Up until the middle of the 19th century, cows were grazing the area which is now known as Scandorffstræde – named after a local merchant prince. Since then, the environment has changed significantly. Today, this street near the centre of Århus is a stronghold for opticians – Schandorffstræde is the “eye district” of the city. This description is due to the presence of Kontaktlinse Instituttet, a contact lens institute, the opticians Buris Briller, and Synstest Klinikken, a brand new clinic for visual testing. The 80-metre-long facade practically takes up the entire eastside of this cul-de-sac.

Buris Briller is synonymous with high-quality designer spectacles and as part of the company’s innovative approach, spectacles are now sold with anti-reflection coated lightweight lenses as standard. There are additional charges for individual requests, particularly strong lenses or multi-focal lenses. Kontaktlinse Instituttet offers individual adjustment of highly oxygen penetrable contact lenses for both structural eye defects and for reading. Furthermore, the institute cooperates with selected test centres worldwide, engaging in testing and user trials of new contact lenses – often with the approval of the Danish Central Scientific Ethical Committee.

Synstest Klinikken is capable of advanced eye examinations and retina scanning in connection with common preventive check-ups as well as measuring spherical eye aberration for possible super vision through the prescription of aspherical contact lenses. The continuous expansion seen by the three “eye shops” has been most evident since 1976, when Tom Buris established Denmark’s most extensive specialist clinic dealing only with contact lenses. In 1993, Tom Buris formed a partnership with Bo Lauenborg, who today manages the “eye district” on a daily basis, while Tom Buris develops contact lens products for patenting and contracts royalty agreement with the multinational optical and pharmaceutical industry. As part of its innovative approach, Kontaktlinse Instituttet can now offer its customers the most effective One-step disinfection so far for contact lenses which does not contain preservatives. Improvement of existing contact lens fluids is expected to be a crucial factor for customers making the choice between prescription lenses or daily disposable lenses without cleansers. The most recent addition to the activities in Schandorffstræde is a new and independent eye testing clinic, Synstest Klinikken, offering extended health checks.