Stephen Whitehead is still our dispensing optician working in St Davids on Tuesdays but he will be working a bit less in Fishguard. Stephen wants to spend more time in his garden and walking in the Preseli hills.

Over recent weeks we have taken on two new ranges of spectacle frames. Marc by Marc Jacobs offer bright bold colours for men and women in both plastics and metal frames, some with stripes whilst others have a mottled effect. Most of the Marc frames have sprung hinge sides and make a great statement.

For those ladies who prefer something slightly more subtle the new CC (Country Casuals) range modelled by Jane Seymour are in autumnal tones of bronze and mulberry with pretty details on the sides.

One of our optometrists, Mr Baker, has been in serious training over recent months and successfully completed six triathlons over the summer, all in commendable times. Robin wore his Polaroid sunglasses over 1 Day Acuvue Trueye contact lenses for the running and cycling events. “They were Brilliant,” said Robin. “Polaroid’s cut out so much of the glare on the wet roads as well as offering protection from the wind”.

Michael and Sally were proud to sponsor this years Fishguard Show and enjoyed a day on the field meeting lots of people. The sunshine meant that lots of people stayed on till late watching the competitions and viewing the exhibits. A brilliant day for locals and visitors alike and an important event in the local calendar.

Children from the Holy Name School came to visit the practice just before the summer break. They learnt something about eyes and how they worked; they had a great time with Michael and Ruth.

To celebrate World Sight Day the practice held a Coffee and Cake day. The staff produced a delicious array of cakes and patients were invited to enjoy the fare for a £1 donation. We were very grateful for everybody’s generosity as well as the hard work of our staff to make such a success of the day. Between the raffle and donations we raised £400. Michael & Sally added a further £100, which means that we sent £500 for Vision Aid Overseas and Optometry Giving Sight. These two charities help to provide examinations and spectacles in countries such as Ghana where there is little or no eyecare.

Locals enjoy a coffee and cake!

]]> http://www.michaelcharlton.co.uk/newsletter-autumn-2011/feed/ 0 http://www.michaelcharlton.co.uk/newsletter-spring-summer-2011/ http://www.michaelcharlton.co.uk/newsletter-spring-summer-2011/#comments Mon, 09 May 2011 10:19:14 +0000 admin http://charlton.gobase.co.uk/?p=756 We are delighted to welcome Karon to join our team of receptionists. Many of you will know her from her years of service in Antur Insurance (formerly Dyfed Insurance). Although the systems are different, she is able to use many of her skills in our environment.

Please be aware that the new Pembrokeshire County Council [...]]]> We are delighted to welcome Karon to join our team of receptionists. Many of you will know her from her years of service in Antur Insurance (formerly Dyfed Insurance). Although the systems are different, she is able to use many of her skills in our environment.

Please be aware that the new Pembrokeshire County Council parking enforcement regime means that, except for Blue Badge holders, there is only 1 hour parking outside the practice and this is being adhered to.

Our staff are now enjoying their new uniform. We like the overall effect and hope it adds to the feeling of team work in the practice.

Michael, Sally and Anthea recently visited Optrafair, a huge trade show at the NEC in Birmingham. We were able to see first hand the latest innovations within the profession. Consulting room equipment, contact lenses and glasses are all on show letting us browse and test new technologies. Michael also attended educational lectures making sure he is right up to date.

As a result of our trip to Optrafair we will shortly be replacing some of the consulting room equipment with the latest 3D digital eye test charts. This will allow us to use some of the newest techniques in vision testing.

The latest Polaroid sun spectacles are now in the practice, including children’s styles. With some exceptions, these can be made to your prescription. Polarised lenses reduce surface reflections to a minimum and are particularly good near water or wet surfaces, for example driving after it has rained.

Our practice recognises the importance of customer service and many of our staff have gained certificates after completing a course on effective communication. We hope we can do a good job even better by listening to our patients needs and helping them understand the new technologies that may benefit them.

You are very welcome to pop in to see the new glasses that have arrived this spring. We have something to suit everyone including the latest ‘Eclectic Collection’ from Stepper. This is a real retro look but manufactured in modern materials including the use of titanium.

The Eclectic Collection

Hywel Dda Health Board is concerned about the waiting lists in the ophthalmology clinics, especially if glaucoma is suspected. A new scheme has been set up to try and help reduce some of the waiting time. Our practice was chosen to pilot this in North Pembrokeshire. The hospital referral letters for suspected glaucoma are seen by an ophthalmologist and if further investigation is required we can perform those tests at our Fishguard practice to help speed things up. So far this has been well received by patients.

As a result of the decision by the clearing banks to no longer guarantee cheques, regretfully we have decided to stop accepting any cheques. We do accept most forms of credit and debit cards and of course we will happily accept cash! We are sorry if this causes some inconvenience but hope you will understand that this is because of the changes in the banking system.

We hope you enjoy reading this newsletter – please watch our website for the next one!