Jaime Lovegrove, manager at Iris, the Visual Group -- Canada's largest eye-care provider -- models some of the frames available at its recently opened clinic in southwest London which employs opticians, optometrists and opthalmologists. It's the third clinic of its kind in Ontario. (Susan Bradnam, Sun Media)
In a blink, London has become part of the latest eye- care trend.
Iris, the Visual Group -- the largest eye-care provider in Canada -- has opened a clinic in southwest London that employs optometrists, opticians and opthalmologists.
It's the third clinic of its kind in Ontario.
"By integrating all three professionals, (it) allows for optimal care," said Daryan Angle, Iris's vice-president of professional relations.
That means patients of the privately owned clinic can have eye exams, buy designer glasses and contacts and have their eyes' health tested at one location.
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The spa-like clinics also do laser eye surgeries and monitor patients' occular health.
People typically see the three eye care professionals at separate offices. Bringing them together is part of Iris's philosophy.
Its clinics -- 165 across Canada -- won a battle this spring against the College of Optometrists, which argued Iris had a conflict of interest by allowing optometrists and opticians to work together.
It's a "good thing" to have those eye-care providers work side-by-side to provide good care, said Mike Gregory, owner of Gregory's Optical Centre in London.
Some regular clinics pair optometrists and opticians for that reason, he added.
"I can't see them being much of a competition towards us," he said.
Some of Iris's cutting-edge technology, he added, is available to other clinics.
Iris has a retina camera, which takes a digital image of the inside of an eye and helps track its health.
It also has a visual field instrument, which maps peripheral vision and can detect early eye disease.
Iris has come to London because "it's a dynamic, growing community (that) has a great reputation for health care," said Angle.
It's located in Westwood Plaza, near Home Depot, on Wonderland Road South.
The first Iris clinic in Ontario opened in Waterloo early last year.
Jaime Lovegrove, manager of London's Iris clinic, worked there when it first opened.
The spa-like atmosphere and cutting-edge technology make Iris a great place to work, she said.
"It was something new, something that Ontario had never seen before," she said.
