Opticians invest £57,000 in state-of-the-art equipment

A CARMARTHEN opticians has invested more than £57,000 in state-ofthe-art equipment and a new glazing service to boost eye care services for residents.

Specsavers on Merlin’s Walk has invested in an optical coherence tomography (OCT) machine, hospital-grade technology that can screen and manage some of the most common sight loss conditions in Wales, including, agerelated macular degeneration and glaucoma.

The store has also acquired a Neksia machine, which glazes the frames, and have invested in a lens process ordering system to streamline the production and ordering process.

Kevin McCarthy, store director at Specsavers Carmarthen, said: “We have been serving the people in Carmarthen for 30 years and are committed to this community and to transforming eye health.

“Investing in our customers’ future eye health by offering them access to the best ophthalmic technology out there, at an affordable price, seemed like the right thing to do.”

The OCT machine uses light waves to create a contactless, painless 3D scan of the layers of the eye within minutes, which can then be analysed by an optometrist.

It can help detect and facilitate treatment of eye conditions such as glaucoma and wet age-related macular degeneration.

The investment marks the one-year anniversary of the store’s £400,000 relocation to Merlin’s Walk.

Since its official re-opening by Specsavers co-founder, Doug Perkins, the opticians has also invested in three fulltime retail assistants to keep up with the growing demand of the local community.

“Nearly half of all sight loss cases are preventable so the sooner we detect these conditions, and help people access the right treatment, the better,” said Mr McCarthy. “Our new state-ofthe-art glazing service and staff will help us become more efficient, so we can continue to not only meet, but exceed, our customers’ expectations.”