)
Selling a range of glasses designed to start a conversation, the Custard Factory optician called it ‘encouraging’ that people still want to support independent businesses.
Speaking to BirminghamLive, Scott said: “Winning the award genuinely came as a surprise.
“I didn’t even make it to the ceremony, which probably says everything about how much I expected it.
“I found out afterwards that Doctor Oculus had won, which was equal parts brilliant and slightly embarrassing.
“There isn’t no glittery photo of me holding a trophy, just a sort of small satisfaction that something I built in a very unorthodox way had been recognised by the industry.
“Doctor Oculus is an independent optician based in Digbeth, Birmingham, and I created it largely as a reaction to the modern optician experience.
“I have worked in optics since 2011 and spent years inside high street chains, manufacturers, independents and also so-called independents.
“Over time, it became clear that many practices that appear independent are actually owned by large corporate groups, just operating under different names.
“So for most people, it often ends up feeling the same suffocating experience regardless of where they visit.
“That realisation played a big part in why Doctor Oculus exists. The aim was to create something genuinely indie, not just in branding but in how it actually operates day to day.
“There are no scripts or targets, and no pressure to move people through quickly, because I actually want to enjoy my existence.
“I have a novel approach that the corporates can’t understand called just being a normal human being to people, it’s a wild ethos these days.
“The focus is on proper eye care, properly tailored lenses, and taking the time to understand how someone actually uses their vision in real life.
“Hopefully we can enjoy the process and have a laugh while we do it. I can boil it down to being serious about the job but being completely unserious about myself.
“The shop itself is deliberately small, personal, and a bit odd, which suits Digbeth perfectly.
“I try and do most of the work myself, as I enjoy the process and challenge of making great glasses.
“That means people are not passed around a system or treated like numbers.
“They are listened to, and the solutions are built around them rather than around what a head office wants to sell that month.
“It’s crazy what people put up with in the mainstream places and tolerate as normal.
“What makes the optician award especially unexpected is that Doctor Oculus does not look or operate like what most people would think of as an award winning practice.
“There is no corporate branding, no uniform approach, and no attempt to scale it into something generic.
“It is a single, real, independent optician on the high street in Digbeth, built almost entirely on word of mouth and trust.
“Being recognised in this way feels encouraging not just on a personal level, but as a sign that people still value businesses that genuinely operate independently.
“Birmingham has a strong creative and indie scene, and Digbeth in particular attracts people who want something different.
“To be recognised as an award winning dispensing optician working from this part of the city feels especially fitting.
“At its core, Doctor Oculus exists to make people feel comfortable, understood, and genuinely happy with their glasses, even if they have disliked wearing them in the past.
“If this award helps more people discover that there is a truly independent optician in Digbeth doing things differently, or even just curious to explore the other brilliant, hardworking businesses around here, then that feels like a win in itself.”
Doctor Oculus is located inside Zellig, UG02, Birmingham B9 4AT