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A group of eye care professionals has teamed up with lens maker Carl Zeiss Vision in a unique partnership exemplifying the ‘team approach’ to eye care by combining ophthalmology and optometry with the very latest diagnostic imaging and optical dispensing – all in the one practice.
The practice (Eyescan Toorak), the first of its kind in Australia, was launched in Melbourne last December and is the forerunner of many more such practices around the country.
Created by Dr. Harry Unger (Ophthalmologist), Richard Ross (Optometrist) and John Brkic (Dispenser and Practice Manager), the environment is a premium optometry practice blending high-end fashion with the very best ophthalmic equipment.
“There has been a separation of optometry and ophthalmology for about two decades longer than has been reasonable,” Dr. Unger explains.
“This concept is a one-stop shop with high-end spectacle frames using only Carl Zeiss Vision lenses. We’ve got diagnostic equipment worth about half a million dollars. We’ve got optometry and ophthalmology on site every day. It’s so convenient”.
Dr. Unger says it’s all about convenience for patients and high quality customer and patient care.
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“The other thing is that we have diagnostic equipment – OCTs, really high end stuff looking for macular degeneration and glaucoma and diabetes”.
Dr. Unger says Eyescan Toorak came about because Carl Zeiss Vision was interested in having a better penetration for its lenses in the market place.
“John Brkic had contact with Carl Zeiss Vision and had a chat to them about it and they were very interested and thought it would be a nice way to co-badge. It really is an honour to co-badge with such a powerful organisation”.
Dr. Unger reports that business “is very good” and it has been very readily accepted by the market.
“Patients find they are being examined by equipment that their ophthalmologists don’t have, so they’re very impressed with the quality of the service. We’re not geared to high volume. We’re just geared to high quality,” he says.
Carl Zeiss Vision has collaborated with the concept and supplied all the best instruments and equipment to the practice.
“What we’re now looking to do is either partner or franchise with optometrists and opticians who have an interest in high quality care with spectacles, lenses and diagnostic, and we hope to roll it out,” says Dr. Unger.
“The deal we have with Zeiss is that there are 82 postcodes in Australia where we have first crack doing the Zeiss Experience stores which would be branded Eyescan/Zeiss. What we’ve done is couple the Carl Zeiss Vision lenses with only high grade frames and we’ve added diagnostics to it”.
According to the company, Eyescan Toorak has taken on the Zeiss Experience concept but they are more than just a Zeiss Exclusive Partner. They uniquely combine on-site ophthalmology and optometry with state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging and optical dispensing, all in the one location.
