VISION Express has officially opened its new Crowborough store with help from the International Glaucoma Association, a nominated charity of the national optician.

After almost ten years in the town, the optician unveiled its new home on The Broadway.

Yolanda Laybourne and Subhash Suthar - both IGA ambassadors - were special guests at the opening.

The pair gave a presentation on glaucoma and the treatments available for those suffering from the condition.

Yolanda was diagnosed with ocular hypertension, high pressure in the eye, seven years ago.

She became a trustee of the IGA in 2014 and has been the charity’s fundraising trustee advocate since 2015.

She said: “I resolved not to lose my sight to glaucoma in the same way that my father did.

“Without treatment, people will lose a significant amount of vision but with early detection and on-going treatment, many of them will retain a useful amount of vision for life.

“So it’s fantastic that we can raise awareness with Vision Express at events such as this.”

During the opening Subhash Suthar, a business development manager at the charity, demonstrated the different aids available and how to administer eye drops.

He said: “Glaucoma is a long-term, chronic disease which is mostly symptomless – sometimes referred to as a silent thief of sight.

“I was delighted to be asked to help open the new Crowborough store and provide the team with guidance on treatment so they can better support their customers who have been diagnosed with glaucoma.”

The IGA has been a charity partner of Vision Express since 2015 and together they work to raise awareness of the importance of eye tests in the early detection of glaucoma.

One of the biggest causes of preventable sight loss worldwide, glaucoma is the name given to a group of eye conditions in which the main nerve to the eye is damaged where it leaves the eye.