Our Opticians

Charles graduated from Glasgow University in 1996 and followed in his mother’s foot steps by training with the Ophthalmic Department in Exeter, which is now part of The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.

Charles is passionate about children’s eyecare and has introduced a number of techniques to Bill Opticians to try and slow the myopic progression seen during the development of children’s eyes.

Charles is meticulous when it comes to spectacle dispensing so if you have a strong prescription and have never been happy with your glasses Charles may well be able to solve your problems.

James first qualified as a dispensing optician in December 1993 and then went on to gain The Association of British Dispensing Opticians’ specific Contact Lens Practitioners qualification.

Before returning to Devon James managed a number of prestigious practices in London’s West End. These including fashionable outlets in Covent Garden and Kings Road, as well as a Contact Lens Clinic in Wigmore Street, considered by many in the industry to be the home of optometry in Britain.

Joanne left Devon briefly to study Optometry at London’s City University.  She has been practicing locally for over ten years.  Joanne spends her time when not working as an Optometrist; bringing up her three young daughters with her husband.  She welcomes all types of patient, providing a thorough test to meet each and every individual need.

Roland Ling read Medicine at Oxford University and qualified in 1994. He started his career in Ophthalmology in 1996 and had most of his ophthalmic training in the South West of England.

In 2002 he was awarded a prestigious Retinal Fellowship in the University of Toronto, and spent a year specialising in Retinal Diseases in one of the top centres in North America. He returned to England in 2003 and was appointed Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon in Exeter.

Having worked in a number of multiple high street opticians, Amy began her journey with Bill Opticians in 2010 wanting to experience a more personalised, patient centred approach to optics. Amy’s passion for dispensing led her to enrol in the Dispensing Optician Degree Course through the Association of British Dispensing Opticians and Canterbury Christchurch University.

Amy qualified in 2014 graduating with a First Class Honours Degree in Opthalmic Dispensing and is currently working out of our Tiverton branch.

Amy has a keen interest in varifocal and occupational lens design so if you’re new to varifocals or are wanting spectacles for specific visual tasks, Amy can advise you on the best lenses to suit all your requirements.

Alex started her career in optics as a trainee Optical Assistant when she left school in 2002. After gaining experience in a busy high street multiple practice, she embarked on the distance learning course through the Association of British Dispensing Opticians at Godmersham Park and qualified as a Dispensing Optician in 2008.

Alex is married with two children and works part-time in our Tiverton branch. She particularly enjoys the family-run nature of independent practice where she is able to build strong working relationships with patients and offer the most professional eye care.

Sarah started her career with six years in two high street multiples and then moved to a family run independent in Dorset. Over the seventeen years she spent with them, Sarah managed three of their branches and attained fellowship as a Dispensing Optician in 2002. In 2013 she qualified as a Diabetic Eye Screener for the English National Programme which was enjoyed hugely as she has great interest in health and the eye including diabetes, blepharitis and dry eye.

Moving back to Devon in 2016, Sarah feels proud to be able to practice within an ethical, highly experienced team, believing Independent practice provides the best care and greatest range of optical choices for patients.

Hannah Graduated in 2000 in Orthoptics from Glasgow Caledonian University. She currently works at Torbay Hospital (Orthoptics and Medical Retina) and Plymouth University. Hannah has a specialist interest in Visual stress (Meares-Irlen, Scotopic sensitivity Syndrome) after completing her dissertation in this area. She also has personal experience when one of her sons was diagnosed with dyslexia and visual stress. Hannah found his colorimetry glasses improved his reading speed, accuracy and his confidence.
Out of the practise Hannah enjoys family time, especially at the Beach!

Hannah runs our monthly colorimetry / reading clinic at Bills in Newton Abbot, please get in contact if you wish to make an appointment.

John has been an optometrist for more than twenty years after graduating from Cardiff University with honours. For sixteen years he was a senior optometrists with Boots Opticians with the special responsibility of training their graduate students to become fully qualified optometrists.

John is now working in our Honiton and Tiverton practices with the emphasis on a more personal style of eycecare. He feels that the independent practice approach at Bill Opticians offers a superior service than the corporate spectacle retailing now found on most high streets.

Katherine is one of the longest serving members of Bill Opticians; first arriving in the practice in 1999.  Initially Katherine was with us for work experience and then became one of Newton Abbots key optical assistants before qualifying as an Optometrist.  She has probably done every job in the practice.

In 2005 she graduated from Cardiff University with an honours degree in optometry and has been testing eyes with us ever since.

Her commitment over the last decade has allowed her to provide the highest standards of care to our patients.  Katherine has gained valuable experience through the Hospital Eye Service and undergone further training in cataract, glaucoma and minor eye conditions.  Katherine enjoys working with a broad spectrum of patients and eye conditions.

Outside of the practice Katherine enjoys Modern Jive, playing the French Horn and running.  Feel free to wave if you see her jogging through town.

Louise is a qualified Contact Lens Optician and Dispensing optician, with 25 years experience in optics. Having qualified in 1995 Louise has worked in both independent and multiple high street practices, in a variety of roles including Practice Management.

Being a keen cyclist and enjoying keeping fit, Louise has been able to link them into her optical work with a specialist interest in sports vision. Louise also has a specialist interest in dry eye management and paediatric contact lenses.

She has been with BILL opticians since March 2013 and feels this is where she is most able to use her skills and experience, giving a professional and personalised approach to both her contact lens and spectacle patients.

Jenna joined the team at BILL opticians in 2006 as a trainee Optical Assistant. The realisation of a passion for optics led her to enrol in a distance learning degree course through the Association of British Dispensing Opticians and Canterbury Christchurch University.

In 2011, Jenna became a fully qualified Dispensing Optician, graduating with First Class Honours. She currently works at the Newton Abbot branch with a special interest in children’s spectacles and complex prescription requirements. Jenna feels that trust and confidence in your optician is of paramount importance, especially for patients with more challenging prescriptions.

Paula qualified as a Dispensing Optician with the Association of British Dispensing Opticians at Godmersham Park in 2007, after starting as an Optical Assistant and eventually advancing to Practice Manager for two high street multiples. She has over 20 years of experience in optics, both on the shop floor and in the laboratory, and has gained valuable communication and management skills.

Paula joined Bill Opticians in Newton Abbot in 2014 after realising the importance of establishing strong working relationships with patients. She believes the independent and family-run nature of BILL opticians gives an incomparable advantage.

In 2014 Philippa joined the team at BILL opticians after graduating from Cardiff University in 2011 and completing her training with Boots Opticians in both Devon and Cornwall. Having gained experience in various aspects of optometry within a busy practice setting, Philippa decided it was time to take the plunge into independent optometry and deliver a more personalised approach to eye care whilst further developing her skills.

She now devotes her time between the Totnes and Exeter branches. As an active person outside of work, Philippa spends her spare time playing volleyball competitively.

Tamsin trained at Aston University in 1994. She worked in East Midlands before moving to Devon in 1997. Whilst gaining valuable experience in a High Street opticians she realised that her passion lay in providing the highest level of clinical care.

Tamsin took the opportunity to join Bill Opticians in 2010. She feels that our strong links with the eye department at Torbay Hosiptal and our reputation for clinical excellence has allowed her to practice in the most professional way.

Helen graduated from City and Islington in 1999 having started working in Optics in 1995, she completed the distance learning course with the Association of British Dispensing Opticians.

Helen has enjoyed a varied career both on the shop floor and in the laboratory, she even used her musical abilities volunteering in a local primary school whilst bringing up her family.

Helen returned to the Tiverton branch where she began her career 25 years ago. She particularly enjoys the personal approach to eye care that working in an independent practice allows, priding herself on giving every patient the best possible advice and care.

I have been in optics since 2011 and started my dispensing journey in 2013. I qualified as a dispensing optician through ABDO college and Canterbury and Christ church university in 2016 achieving a degree with first class honours in ophthalmic dispensing. My passions are incorporating fashion, flare and patients specific needs with spectacles frames and lenses. This ranges from single vision, progressive to high and or complex prescriptions. I also have a great interest in paediatric dispensing and like to find the best suitable frames for children with special needs.

I have recently qualified and earned a foundation degree  in Ocular coherency tomography (OCT) interpretation which I use in practice to assist the opticians. I have really enjoyed learning something different and hope this can continue to improve my knowledge in the retina and other ocular diseases.

Fiona is an experienced Optometrist with a career of over 30 years in eye care. She is currently enjoying her role in primary eye care at Bill Opticians Teignmouth. She has experience in the paediatric clinic and the macular service at Torbay Hospital, and maintains her interest in children’s vision and binocular vision. Her role as an active member of Devon Local Optical Committee has concentrated on stakeholder engagement to promote the importance of eye health to our Devon wide community, and the delivery of education events to the local eye care community.

She was also one of the original team members during the development of the optometry degree programme at Plymouth University and received their Pioneers Award in 2012.

I qualified as a Dispensing Optician in 2001 via the Association of British Dispensing Opticians distance learning course through Anglia Polytechnic.

In 2003 I emigrated to New Zealand, where I continued to work as a Dispensing Optician while enjoying the lifestyle that New Zealand had to offer.

I returned to the U.K. in 2013 to be closer to family and now live in Devon with my fiancée.

I was born in south London and moved to Torquay as a teenager where I now live with my husband. I later studied accounting and finance at the university west of England but could not find work after graduating due to the financial crisis in 2008, so found a job in my local Specsavers thinking it would only be temporary.

I very quickly found that I loved the job and found an interest in optics and now 11 years later I am a qualified dispensing optician. I graduated in 2019 from ABDO college.

My passion is to learn more about the optics world and help customers find the perfect pair of spectacles and lenses to suit their needs.
In my spare time, I love to do coastal walks in Torbay and I enjoy reading and listening to music.

Emma completed her BSc (Hons) Optometry degree at Cardiff University in 2018 following an interest sparked from her own sight test at Jeremy Savage Opticians, now Bill Opticians Tiverton. She completed her pre-registration year in Specsavers Taunton followed by a period at Specsavers Exeter, building a range of experience across primary care optometry in a busy setting. In early 2021, she diverged into part-time work at the West England Eye Unit, Royal Devon and Exeter hospital, specialising in paediatric eye care and ectasia monitoring clinics. She continues this alongside part-time work in Bill Opticians Tiverton and finds the roles in both workplaces complement each other well, and enjoys the variety they both bring.

In her spare time, Emma enjoys spending as much time as possible outdoors, preferably on a horse!