A POPULAR and well-known opticians is celebrating a milestone anniversary after providing essential eye care to seasiders for a quarter of a century.

Specsavers Clacton opened its doors 25 years ago before moving to a premises in Pier Avenue – where it currently operates - to cater for rising customer demand.

In that time the two-storey building has gone from accommodating one testing room to seven, as well as a state-of-the-art Optical Coherence Tomography machine.

The branch also doubles up as an audiology hub and now boasts two fully soundproofed and dedicated testing rooms as part of its hearing health department.

The Specsavers Clacton team currently comprises of 36 staff members, of which two are promising apprentices and four have more than ten years of service.

Lee Siang Holcombe, store director for Specsavers Clacton, said:  “I have watched our Clacton store grow from a single testing room using handwritten records to a large multiskilled team, offering our OCT scan which uses hospital-grade technology.

“It’s great news for customers, as we can now detect sight-threatening diseases earlier and in turn, giving us the best chance of safeguarding their eye health.”

Since the coronavirus pandemic the Clacton branch, like many others across the country, has had to adapt in order to be as safe an environment as possible.

The number of customers who can enter the store at the same time is restricted, social distancing must be adhered to, and workers use protective equipment.

Services are also frequently sanitised, card payments are encouraged instead of cash, and customers must book appointments in advance.

“This is such a difficult time for everyone,” added Mrs Holcombe.

“But it is essential that we remain open to continue to provide care, especially for key workers and to help support our partners in the NHS to provide critical care where it is most needed.”