Local professional passionate about providing cutting-edge solutions to eyecare in Guyana

CUSTOMER service often lacks at many local businesses, leaving people very disenchanted about the attitude of staff and with a deep longing for professional service that doesn’t have to drill a hole in their pockets.

At Optical World, with their motto “We’ve got you covered”, they have a trained complement of employees who guide you every step of the way to ensure you get your money’s worth, and they understand your need for eyecare.

Optometrist Nashella Gulchand, proprietor of Optical World, is a humble individual who can relate to customers to provide the service they require for better vision.

She is in charge of Optical World, which is located at 251 Thomas Street, Cummingsburg, Georgetown.

The services include eye testing, diagnoses for spectacles, testing for cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic neuropathy.

Gulchand told the Pepperpot Magazine that once they discover you have one of these eye diseases, you are referred to a specialist — either an eye surgeon or ophthalmologist.

She related that at Optical World, they provide corrective lenses in the form of tested spectacles and contact lenses.

They also offer clip-on sunglasses and spectacles in one, at an affordable cost, so there is no longer any need to carry around a pair of spectacles plus a pair of sunglasses.

Gulchand explained that they perform minor eye procedures and supply eye drops for dry eyes and infections, but no eye surgeries are done there.

She shared that after high school, she knew she wanted to pursue a career in the medical field and chose to become an optometrist, as she was unable to handle the sight of blood.

The optometrist pointed out that in school, she had always taken a liking to the science subjects and gravitated towards studies in that field.

Growing up, her mother wore spectacles, and she recalled going to Kamrul Bacchus to get her eyes tested for new spectacles — an essential part of her mother’s eye care.

Gulchand admitted she did not know much about optometry at the time and had to research it. Once she became familiar with the field, she decided that was what she wanted to qualify in.

She enrolled at the University of Guyana (UG) in 2011 and graduated in 2016.

Gulchand then spent one year at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) eye clinic, working alongside eyecare professionals, before moving on to two different optical businesses. Eventually, she established her own eyecare service.

“I was working at this place, doing everything, so my sister said to me, why not start your own business and do it for yourself,” she explained.

After discussions with her sister, Shivana Gulchand (Founder and Managing Director of Touring Guyana), the two decided to invest in an optical service in a central location via partnership.

In May last year, Optical World opened its doors for business, providing a professional service that is second to none, priding themselves on quality over quantity.

Gulchand revealed that although the business is only a year old, they have been doing fairly well as a new optical service, and reviews have been excellent.

Optical World features two licensed and qualified optometrists and an optical assistant, providing services such as complimentary vision testing, affordable lenses and frames as well as designer frames, sunglasses, and safety goggles.

She revealed that they hope to expand and provide additional services, such as eye pressure testing, in the new year, depending on how things progress. She also hopes they will soon have a lab in the same location to reduce waiting times for customers to be outfitted with their prescribed spectacles.

Gulchand added that they provide a professional service at Optical World with budget-friendly options in both low-cost and designer frames. Their primary goal is to maintain a professional service.

“Providing eyecare service is an important job. You are placed in that position to listen to customers, do the eye tests and give them options for better sight. You have to do your job and also offer kindness and humility to people that come for the service. Taking some time to listen to them is vital in making recommendations that best suit them in the choice of lenses,” she said.

The role of an optometrist should not be underestimated or undervalued, since they provide primary eye care as professionals with a Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree. Optometrists perform comprehensive eye exams, diagnose and treat vision and eye conditions, prescribe and fit corrective lenses, and detect signs of other health problems such as diabetes or high blood pressure through eye health assessments.

They also provide routine and primary eye care, can prescribe medications for certain eye diseases, and refer patients to specialists, such as an ophthalmologist, for more complex eye issues or surgery.