Whitby Specsavers invests £100,000 to provide cutting edge technology and increase size of store

Directors at Whitby Specsavers have invested £100,000 into the store, to provide higher-grade optical technology for customers and to accommodate post-lockdown demand.
By Duncan Atkins
Published 27th Jul 2021, 13:57 GMT
Updated 27th Jul 2021, 13:58 GMT
Samantha Jenkins with the OCT machine.Samantha Jenkins with the OCT machine.
Samantha Jenkins with the OCT machine.

In August 2020, the New Quay Road store invested in a new 3D scanning OCT machine, to help support the community’s eye health, which has allowed the store’s optometrists to undertake Specsavers’ most advanced eye test for customers.

A year later, the store’s optometrists have revealed the machine has since helped to detect retinal detachments, macular holes, macular degeneration, post cataract complications and many other serious eye conditions.

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The investment has also created jobs for the town, including a pre-registration optometrist and three optical assistant positions.

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Cutting edge eye technology in the Whitby Specsavers store.Cutting edge eye technology in the Whitby Specsavers store.
Cutting edge eye technology in the Whitby Specsavers store.

As well as new technology, the investment will increase the size of the store and will enable the team to increase the capacity to test more patients.

Samantha Jenkins, who is the store’s optometrist director, says the investment will further build on the care the store can provide for customers, which she hopes will help improve the overall eye health of the town’s residents.

Samantha said: "An OCT scan helps us to view the health of people’s eyes in greater detail than ever before, by allowing us to see what’s going on beneath the surface.

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"With OCT, we can spot many underlying, sight-threatening eye diseases, sometimes up to four years earlier than traditional techniques, and we can spot signs of other diseases which affect the optic nerve and retina, like blood pressure problems and brain tumours too.

"It also helps relieve pressure on the NHS because it reduces the number of referrals we need to make."

Samantha added: "We decided to install a third test room to increase capacity and allow us to hold extra clinics, which our pre-registration optometrist will work in throughout this year.

"We are also improving our pre-screening area and installing air conditioning to improve comfort for patients and staff.

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"We’re really pleased the Whitby community can take advantage of this enhanced care.

"The team have loved it using it and the feedback from customers so far has been brilliant.’

Visit https://www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/whitby for more.

Related topics:SpecsaversNHS