14 October 2026
The University of Plymouth has celebrated the opening of its new Centre for Eyecare Excellence, providing eye care for the local community.
The £7.7m facility opened at its new Hepworth House location on the university campus, expanding and improving on its previous site on Gibbon Street.
The new centre has 34 treatment rooms, along with teaching space and research labs.
Optometry students will be able to treat members of the public under supervision, with the new centre environment echoing the settings they will encounter after qualification.
Jodie Burke, clinical lead optometrist at the University of Plymouth welcomed the opening of the new centre to the public, sharing: “Clinics range from glaucoma to contact lenses and general appointments, and anyone can call up and book in to see us.”
“It’s a fantastic facility for our students too, as the range of clinics we host here will give them such a diverse experience, ready for them to head into practice when they are fully qualified optometrists,” she added.
Bipasha Parmar, a third-year optometry student at the university, said: “The facility is great, there’s so much great equipment and it’s brand new, which is so nice.”
“Everyone is so kind and I feel like we have great students and supervisors that really add more to the facility, and it’s going to be a great year ahead,” she added.
One of the first patients to attend an appointment at the new centre, Anna Jordan, described the experience: “I was here to get a prescription for screen work. It’s very well organised and I felt very taken care of. My appointment was very good and thorough, so I felt really happy with my experience.”
Comments (0)
You must be logged in to join the discussion. Log in