Sophie Taylor-West
Sophie Taylor-West is the founder and Director of Taylor-West & Co Optometrists. She is one of our Hove-based registered Optometrists. Sophie specialises in contact lens fittings for both healthy and also “awkward” or more complex prescriptions, helping people who have difficulties seeing anything at all by transforming their sight. She also specialises in myopia management for children and teenagers with short-sightedness.
Education
- The University of Wales, 1st Class degree in BSc in Optometry and Visual Science
Registered With
- Association of Optometrists
- British Contact Lens Association
- College of Optometrists
- General Optical Council
Affiliations
Bio
Prior to opening the flagship Taylor-West & Co branch in Hove in 2015, Sophie received her first-class degree in optometry and visual science from the University of Wales in Cardiff in 2004. From there, after working at various practices in London, she was brought under the wing of the prestigious West End contact lens practice of Nigel F. Burnett Hodd. There, Sophie learned the nuances of contact lens fittings, and how to return the vision of patients with diseased corneas using high prescription toric lenses for astigmatism and multifocal lenses for presbyopia.
During Sophie’s 8 years at Nigel F. Burnett Hodd, she developed her own keen interest in contact lenses designed to aid those with keratoconus, post graft and post-refractive surgery corneas. Sophie then went on to work at Moorfields Eye Hospital for 2 years, followed by Sussex Eye Hospital for a further 2 years as a specialist optometrist in order to pursue this knowledge.
During her time working at these practices, Sophie had the idea of creating Taylor-West & Co, an optometrists known for being a warm, welcoming, and stylish environment that offered patients an entirely unique and genuinely personal eye care experience.
In the years following the opening of the Hove branch, Sophie went on to establish three more practices. Her brother, George, opened the Dulwich practice in 2019, the Lewes practice in 2021 and the Clapham branch opened by Az Art in early 2022.
During her career as a specialist optometrist. Sophie has attended many International conferences on specialist contact lens practice. This includes the Global Specialty Contact Lens Symposium in Las Vegas, the Keratoconus Meeting in Horsens, Denmark, the British Contact Lens Association conference and the International Society of Contact Lens Specialists meeting in the UK.
In addition, Sophie has published numerous articles on complex lens fitting and has played a key part in the training of other optometrists in the use of SoClear and SynergEyes lenses. She has also aided in the creation of fitting guides for these designs (below).
Sophie’s extended clinical experience includes consulting for UK-based lens manufacturer No.7 Contact lens Laboratory and conducting performance assessments on fellow optometrists undergoing investigation by the General Optical Council.