Optician eyes up 40 years ... and more than 120,000 eye tests
HE’S EYE and mighty, and there is no stopping him yet. The director of a Woodley-based optician is celebrating more than 120,000 eye tests, one million pairs of glasses and 40 years of service.
Ravi Bhardwaj, runs Specsavers branches in Reading, Lower Earley and Woodley, and started his career in optics in the early 1980s.
He was one of the first to take a stake in the global, privately-owned eyecare and audiology company with founders Doug and Dame Mary Perkins, opening a store on Friar Street in 1986.
He then went on to open two further stores in Lower Earley and Woodley.
During his career, Ravi has mentored hundreds of team members, some of whom have gone on to become fully qualified opticians and store partners with Specsavers themselves.
He has also witnessed some major technological advancements in eyecare, including Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) scanners, which produce a structural scan of the eye, helping optometrists to detect a range of eye conditions up to four years earlier than traditional methods.
Specsavers Reading retail director Hashin Hirani says: “Not only are we marking 40 years of Specsavers and providing expert care to millions of eyes and ears but we’re also celebrating Ravi’s monumental milestone too.
“He has been with the company since the very beginning and is still going strong.”
Specsavers Reading ophthalmic director Samrina Awan says: “His drive and passion for eyecare, as well as care for the community, is an inspiration to us all.”
Ravi adds: “Celebrating this milestone has made me reflect on how far we have come as a business. The technological advancements have been remarkable – to think we started without computers and used ‘old-fashioned’ sight charts, is now hard to believe.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the past 40 years and am so proud of the impact our stores have had on Reading’s eye health, which couldn’t have been achieved without the dedication of the
tremendous teams at each store.
“I’m excited to see what impact future cutting-edge optical technology can have on the local community’s eye health.”
Over the past four decades, Specsavers along with Ravi has invested in the forefront of optical and audiology technology and trends, offering a wide range of services, including eye tests, prescription eyewear and contact lenses, as well as hearing tests, hearing aids and wax removal.
Specsavers, which also offers a Home Visits service for those unable to visit one of its 1,000 locally-owned stores, provides a range of eyecare services that not only maintain people’s eye health and vision, but also help detect broader health issues.
■ For more information or to book a sight test, call Specsavers Reading, Lower Earley and Woodley on: 0118 956 9001 or visit: www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/reading