A MINEHEAD opticians has introduced a service intended to reduce the pressure on Musgrove Park Hospital’s accident and emergency department by providing free appointments for certain eye conditions.

Specsavers Minehead is now accredited as part of the acute community eyecare schemes (ACES), which provides free, fast-tracked appointments for sudden minor eye conditions.

The locally owned and run store already has a range of hospital-grade equipment, including optical coherence tomography technology which enables the team to take a 3D image of the back of the eye to help spot certain conditions up to four years earlier than traditional methods.

Director Simon Simmonds said: “We are delighted to announce our ACES service, which continues our track record of being part of a range of services helping to bring the best possible optical treatments to the people of Minehead and the surrounding area.

“The ACES service caters specifically for dry eyes and other minor eye problems, with customers being able to be seen at the store rather than going to A&E.”

Conditions which can be treated under the ACES scheme include sudden vision changes, flashes or floaters, red or painful eyes, eye injuries, such as having something in the eye, and recent onset double vision.

The ACES service is generally available to residents registered with a local GP in and around Minehead.

People can call the store direct, explaining why they feel they need an urgent ACES examination.

Mr Simmonds said: “The ACES service does not cover all sight-related conditions.

“If a customer has an eye condition that is being regularly monitored by their optometrist or the hospital eye service, such as cataracts or glaucoma, this will not be covered by ACES.

“In addition, the service does not replace routine eye examinations, eye tests, or prescriptions for spectacles.”