Enjoy clinical diversity as part of a world leading team

As we begin to emerge from lock down, the General Optical Council has stated that registrants can deliver private eye care to patients, and optical practices across the country are preparing for a return to some form of normality.

If you’re an Optometrist and the prospect of going back to your day to day practice doesn’t excite you, why not consider a role at Optical Express? Our leading optometry teams could offer a new challenge and the chance to enhance your clinical skills. Whether you’re early in your career or have vast experience in eye care, now could be a good time to consider where you want to develop your career.

For any Optometrist exploring new opportunities, Optical Express has a lot to offer. The range of clinical services that we offer patients means that you will be able to practice real clinical diversity, getting the opportunity to develop new skills and grow your clinical confidence. For example, we encourage all of our Optometrists to gain their Independent Prescribing qualification, fully funded by Optical Express. IP support doesn’t just stop at the funding of the university course. We also provide clinical placements through our ophthalmology network, meaning you gain advanced skills and knowledge which not only benefits you, but also your patients.

This kind of opportunity just isn’t readily available in day to day optometry, but because of Optical Express’s industry leading position, we can offer real career progression for our Optometrists. You will work alongside our expert Ophthalmologists and Senior Optometrists as part of our refractive and cataract surgery offer to patients, meaning you’ll be involved in leading edge practices, learning from some of the country’s top specialists in clinical eye care.

By joining Optical Express you will be welcomed onto a world-leading team which is going from strength to strength. Through the remainder of 2020 and beyond, we are opening new state-of-the-art clinics in more locations across the UK. We are a forward-thinking team. We invest in advanced clinical and diagnostic technology, giving our Optometrists the best equipment available.

We focus on achieving the best outcomes for our patients, but we’re also committed to doing all we can to reduce the burden on the NHS, especially in these challenging times. We know from independent, peer review, scientific studies, that contact lenses carry a significant risk of infection[1],2 and bifocal and multi-focal glasses are a major contributor to serious trips and falls, many of which result in hospital admission.3,4,5,6 We work hard to help patients make decisions about their eye care that reduce the risk of these infections and incidents, and reduce pressure on the NHS.

COVID-19 has made us all conscious of trying to touch our face less and reduce the risk of catching and spreading infection, but for glasses and contact lens wearers, this is really difficult. We communicate with our patients about the many health benefits of opting for a refractive treatment, as well as the lifestyle benefits.

We have a strong commitment to giving back to the communities we serve. Since its launch in 2017, our Thanks a Million campaign has given away over £1 million of laser eye surgery to say thank you to our amazing NHS and emergency services workers.

We’re also passionate about our planet and reducing environmental harm. We are at the forefront of raising awareness of the environmental impact of the visual correction choices patients make. In the UK, 750 million contact lenses end up in the ocean or in landfill every year. 7,8  Our Optometrists are at the forefront of educating patients about the plastic pollution caused by the use of daily disposable contact lenses, and helping them make environmentally friendly eye care choices.

If you’re a skilled Optometrist looking for a new challenge, why not explore how a role at Optical Express could help you reach your potential.

References:

  1. Infective Keratitis after Laser Vision Correction: Incidence and Risk Factors; Shallhorn et al; J Cataract Refract Surg 2017; 43: 473-479.
  2. Contact Lens Replacted Microbial Keratitis; Stapleton et al; Eye 2012; 26: 185-193.
  3. Multifocal Glasses Impair Edge-Contrast Sensitivity and Depth Perception and Increase the Risk of Falls in Older People; Lord SR; J Am Geriatr Soc 2002; 50:1760-6
  4. Epidemiology of falls; Masud T. et al; Age Ageing 2001; 30:3-7;
  5. https://beta.isdscotland.org/media/2121/2019-03-05-ui-2019-report.pdf
  6. https://beta.isdscotland.org/media/3786/ui_table2_mar20.xlsx
  7. https://www.abdo.org.uk/news/aclm-2016-contact-lens-statistics
  8. Based on a survey of over 3,000 Optical Express contact lens users across the UK between May and September 2019.

Optometry Careers

If you’re an optometrist and interested in career opportunities with us, simply fill in the form below and we’ll be in touch with you to arrange an informal discussion.