Celebrating 5 years of excellent service

2015 is a milestone year for Hilton and Rawlinson, the only independent optometrists in Skegness.
Martin Rawlinson BSc (Hons) MCOptom was already a well-known face in the town, having worked previously for a national chain.

“The opportunity to open a new practice, in this location,” Martin explained, “was both exciting and challenging, but I knew that by building the business from zero I could provide a level of expertise and personal service which customers would value. David Hilton, who runs Peebles and Hilton in Boston, has been a great support in helping me establish the business.”

The handsome Victorian building in which Hilton and Rawlinson have been based since December 2009 is immediately adjacent to Skegness’s main street, Lumley Road, and easily accessible by car or on foot.

Martin works with a team of three optical advisors – Elizabeth Middleton, Joan Bullivant and Helen Wardell – who each have over twenty years’ experience in eye care. Eye examinations, which are conducted by Martin, are allocated a
fifty-minute appointment.

“This ensures that I have time to complete every aspect of the test and really understand my patient’s lifestyle and any medical conditions which may affect their vision,” said Martin.

Investing in diagnostic equipment has also been a priority as the practice has grown. Hilton and Rawlinson have worked with German optical and lens specialists Rodenstock since day one. They are the first practice in Lincolnshire to purchase Rodenstock’s DNeye scanner, launched last autumn.

“This cutting-edge equipment uses high-resolution wavefront analysis to register lower and higher order aberrations of the eye for both near and far vision, as well as the brightness-dependent changes of the pupils,” Martin said. “In layman’s terms it means we can tailor a lens which allows for 100 per cent exploitation of a customer’s vision potential.”

As the majority of Hilton and Rawlinson’s customers are, by Martin’s description, ‘happy spectacle wearers’, the DNeye scanner has ensured achieving finer tuned vision from their lens prescription.

“Of course we also prescribe contact lenses but spectacles are still the largest part of our work. We stock a range of frame brands which reflect both quality and style; leading names such as Rodenstock, Ted Baker, Joules, Lacoste, Valentino, Gant, Mercedes Benz, Esprit and Nike. For young children we have a well-designed and excellent fitting range called Tomato.”

Reflecting on these first five years, Martin is proud of the rapport that he and his team have built with customers. “We like to build a relationship in a similar way that people do with their doctor or dentist. We can pick up any problems early enough to provide advice on lifestyle changes which may help eyesight or advise when to seek medical treatment.”

Many new clients come to Hilton and Rawlinson on recommendation and not just from the Skegness vicinity but also from much further across the county including Alford, Horncastle and along the coastal strip. New consultations are always welcomed.

As technology and diagnostics move forward, so Martin and his team continue with training and education, not only to keep the business moving forward but also to deliver the latest innovations for their customers.

“It has been a busy first five years,” concluded Martin, “but I have loved getting to know our clients and building such a friendly and professional team around me. I know we can achieve even more in the years to come.”

Hilton and Rawlinson, 1 Lumley Avenue, Skegness PE25 2AH Tel: 01754 766773.

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