Optics and eye healthcare run in the family which took over Spalding’s long-established Eye Care Centre nine years ago.
Both Katie Eastwood’s parents, Geoff and Diane Eastwood, qualified as dispensing opticians in the 1970s, and Katie herself joined them in 2005 as one of the business’ three optometrists.
She now carries out eye tests and prescribes for spectacles in the practice at 6 Sheepmarket two days a week, on Monday and Friday, alternating with fellow professionals Nina Mehmed and Marcia Jackson.
Katie said: “I learnt about all the exciting developments in optics growing up with both parents working in the field, so I had no trouble choosing my career. I went to Bradford University to study optometry straight from school. I qualified 10 years ago but the learning didn’t stop there.
“At The Eye Care Centre we’re all constantly keeping abreast of the latest developments in the science and technology, but at the same time it’s a really friendly place to our many regular patients and welcoming to new faces.”
In fact every member of staff who sees clients about their spectacles at The Eye Care Centre is a qualified professional, at a time when deregulation allows opticians to employ unqualified people.
Katie’s father Geoff, a contact lens specialist, supervised both the other opticians working in the practice in their training. They are contact lens optician Jackie Lansell and dispensing optician Sue Brocklesby.
While contact lens work typically makes up just 20 percent of the business of most opticians, it makes up a much higher proportion at The Eye Care Centre.
The practice also benefits from the expertise of two experienced lab technicians, Rob Clark and Kevin Davison. This means that spectacle frames are glazed on the premises for extra precision, and customers’ glasses can be repaired on the spot too.
* The Eye Care Centre, 6 Sheepmarket, Spalding, PE11 1BH. Telephone 01775 722141, www.eyecarecentrelincolnshire.co.uk