I’ve been wearing contact lenses since 1964. I was fitted with my first pair by Keith Clifford Hall at his rooms in London’s prestigious Park Lane.

After Mr Clifford Hall’s death, I was passed on to his former assistant, Miss Thompson. Miss Thompson was unique amongst my contact lens practitioners in having a single-barreled surname. After Miss Thomspon retired, I moved on to Mr David Evershed-Martin. When Mr Evershed-Martin developed cancer and had to give up his London practice, he suggested I go to Mr Nigel Burnett Hodd’s practice in Devonshire Street - which I did.

I had to get one of my new lenses checked today. Mr Burnett Hodd was not available, so I saw Mr David Raz-Rhodes instead.

I’m sure that the majority of contact lens practitioners don’t have such interesting double-barreled names, so it’s a curious feature of my 43 years with contact lenses that so many of the optometrists who’ve cared for my eyes and my contact lenses have had such distinguished monikers. And they’ve all been connected with each other in one way or another. David Evershed-Martin’s father worked with Keith Clifford Hall. Nigel Burnett Hodd and David-Raz Rhodes are close friends of Mr Evershed-Martin’s. Mr Raz-Rhodes studied optometry at the same time as David Evershed-Martin and they shared a flat after they had qualified.

My first consultation with Mr Clifford Hall and my first set of lenses cost my mother