An independent opticians in Bexhill has celebrated the expertise and dedication of its ‘everyday heroes’ after welcoming the chief executive of the UK’s professional body for dispensing opticians as part of nationwide centenary celebrations.
Alistair Bridge, Chief Executive of the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO), visited Barracloughs in Western Road as part of a programme marking 100 years of the dispensing optics profession. Barracloughs is one of just 100 optical practices across the UK selected to host a special visit during the centenary year.
Mr Bridge met the Barracloughs team and saw first-hand the work of its dispensing opticians, highlighting the important role they play in delivering highly personalised care to patients.
The visit also provided an opportunity for Barracloughs to celebrate the contribution of its own team of dispensing opticians – professionals whose experience, technical expertise and understanding of individual patients are central to the practice.
Barracloughs director Dave Cleworth said: “Dispensing opticians are absolutely crucial to a practice. They are not simply the people who help someone choose a pair of glasses – they combine technical expertise, clinical understanding and an incredible knowledge of the individual patient to find the right solution for them. They’re our everyday heroes.
“We have seen countless occasions where the right dispensing decision can make a genuinely life-changing difference. It might be helping someone regain confidence, continue working comfortably or finding a bespoke fit for a lifestyle or visual need that is far from straightforward.
“That personal understanding is what makes a great dispensing optician. They get to know the patient, understand how they live and what they need from their eyewear, and use their expertise to create something genuinely right for that individual.”
Barracloughs has a particularly strong background in developing and retaining dispensing expertise.
Mel McGrath has been with the company for 30 years. She originally joined in an administrative role before moving into practice and qualifying as a dispensing optician. Decades later, she remains an important part of the Barracloughs team.
Rita Palmer provides another example of the varied routes into the profession. Having joined Barracloughs from Boots, she began her DO training at the age of 53. Now in her seventies, she continues to work with the same enthusiasm and commitment.
Dave said: “Mel and Rita have absolutely smashed it. Mel has established herself as a vital part of the team over many years and is incredibly popular with all our patients. Rita started her training at an age when many people might have thought it was too late to embark on a new professional qualification, but she proved exactly the opposite.
“They are both fantastic examples of how there is no single route or age at which you have to enter this profession.”
As artificial intelligence increasingly becomes part of the optical industry, Barracloughs believes the future of dispensing will be about combining technology with the skills that remain uniquely human.
“AI has huge potential and we should embrace it,” said Dave. “Anything that helps our teams work more efficiently, make better-informed decisions and improve patient care has to be welcomed.
“But there are things AI cannot replicate. It cannot sit down with a patient and understand what their glasses mean to them, pick up on the little things they might not say, or build the trust that comes from dealing with a skilled professional.
“The future is about using technology to enhance what our dispensing opticians do, not replace them. Their expertise, judgement, empathy and personal touch are incredibly important, and often what turns a good dispensing experience into an exceptional one.”
Dave added: “We were incredibly proud to be selected to take part in the ABDO centenary celebrations, but what made the visit particularly special was the opportunity to shine a light on our own dispensing opticians. They are an integral part of Barracloughs and a huge part of what makes independent practice special.”
