Tag Archives: laser eye surgery

Eye Care, Health Products, Healthcare, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Services, Surgery

Optical Express Store Opened By Daley Thompson Jumping Tape

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Optical Express’ latest optical store in Bearsden has been opened by Olympic legend Daley Thompson taking an unconventional approach to its unveiling. The decathlete, double Olympic gold medallist, world and Commonwealth champion swapped the conventional silver scissors for the scissors jump as he leaped the red ribbon to launch the new Optical Express store.

The eye care specialist relocated after nine years in the town in order to be able to offer customers a larger, more modern, state of the art opticians in Glasgow, Bearsden, where clients will receive the most clinically advanced eye tests in Scotland and a new, exclusive range of designer frames.

The store will stock Jimmy Choo’s new range of designer prescription glasses – tipped to be as popular as the fashion label’s range of shoes and bags – following their international launch last month. Customers can also choose from the latest designer frames from top names such as Dior, Prada, Gucci, Patrick Cox, Tom Ford, Cavalli and Chloe.

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Optical Express Invests $12 Million To Enhance Patient Care

Optical Express, the world leader in refractive surgery, has announced a $12 million investment in next generation laser eye surgery technology, enhancing patient care and improving vision beyond 20/20.

Optical Express Invests $12 Million To Enhance Patient Care

This latest investment will see all 44 Optical Express laser treatment clinics across the UK and Europe installing state-of-the-art iFS 150 femtosecond laser systems during 2010, reinforcing its dedication to developing the highest quality science-based products and services.

The equipment, designed to improve LASIK flap creation, will deliver a customised laser eye treatment for every individual patient that is safer, faster and will deliver improved outcomes.

Steve Schallhorn, Chief Medical Director for the Group said: “We remain at the forefront of technological innovation and through continuous investment we are dedicated to achieving the best clinical outcomes while leading the delivery of world class care.

“This latest investment further enhances our reputation as the world leader in laser eye surgery. I am delighted to be able to offer all our patients in the UK and Europe iFS(TM) 150 technology as I know that it the very best available in the world today.”

Group Chairman and CEO David Moulsdale said: “This level of investment is testament to our ongoing commitment to ensuring that our patients get the very best visual outcomes in the safest manner possible. As a result of the investment, we are able to confirm that even more of our patients will achieve better than 20/20 vision.”

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Optical Express Now On Twitter

Optical Express has entered the world of social media, with the company recently launching its new Twitter accounts. Designed to better communicate with patients, customers and potential employees about the group’s current happenings and opportunities, four separate accounts have been created, each to fill a unique niche.

Optical Express Now On Twitter

Optical Express Marketing Manager Lindsay Taylor commented on the significance of this move.

“With the amount of people currently using tools like Twitter to communicate with one another, this was something that we couldn’t afford to miss out on,” she said.

According to Taylor, joining Twitter is not so much about being a part of a trend as it is about capitalising on a new communication tool that can benefit Optical Express patients, customers, and staff members.

“There is such a huge amount of information floating around on the internet related to both laser eye surgery and general eye care, and we want to be able provide a quality source of information, through our website, of course, but also through other mediums as well,” she said. “By reaching out, we hope that we can dispel any rumours, and help foster a constructive dialogue.”

The group’s corporate account can be found @OpticalExpress. This is the account that announces news updates, promotions, and competitions as they occur. As opposed to functioning as an extension of an advertisement for the organisation, it provides a stream of other news that may interest followers, including links to new articles uploaded to the “Eye Expert” informational segment of the Optical Express site, and announcements regarding the release of new designer lines of frames, for example.

@JoannaAtOEuk is designed as a point of contact for customer service enquiries, responding to Optical Express-related posts, and answering any questions. This includes everything from providing links to eye clinic locations, to connecting users with the relevant individual in the organisation to answer more clinical questions. Finally, @oeCareersUK announces job openings as they arise, enabling interested individuals to receive instant notifications when positions open up.

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Optical Express provides strong presence at ASCRS Annual Meeting

Optical Express’ chief medical director Steve Schallhorn, in addition to several other Optical Express surgeons and International Medical Advisory Board (IMAB) members, have attended and presented at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) annual meeting.

The Symposium on Cataract, IOL and Refractive Surgery segment of the meeting brought together ASCRS members from across the globe to learn about and discuss the newest trends and technologies in the field of refractive surgery.

Mr Schallhorn presented findings from a number of different studies, in particular one highlighting the results of a study on corneal thickness. The presentation, titled ‘Should we perform LASIK on thin corneas?’ discussed how performing LASIK on patients with thin corneas is safe and effective. Mr Schallhorn’s research involved 81,715 eyes, a virtually unprecedented amount in the field. He also presented a poster titled ‘Patient Satisfaction After LASIK: Analysis of More Than 15,000 Patients’, which discussed the high level of patient satisfaction achieved after modern LASIK.

Optical Express’ UK medical director Professor Jan Venter was also a presenter at the conference. Prof Venter discussed exciting research comparing different techniques to perform enhancements. Miss Susanna Boytha, one of the Optical Express surgeons, presented as well, assessing various methods of flap creation in LASIK surgery.

Members of Optical Express’ IMAB were also actively involved as panellists and speakers. John Vukich, Steven Dell, Marguerite McDonald, Michael Knorz, Colman Kraff, Stephen Coleman and Stephen Slade all presented findings of their current and recent research.

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Optical Express Optometrist Completes 7th Vision Aid Overseas Project

Optical Express Optometrist Ed Baldwin has successfully completed his seventh Vision Aid Overseas project, a trip to Burkina Faso to distribute eyeglasses and screen patients for cataract surgery.

Baldwin went on his first project with Vision Aid in 2001, working with a team to provide eye tests and eyeglasses in Latvian prisons. Since then, his projects have included such locales as Ethiopia, Moldova, Bulgaria, and Ghana. He has also served as a team leader on more than one occasion. Baldwin’s most recent trip was unique, however, because of the cataract screening element.

“My most recent trip to Burkina Faso was a little different, since we were not only giving out glasses but also trying to find patients who needed cataract surgery,” he said. “We found about a hundred patients that needed intraocular lens treatment, and another team went out a few weeks after us with surgeons. It was great, because normally when you see patients with cataracts you can’t really do anything about it.”

Vision Aid Overseas (VAO) sends teams of volunteer Optometrists and dispensingopticians to developing nations to screen and outfit patients with appropriate spectacles. Nearing its 25th anniversary, VAO has provided 300,000 individuals with spectacles, and conducted 600,000 eye tests.

Baldwin commented, “Volunteering is the most rewarding thing you can do,” Baldwin said. “It’s giving people sight where they would otherwise be blind. In a lot of places there are no provisions for eye care, so if you haven’t got a pair of glasses you can’t work and feed your family.

“When you test eyes back home in the UK, the general public have a huge choice of opticians. In parts of Africa, people will walk from miles around to see you. You’re really making a difference to people’s lives in a short space of time with something as simple as a pair of spectacles.”

Baldwin has worked for Optical Express since 2001, and is currently based in Cardiff, providing both laser eye surgery and intraocular lens treatment consultations to prospective patients.

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Optical Express joined by Padraig Harrington

Optical Express, Europe’s Number One laser eye surgery specialists, has been joined by one of the world’s greatest golfers, Padraig Harrington as a Brand Ambassador.

The back-to-back British Open Champion (2007,2008) and US PGA Champion (2008) is fronting a television advertising campaign for Optical Express on ITV, Sky Sports and other digital channels.

Speaking after filming the commercial Padraig said, “I’m delighted to endorse the great work carried-out by Optical Express. It’s no secret that laser vision correction has made a massive difference to my life and career. For years I played with poor eyesight and it affected me and my game. Without the simple procedure, which was carried-out in London and Dublin, I would not be able to compete at the highest level. It’s certainly helped me and it could assist others in many aspects of their lives. My only regret is that I wish I’d done it sooner. I want to be treated by the best and that’s Optical Express.”

Chairman and CEO of Optical Express, David Moulsdale joined Padraig at the TV studio and commented, “We are extremely proud to be working with Padraig Harrington. He is the most talented and successful golfer to come out of Europe in many years. And his back-to-back victories at The Open catapulted him towards the top of the game. Add to that his outstanding win at the US PGA Championship and it confirmed his status as one of the greats of the game today.

At Optical Express, we are clinically and technically superior to all our competitors in the refractive industry and it’s fitting that we work with the best and that is Padraig Harrington. He is the perfect Ambassador for laser eye surgery at Optical Express where we have successfully carried-out more than 700,000 procedures. We are delighted that he considers the surgery to have been so impactful on his career and welcome Padraig as our Brand Ambassador”.

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Optical Express Reports Successful Launch Of Ambassador Programme

The programme, available to all past laser and intraocular lens treatment patients of Optical Express, enables referrers to choose how they would like their referral reward – valued at hundreds of pounds – to be distributed. They can claim the reward themselves, give their friend or relative the full discount, or split the reward.

Optical Express Reports Successful Launch Of Ambassador Programme

After a trial run at the end of 2009, the Ambassador Referral Programme was officially launched in early 2010. Since then, over a thousand valued patients have taken advantage of the unique opportunity offered by the opticians.

“We’re extremely excited about how the programme has gone so far,” said David Carson, head of the Ambassador programme. “Everyone has really embraced the opportunity, and we’re seeing promising numbers and getting great feedback.”

All three options surrounding the allocation of the reward have been very popular, according to Carson.

“The fact that we’re seeing such a distribution of choices in terms of the reward really reaffirms to us that our patients appreciate the choice we’ve provided them with,” he said. “If one [option] had been overwhelmingly popular, we might have considered reworking the programme, but as it stands, the numbers indicate that our referrers like having all three options.”

Despite the relatively limited time frame in which the Ambassador Referral Programme has been running, patients have been extremely enthusiastic, Carson said.

“We’ve seen numerous patients referring three, four, even six of their friends and colleagues in the short time since we launched the programme,” he said. “Every day we’re getting calls from patients who have just been treated, anxious to receive their pack in the mail and start referring. The momentum that is building right now surrounding Ambassador is just phenomenal.”

Optical Express offers free laser eye surgery consultations at over 100 locations across the UK and Europe.

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Optical Express Cameron Toll Unveils Following Major Refit

Optical Express in Edinburgh’s Cameron Toll has been unveiled following a major refit, and is now poised to serve customers even better.

Optical Express Cameron Toll Unveils Following Major Refit

“The shop looks amazing,” said Clare Elliot, the location’s General Manager. “It’s been transformed, and looks very sophisticated. It’s created a great buzz.”

The location has been updated to be more consistent with other Optical Express locations, with a white, modern look, and tiled flooring to replace the older, tartan carpets. The result is a brighter, and more professional looking clinic, with less visual elements detracting from the wide range of frames on display. A number of new glasses and sunglasses are now available, including frames from Dior and Givenchy.

According to Elliot, the entire team is enthused about the location’s big makeover.

“The whole team is very excited about the refit,” Elliot said. “We’ve always known that we have great products, and can offer a great shopping experience, and now the store looks brilliant as well.”

The clinic is located by the south entrance of the Cameron Toll Shopping Centre, a mile and a half outside of the Edinburgh city centre. Throughout the entire refitting process, the clinic remained open.

“We really wanted to minimise any inconvenience to our customers,” Elliot said. “We underwent the refit so we can provide a better experience for our customers, but at the same time, we didn’t want to close down the store in the process and put anyone out. We structured our refit as to have as little impact on our day-to-day operations as possible.”

The location carries over a thousand designer frames and sunglasses, including Ray-Ban, Marc Jacobs and Gucci. The location also offers an array of contact lenses. A convenient 1-hour service is available for making glasses, so customers can have their glasses ready by the time they are finished their shopping.

Optical Express is also Europe’s number one provider of laser eye surgery, with over 100 clinics across the UK and Europe, including Edinburgh, providing pre and post-operative care.

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Optical Express Launches Ambassador Referral Programme

Optical Express launches new Ambassador Referral Programme. Open to both laser eye surgery and intraocular lens treatment patients, the flexible programme enables the referrer to choose how the reward – valued at hundreds of pounds per referral – is distributed.

Optical Express Launches Ambassador Referral Programme

David Carson, the head of the programme, spoke with enthusiasm about the new Ambassador Referral initiative.

“The programme is a huge departure from any scheme we’ve done before, with larger rewards and more flexibility,” he said. “We really believe that our patients are our best ambassadors, and we designed this so that we can provide them with a reward that is really substantial, and that can really make a difference in their lives. The amount that they can earn is endless.”

With the new programme, the person referring is given three options – they can receive the full reward, their friend or relative can receive the full amount off the cost of laser eye treatment or intraocular lens implant treatment, or the reward can be split evenly between the patient and referrer.

If the referrer has opted to receive all or part of the reward, they are issued a cheque within 14 days of their friend or relative undergoing surgery. Thus, the referrer has the potential to not only earn an unlimited amount of money, but also to receive their rewards almost immediately.

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Optical Express Launches Online Eye Expert

Optical Express has launched a new ‘Eye Expert’ section on its website. A collection of articles addressing a range of topics related to eyes, to provide a resource that is both informative and interesting.

With the addition of the Eye Expert section, Optical Express is positioning itself as more than just a provider of frames, lenses, and laser eye surgery – Optical Express is also a valuable source of information. The new articles cover a wide variety of topics dealing with eye anatomy and health, through to eye care, and addressing such questions as ‘Are carrots really good for your eyes?’ From the technical and the practical, to the entertaining, the content is designed to appeal to a wide array of readers.

“We’re the only provider of the complete eye care solution – from laser eye surgery to glasses, to contact lenses, to intraocular lens treatment,” Joanna Patterson, marketing assistant for Optical Express, said. “By offering an informative resource, we’re really trying to go above and beyond our current offerings and provide even more for our customers and patients. The Eye Expert section addresses a current lack of comprehensive resources of this kind related to eyes.”

There are resources dedicated to eye diseases, and others that are more beauty-oriented, but no one has really looked at tackling eyes in a broad way like Optical Express has.

Patterson added, “We are really excited about launching this part of our website, and hope that people embrace it. We’ve put a lot of time into compiling all of this information.”

New articles will be added frequently, as well as responses to questions and queries posed by readers.

“We’ve launched the site with information that we think will prove useful, but we’re hoping that comments and responses will really dictate the direction that we move with this,” Patterson said. “The Eye Expert section should ideally be a reflection of the information that our patients and customers are seeking. We are looking forward to getting feedback.”

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Optical Express Has Performed LASIK Surgery On Olympic Champion Rower Pete Reed

Optical Express, the number one provider of laser eye surgery in the world, has revealed it has performed LASIK surgery on Olympic champion rower Pete Reed, as he looks to improve his chances of competing at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Surgeon Rodney Blumenfield performed the LASIK surgery using Wavefront and Intralase technologies. Mr Blumenfield is an experienced ophthalmologist who has performed more than 22,000 procedures.

Reed expressed enthusiasm about the results of his procedure. The Olympic champion said: “I am absolutely delighted with my new and perfect vision from Optical Express. It’s not just the brand new feeling of being able to see better than 20/20, but the convenience of not having to use contacts or glasses for my training and racing.”

Beyond mere results, however, Reed was impressed with the quality of care and customer service offered by Optical Express, as well as, “the swift procedure, the short recovery time and the aftercare. In fact, every step from booking to clarity of vision has been a breeze.”

As an athlete who relies on his sight for his performance, Reed is eager to encourage others not to hesitate in moving forward with laser eye surgery. He said: “I wish I’d had it done sooner. Don’t be worried – just go for it.”

About Optical Express
The Optical Express Group was founded in 1991 and is now a global leader of selected healthcare services, specialising in opticians services.

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