The Optic Shop opened on 17 June 2000 at a corner premises on Cross Street, with Jane Truscott (then ten years into her optometry career) and Aimee Powell joining from a decade in management. Today the same two founders run a 10-strong practice on St John's Street, where over one hundred thousand eye examinations have been carried out under the names of Jane, Nicola and Katy.
"Treat each individual as exactly that. Provide unrivalled levels of advice, expertise and service." The practice mission, written in 2000 and unchanged in twenty-five years.
The same six service lines we ran on Cross Street in 2001, modernised with the diagnostic kit that arrived in 2019, 2022 and 2024.
A full sight test and prescription review with a GOC-registered optometrist on a Vision R800 digital refractor (Advanced Vision Accuracy at 0.01D precision). Same optometrist every visit where possible: Jane, Nicola or Katy. NHS and Welsh Eye Care Service patients seen routinely.
Adds a Zeiss Cirrus 5000 OCT (cross-sectional retinal imaging across the 13 layers of the retina), a Zeiss Clarus 500 ultra-widefield 130-degree to 200-degree retinal photograph (no drops needed), Revo FC spectral-domain OCT for glaucoma monitoring, plus VisiOffice X bespoke-lens measurement.
NHS-funded sight tests for under-16s, longer slot length, school-age and pre-school examinations. Myopia management programme alongside the standard exam, with options for orthokeratology and soft myopia-control contact lenses when clinically appropriate.
New-fit, aftercare and prescription-only contact lens reorder. Daily disposables, monthly silicone hydrogel, toric for astigmatism, and myopia-control daily soft lenses for children. Reorders direct from the contact lens reorder page in the top nav.
Same-day urgent eye care for red eye, sudden blur, flashes and floaters, foreign body, and post-operative concerns. WECS-funded for Welsh residents. Phone ahead on 01873 855664 and we will fit you in.
Independent frame selection across British, Italian, Danish and Japanese makers, a different range than the chains by design. Lens options include Essilor Varilux, Zeiss SmartLife, photochromic and high-index. VisiOffice X three-camera measurement for properly fitted progressives.
The Optic Shop opened on 17 June 2000 at a corner premises on Cross Street, with Jane Truscott ten years into her optometry career and Aimee Powell from a decade in management. The practice started, as Jane and Aimee put it on their about-us page, "from scratch, with a patient base of zero."
One hundred thousand examinations later, the same two founders run a ten-strong practice on St John's Street. The mission they wrote in 2000 has not been updated, and does not need to be: treat each individual as exactly that, provide unrivalled levels of advice, expertise and service.
From scratch, with a patient base of zero.The Optic Shop · about-us page, on opening day, 17 June 2000
The combination of Zeiss Cirrus 5000 OCT and Zeiss Clarus 500 widefield retinal imaging is the same diagnostic pairing as a hospital ophthalmology clinic, set down inside an 18th-century stonemasons' building on a Monmouthshire high street.
Continuity is the quietest service we offer. Jane has been the principal optometrist on the appointment book since June 2000. Emily has been at the front desk since 2013. The clinical and dispensing teams know your prescription history before you sit down.
Studied Optometry at Cardiff University, 1987. Welsh speaker. Opened The Optic Shop in June 2000 from a patient base of zero. Fourteen marathons completed. Strong interest in optical technology and how it enhances examination quality.
Welsh speaker. Twenty-four years in optical practice management. Former Cardiff Quins rugby player and Wales team manager. Joined Jane to open the practice in 2000 with a decade of management and HR behind her.
From Carmarthen. BSc Genetics, then Optometry at Cardiff University as a mature student. Training as an Independent Prescriber.
Yorkshire native, Bradford-trained, relocated to Wales over twenty years ago. Mother of three. Accomplished guitarist and singer.
Longest-serving team member, joined as optical assistant in 2013. Runs the show while Aimee is out.
From Blackwood, three years in optics. Knowledgeable on lens options and frame suitability. Small in stature, big in character.
For booking, we ask whether the appointment is a routine check, an annual advanced exam with imaging, a children's clinic slot, contact lens aftercare, or something urgent. The note goes straight to Aimee or Emily at the front desk and is acknowledged within the same working day.
11 St John's Street
Abergavenny
Monmouthshire NP7 5RT
Phone01873 855664
Emailinfo@opticshop-aber.co.uk
ParkCastle Meadows car park (4 min walk), Lion Street multi-storey (5 min)
TrainAbergavenny station, about 12 minutes on foot via the bridge
We sit in the conservation-area heart of the old town. On Tuesday market day allow an extra few minutes to find a space; the rest of the week, St John's Street itself usually has short-stay on-street parking.
Open Saturdays full-day, closed Sundays. Welsh-language consultations available from Jane and Aimee on request.
Yes. NHS-funded sight tests are available for under-16s, over-60s, students under 19, those with diabetes or glaucoma, those at risk of glaucoma, those on certain income-related benefits and several other groups. The Welsh Eye Care Service (WECS) funds urgent eye care for Welsh residents on the same routes. Bring proof of eligibility (NHS card, benefits letter, age) and we will do the rest.
Usually no. The Zeiss Clarus 500 ultra-widefield camera captures 130 degrees of the retina in a single image without dilation. For some clinical reasons we will recommend drops to widen the view to 200 degrees or to allow the optometrist to examine through the slit lamp at a wider angle, and the optometrist will explain when that is the case.
Yes. Children’s contact-lens fittings, including myopia-control daily soft lenses where clinically appropriate, are part of the Children’s Clinic. The Myopia Management programme runs alongside standard examinations for school-age patients whose prescriptions are progressing.
Ydan, Cymraeg ar gael. Both Jane and Aimee are fluent Welsh speakers, and the consultation can be conducted in Welsh if you would like. Just let us know on booking.
Castle Meadows car park is a four-minute walk and Lion Street multi-storey is a five-minute walk; both are pay-and-display. There is also limited short-stay on-street parking on St John’s Street itself. The practice sits in the conservation-area heart of the old town, so allow a moment to find a space on Tuesday market day.