Vision Care, the second company to provide optometric and optical services in Seychelles, has said it is overwhelmed by the response it has received from members of the public since it began its business here in Seychelles about a month ago.

Owned by two Germans, Vision Care Seychelles Ltd is operating at the Riverside Point at Mont Fleuri, where it has set up a clinic and a computerised workshop.

On Friday September 20, the media was invited for a tour inside the clinic.

Vision Care's director is Mr Michael Bloss and the clinic is run by a qualified optometrist who is also the majority shareholder of the business, Mr Hermann Holst. Mr Hoslt has over 25 years of experience as a professional optometrist and master craftsman of ophthalmic optics who claims to be very well qualified to detect ocular diseases.

Besides optometry services, which include comprehensive eye tests and diagnostic of eye diseases, Vision Care also manufactures optical lenses, including bi-focal and multi-focal as well as progressive lenses, and this is normally done within a very short time.

Besides making lenses for spectacles, Vision Care also makes tinted sunglasses and also deals in repair of damaged frames.

According to Mr Bloss, Vision Care provides top quality services using state-of-the-art equipment which he guaranteed would "ensure correct diagnosis of visual acuity and the detection of ocular disorders and diseases."

Among the equipment being used by Vision Care is the basic instrument available in most modern optometry practice, the auto-refractor or keratometer, which measures the topography of the cornea to determine the size of contact lens required. It also serves to test the medical condition of the eye. The non-contact tonometer allows the measuring of the intra-ocular pressure of the eye without the use of anaesthetics and without touching the eye physically. This instrument can assist in the early detection of one of the most common eye diseases in Seychelles, glaucoma.

Other instruments being used are the slit-lamp, an optical microscope used to investigate the different areas in the eyes and the ophthalmoscope, a handheld piece of equipment which can detect certain systemic condition of the eyes such as hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol.

Mr Bloss said Vision Care would introduce an additional test unit soon, the pola-test, which will be used to determine the condition of squinting and its related conditions.

He also stated that the clinic "would strive to continually update and upgrade its diagnostic equipment to be in line with European and other world standards."

Since its launching here, Vision Care has been providing free of charge eye test services on Mondays at the Ministry of Health for patients referred to its care by the ministry. The rate for eye tests at the Riverside-based clinic is R150.

The company normally imports most of its frames from various European countries.

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