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“We already give style advice to customers when they are choosing their frames and lenses but this expert guidance on colour from Ann adds that extra sparkle to their glasses by matching the frames with their natural colours.

“As opticians we make sure customers get the right frames and lenses for their eyesight and Ann’s tips will help us ensure our customers achieve the best possible look. 

“We continually seek to raise the level of customer service we provide and by improving our skills in this way we hope to ensure we are providing the very best advice to our customers,” she said.

Ann Skidmore is a qualified corporate image and style consultant with national image consultants Colour Me Beautiful, last year she won an award as one of the leading newcomers to the consultancy, she also runs her own business consultancy firm.

During the training session Miss Skidmore gave tips to staff about how to pick the best coloured frames to match the colour of a customer’s skin, hair and eyes.

“The beauty advice will help to make customers’ glasses a real fashion item,” said Miss Skidmore.

“These tips will help people to choose the colour of frames that enhance and lift the natural colours in their face.

“Men also want to make sure the colour of the glasses they choose will make them look their best, whether that’s for business or socially.

“I hope these tips will mean customers look fabulous and have great confidence in wearing their glasses,” she said.

Jan said: “As we turn 40 at Mincher-Lockett Opticians we wanted to emphasise the health message that hitting 40 is one of the crucial times for people to take care of their eye sight.

“Customer care is at the centre of our service so while we celebrate our 40^th we’re stressing that looking after your eye sight from 40 onwards can prevent eye sight loss and damage later in life,” she said.

“Turning 40 is one of the key health milestone for many conditions like heart disease, diabetes, stroke and kidney disease, it’s why the government’s planned national health screening programme to prevent these conditions will start with people aged 40.

“Forty is also a crucial age for our eye sight,” Jan explained.

“At 40 we typically notice the first signs of aging in our eyes, like a difficulty in focusing on very near objects. It’s important to track this from our early 40s with regular eye tests. That means people can get glasses as soon as they need them, helping to prevent eyestrain and headaches.

“Particular changes in our eye sight, which very commonly first appear in our 40s, can also provide the first signs of the onset of diabetes, and early detection of diabetes is crucial to prevent it causing long term damage including blindness.

“Turning 40 is also one of the key times to spot the loss of pigment in cells in the macular area of the eye which can be an indicator that this part of the eye is working less effectively. Macular pigment degeneration is the most common cause of blindness in the developed world.

“To detect this we were one of the first opticians in the area to install equipment, called an Mpod, that screens for a loss of the pigment, which we recommend to all adult customers but especially those aged over 40.

“So we’re asking people particularly in their 40s to join in our birthday celebrations by giving a thought to their eye sight and making sure they start having regular eye sight checks,” she said. 

Long serving customer Tracey Henney, a personal assistant from Creswell who has just turned 40, supported the Look Good at 40 message at a launch event at the practice in June. Tracey got her first pair of contact lenses just after turning 40 in February after a lifetime of wearing glasses.

“Because I’ve got one eye that is weaker than the other opticians had always told me I couldn’t wear contact lenses, but Mincher-Lockett Opticians have supplied me with a pair with one lens that’s stronger than the other, so I’m able to wear contact lenses for the first time.

“It’s been a real eye-opener for me, I’ve never seen this well before in my life and when I first put them in I just didn’t want to take them out.

“It does show the importance of looking after yourself to look good at 40, it’s a key milestone to really start taking care of your eyes,” she said.

The longest serving customer at Mincher-Lockett Opticians George Hewson, aged 71, a retired IT consultant from Weston, who first came to the opticians in May 1969, also be took part in the celebrations.

“I suppose I’m proof of how looking after your eyesight does pay dividends,” he said.

“I suffered from double vision a short time ago and Jan told me it could’ve been caused by a mild stroke. After getting checked over by a specialist I was eventually given the all clear. But it shows how your eyesight can be a window on to other health problems so having regular checks can bring real benefits, luckily my eyesight is good and I’m fit and healthy,” he said.

Sarah Edge, co-owner of the business and dispensing optician, said the refurbishment is a continuation of the expansion of the business which began in 2007, when the opticians expanded into the next door shop unit.

She emphasised it is important for the business to continue investing in improved customer service during the economic downturn.

“We have made a significant investment in the refurbishment of the practice,” she said.

“It is part of our commitment to continually improve the quality of eye care we provide to patients and we will do that by using more up-to-date equipment in a better setting for patients.

“Using more modern equipment will mean we can do more standard eye tests. It will also help us carry out our other tests more easily, like retinal photography and macular pigment screening, and mean we can spend more time with patients discussing their eye care needs." (For more details on macular pigment screening see story below)

Sarah Edge is pictured below with the Mayor of Stafford Councillor Ann Edgeller (centre) and Jan Goodwin (right) at the official re-opening of the practice.

“We’re a specialist contact lens centre and this area of our practice will also benefit from the new facilities," she added.

“The inside of the practice has been transformed, providing a larger area for patients to choose their frames and lenses and more space for the dispensing and fitting of glasses. It is a better, more relaxed environment for our clients.

“This really continues a process which started in January 2007 when we expanded into the neighbouring shop doubling our floor space.”

She said that despite the current economic gloom it was still important to focus on customer service.

“Even in this period of recession it is still very important for people to look after their eyes, their contact lenses and their health generally,” she said.

“In more difficult economic times we do need to make sure that we offer even better service to patients, by improving the look of our practice and the care we offer our patients.

“When our patients may be feeling the recession in their pockets we are trying to work even harder to make sure we keep our current patients and attract new ones.

Councillor Edgeller, pictured left with Sarah and Jan, said: “The newly refurbished practice at Mincher-Lockett Opticians looks fantastic and makes the practice a bright and comfortable environment for people to get their eye care and choose their frames and lenses.

“The outlook at Mincher-Lockett Opticians typifies the great business attitude of traders in Stafford, that it’s the customer that counts and concentrating on customer service is crucial in these economic times.

“It’s a business attitude like this that gives me confidence that traders in Stafford will be able to come through this difficult economic period.”

Practice owners Jan Goodwin and Sarah Edge began the investment after taking over the opticians two years ago from the Mincher-Lockett family, who started the business. The independent opticians is due to celebrate 40 years of business in Stafford next year.

“It’s great to be the first opticians in Staffordshire to provide this screening using the Mpod because it could potentially save the sight of some of our patients,” said Jan Goodwin (pictured with the mpod), who is also an optometrist at the practice.

“This is part of our commitment to update the service we provide with the latest advances in technology, so that we’re able to offer our patients the best possible treatment.

“It’s an important part of our expanding service,” said Jan.

“It gives us more knowledge about the state of a patient’s eyes than was previously possible, meaning we can take more effective action sooner.”

The Mpod will test for a loss of pigment in cells in the macular area of the eye at the centre of the retina, which is used to see virtually all objects in detail.

The test involves patients detecting when a light begins to flicker, which indicates the level of sensitivity and effectiveness of the macular.

People with low levels of macular pigment are more at risk of developing macular degeneration, which is the most common cause of failing eyesight and blindness in the UK.

Macular degeneration, usually the result of ageing, can cause blurring of vision and ultimately leads to blindness. Currently the condition can only be detected when eyesight begins to fail, but by this stage the damage is often irreparable and there is no effective treatment.

“The great bonus of the screening is that we will be able to identify people who are more at risk of this condition before it effects their vision, allowing us to treat it earlier and therefore more effectively,” said Jan.

“Macular pigment levels can be improved simply by taking a specific vitamin and mineral supplement. Stopping smoking and increasing the level of anti-oxidants in your diet, like oranges or other fruit high in vitamin C, can also help,” she said.

“We will be recommending to clients to have this screening as part of their regular eye check, particularly for patients who have a family history of macular degeneration,” added Sarah Edge, dispensing optician at the practice.

“But clients can also have the test done on its own if they want to, without having to wait for their regular eye test,” she added.

For more information contact Jan Goodwin on 01785 253478.

Read the story in the Express and Star