Optimax Treats PGA Golf Professional

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:07:58 GMT

Laser eye surgery takes Golf Pro’s game out of the rough

Optimax, the Laser Eye Surgery specialists, recently performed surgery for
PGA golf professional Gareth Murray.

The West Yorkshire based golfer had treatment with Optimax at their Leeds clinic in April, to correct his worsening distance vision.

“My approach shots were becoming more difficult, and I struggled to follow the ball once I had taken the shot” explained Gareth.

He credits the treatment with moving his career in to a new competitive sphere.

“The main benefit, as a golf professional, is simply the clarity of vision.
My eyesight is phenomenal now, and because my distance vision is so much better I can judge exactly what kind of shot is required”

While the results have exceeded expectation, Gareth was also impressed by the level of service and patient care he received;

“The consultation was well explained and very comprehensive. The staff were excellent, and talked me through everything. I’ve got better than 20:20 vision now, and the treatment has instilled new confidence in my ability”

Since having his surgery, Gareth has competed in Yorkshire’s Pro Am tournament, and is now preparing for a series of competitions in Australia, scheduled for October.

To see Gareth Murray’s Laser Eye Surgery Video Diary, visit http://www.optimax.co.uk/success_stories/gareth_murray.aspx

See PGA Golf professional Bill Marklew’s laser eye surgery story:

http://www.optimax.co.uk/success_stories/bill_marklew.aspx

About Optimax
Founded in 1991, Optimax is a laser eye surgery specialist with 23 clinics across the UK.

It is the only specialist UK laser eye surgery clinic chain, with expertise gained from more than 300,000 treatments. Its recent GBP £5m investment in the latest technology means that more people than ever are achieving 20:20 vision.
For further information, please contact:
James Seton, Marketing and Communications, Optimax
Tel: 020 7317 8639
Email: james.seton@optimax.co.uk
Site: www.optimax.co.uk

Optical Express store opened by Daley Thompson jumping tape

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 10:44:27 GMT

Optical Express' latest optical store in Bearsden has been opened by Olympic legend Daley Thompson taking an unconventional approach to its unveiling. The decathlete, double Olympic gold medallist, world and Commonwealth champion swapped the conventional silver scissors for the scissors jump as he leaped the red ribbon to launch the new Optical Express store.

The eye care specialist relocated after nine years in the town in order to be able to offer customers a larger, more modern, state of the art opticians in Glasgow, Bearsden, where clients will receive the most clinically advanced eye tests in Scotland and a new, exclusive range of designer frames.

The store will stock Jimmy Choo's new range of designer prescription glasses - tipped to be as popular as the fashion label's range of shoes and bags - following their international launch last month. Customers can also choose from the latest designer frames from top names such as Dior, Prada, Gucci, Patrick Cox, Tom Ford, Cavalli and Chloe.

Daley Thompson said:

"Optical Express' latest venture is a superb facility which will ensure it continues to offer the very best advice, care and treatment for its clients.

"As an athlete I am very aware of the importance of looking after your eyes regular eye checks. Perfect vision is a key tool of our profession and I can't over emphasise the importance for all age groups to look after their eyes.

"While in Glasgow, which will host the Commonwealth Games in 2014, I also took the opportunity to speak to locals about the importance and need to encourage youngsters to become more active to ensure success at the Games in four years time."

Andrew MacKenzie, store manager of Optical Express said:

"Daley Thompson is a renowned athlete who understands the importance of regular eye checks to ensure the best possible performance and we're delighted to have him here today to open our new store.

"Our larger premises, improved facilities including state of the art technology, improved access in addition to a much wider range of glasses, all underline our commitment to improving customer service and experience."

Notes to Editors

About Optical Express:
Optical Express is the world's leading refractive surgery provider with its surgeons having carried out more than 700,000 laser eye surgery procedures and performing more than 6 out of every 10 refractive procedures in the UK. The company employs over 3000 people, utilising over 50 ophthalmologists and 250 optometrists across more than 220 locations throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland, Croatia, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States.

Optical Express invests $12 million to enhance patient care

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 13:56:01 GMT

Optical Express, the world leader in refractive surgery, has announced a $12 million investment in next generation laser eye surgery technology, enhancing patient care and improving vision beyond 20/20.

This latest investment will see all 44 Optical Express laser treatment clinics across the UK and Europe installing state-of-the-art iFS 150 femtosecond laser systems during 2010, reinforcing its dedication to developing the highest quality science-based products and services.

The equipment, designed to improve LASIK flap creation, will deliver a customised laser eye treatment for every individual patient that is safer, faster and will deliver improved outcomes.

Steve Schallhorn, Chief Medical Director for the Group said: "We remain at the forefront of technological innovation and through continuous investment we are dedicated to achieving the best clinical outcomes while leading the delivery of world class care.

"This latest investment further enhances our reputation as the world leader in laser eye surgery. I am delighted to be able to offer all our patients in the UK and Europe iFS(TM) 150 technology as I know that it the very best available in the world today."

Group Chairman and CEO David Moulsdale said: "This level of investment is testament to our ongoing commitment to ensuring that our patients get the very best visual outcomes in the safest manner possible. As a result of the investment, we are able to confirm that even more of our patients will achieve better than 20/20 vision."

Note to Editors
The Optical Express Group was founded in 1991 and is now a global leader of selected healthcare services, specialising in opticians services. The group covers optical stores, refractive laser eye surgery, cataract surgery, glasses, contact lenses as well as dental clinics.

Optical Express provides trained specialists to help patients determine which laser eye surgery treatment is best suited to their unique needs and offers the most advanced eye surgery treatments such as LASEK and LASIK eye surgery as well as Advanced CustomVue Wavefront and Intralase.

Optical Express is the leading provider of laser eye procedures in the UK and Europe, with over 100 laser eye clinics including Optical Express in Germany and Optical Express in France and opticians offering pre and post-operative care.

Optical Express joined by Padraig Harrington

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:21:19 GMT

Optical Express, Europe's Number One laser eye surgery specialists, has been joined by one of the world's greatest golfers, Padraig Harrington as a Brand Ambassador.

The back-to-back British Open Champion (2007,2008) and US PGA Champion (2008) is fronting a television advertising campaign for Optical Express on ITV, Sky Sports and other digital channels.

Speaking after filming the commercial Padraig said, "I'm delighted to endorse the great work carried-out by Optical Express. It's no secret that laser vision correction has made a massive difference to my life and career. For years I played with poor eyesight and it affected me and my game. Without the simple procedure, which was carried-out in London and Dublin, I would not be able to compete at the highest level. It's certainly helped me and it could assist others in many aspects of their lives. My only regret is that I wish I'd done it sooner. I want to be treated by the best and that's Optical Express."

Chairman and CEO of Optical Express, David Moulsdale joined Padraig at the TV studio and commented, "We are extremely proud to be working with Padraig Harrington. He is the most talented and successful golfer to come out of Europe in many years. And his back-to-back victories at The Open catapulted him towards the top of the game. Add to that his outstanding win at the US PGA Championship and it confirmed his status as one of the greats of the game today.

At Optical Express, we are clinically and technically superior to all our competitors in the refractive industry and it's fitting that we work with the best and that is Padraig Harrington. He is the perfect Ambassador for laser eye surgery at Optical Express where we have successfully carried-out more than 700,000 procedures. We are delighted that he considers the surgery to have been so impactful on his career and welcome Padraig as our Brand Ambassador".

About Optical Express:
The Optical Express Group was founded in 1991 and is now a global leader of selected healthcare services, specialising in opticians services. The group covers optical stores, refractive laser eye surgery, glasses, contact lenses as well as dental clinics.

Optical Express is the leading provider of laser eye surgery in the UK and Europe, with over 100 laser eye clinics including laser eye surgery clinics in London, and opticians offering pre and post-operative care.

Optical Express reports successful launch of Ambassador Programme

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:48:17 GMT

Optical Express has announced the successful launch of its Ambassador Programme.

The programme, available to all past laser and intraocular lens treatment patients of Optical Express, enables referrers to choose how they would like their referral reward - valued at hundreds of pounds - to be distributed. They can claim the reward themselves, give their friend or relative the full discount, or split the reward.

After a trial run at the end of 2009, the Ambassador Referral Programme was officially launched in early 2010. Since then, over a thousand valued patients have taken advantage of the unique opportunity offered by the opticians.

"We're extremely excited about how the programme has gone so far," said David Carson, head of the Ambassador programme. "Everyone has really embraced the opportunity, and we're seeing promising numbers and getting great feedback."

All three options surrounding the allocation of the reward have been very popular, according to Carson.

"The fact that we're seeing such a distribution of choices in terms of the reward really reaffirms to us that our patients appreciate the choice we’ve provided them with," he said. "If one [option] had been overwhelmingly popular, we might have considered reworking the programme, but as it stands, the numbers indicate that our referrers like having all three options."

Despite the relatively limited time frame in which the Ambassador Referral Programme has been running, patients have been extremely enthusiastic, Carson said.

"We've seen numerous patients referring three, four, even six of their friends and colleagues in the short time since we launched the programme," he said. "Every day we're getting calls from patients who have just been treated, anxious to receive their pack in the mail and start referring. The momentum that is building right now surrounding Ambassador is just phenomenal."

Optical Express offers free laser eye surgery consultations at over 100 locations across the UK and Europe.

Optical Express is the leading provider of laser eye surgery in the UK and Europe, with over 100 laser eye clinics including laser eye surgery in London and opticians offering pre and post-operative care.

Optical Express Cameron Toll unveils following major refit

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 09:26:06 GMT

Optical Express in Edinburgh's Cameron Toll has been unveiled following a major refit, and is now poised to serve customers even better.

"The shop looks amazing," said Clare Elliot, the location's General Manager. "It's been transformed, and looks very sophisticated. It's created a great buzz."

The location has been updated to be more consistent with other Optical Express locations, with a white, modern look, and tiled flooring to replace the older, tartan carpets. The result is a brighter, and more professional looking clinic, with less visual elements detracting from the wide range of frames on display. A number of new glasses and sunglasses are now available, including frames from Dior and Givenchy.

According to Elliot, the entire team is enthused about the location's big makeover.

"The whole team is very excited about the refit," Elliot said. "We've always known that we have great products, and can offer a great shopping experience, and now the store looks brilliant as well."

The clinic is located by the south entrance of the Cameron Toll Shopping Centre, a mile and a half outside of the Edinburgh city centre. Throughout the entire refitting process, the clinic remained open.

"We really wanted to minimise any inconvenience to our customers," Elliot said. "We underwent the refit so we can provide a better experience for our customers, but at the same time, we didn’t want to close down the store in the process and put anyone out. We structured our refit as to have as little impact on our day-to-day operations as possible."

The location carries over a thousand designer frames and sunglasses, including Ray-Ban, Marc Jacobs and Gucci. The location also offers an array of contact lenses. A convenient 1-hour service is available for making glasses, so customers can have their glasses ready by the time they are finished their shopping.

Optical Express is also Europe's number one provider of laser eye surgery, with over 100 clinics across the UK and Europe, including Edinburgh, providing pre and post-operative care.

Optical Express is the leading provider of laser eye surgery in the UK and Europe, with over 100 laser eye clinics including laser eye surgery in Edinburgh and opticians offering pre and post-operative care.

Optical Express sponsors the Kirsty Clubs Angel Ball 2009

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:21:04 GMT

Optical Express has donated free laser eye surgery to the Kirsty Club's annual Angel Ball, in an effort to support the Francis House Children's Hopsice in Manchester. Held on Saturday, November 21st at the Hallmark Hotel, the event raised funds for the Hospice, a centre which provides support and care for terminally ill children and their families. The free surgery, available to be redeemed at any of Optical Express' clinics across the UK and Europe, was raffled off among other prizes.

The star-studded event was hosted by Mike Sweeney. Other attendees included supermodel Caprice, singer Russell Watson, actor and singer Richard Fleeshman, and actors Sue Jenkins, David Fleeshman, William Roach and Denise Welch, among others.

Held annually since 2006, the Angel Ball was originally part of the campaign Kristy's Appeal, designed to raise £5 million for the Francis House. After meeting this goal, the charity Kristy's Club was founded, to provide continued support for the growth and ongoing running of the Hospice.

The namesake of the campaign and charity is Kirsty Howard, a young Briton living with a rare and unnamed condition where her heart is back to front, causing her internal organs to be misaligned. This inoperable condition requires constant treatment, including a steady supply of oxygen. In 1999, at the age of 3, Kirsty was given just six weeks to live. She celebrated her 14th birthday this September. She has won numerous awards for her courage and charity work, including the 2001 Child of Courage Award, the 2002 Pride of Britain Award, and the 2004 Helen Rollason Award.

Joanna Patterson, marketing assistant for Optical Express, commented on the significance of supporting such an event: "Kirsty's Club is such a great cause, and one that we were more than happy to support. Kirsty and all of the work that she has done to raise money for Francis House is inspirational, to say the least, and we were glad for the opportunity to contribute."

Francis House Children's Hospice, the brainchild of Sister Aloysius, was opened in November 1991 by the late Princess Diana of Wales.

About Optical Express
The Optical Express Group was founded in 1991 and is now a global leader of selected healthcare services, specialising in opticians services. The group covers optical stores, refractive laser eye surgery, glasses, contact lenses as well as dental clinics.

Optical Express provides trained specialists to help patients determine which laser eye surgery treatment is best suited to their unique needs and offers the most advanced eye surgery treatments such as LASIK eye surgery and LASEK as well as Advanced CustomVue Wavefront and Intralase.