Blink Optometrists

About Us

At Blink, we’re a small team with lots of focus. Blink was established by Linde and her sister Sarah in 2016. They wanted to offer an alternative to the large, anonymous and impersonal chains. At Blink every person is treated with individual care and respect.

Linde trained in Optometry at Auckland University. Typical of many of her generation, she didn’t wait long after graduating as a Bachelor of Optometry to head off some ‘OE’. Drawing a base of experience in hospitals, small independent practices and some of the large chains. A growing tendency toward ‘production line’ optometry, where people were treated as numbers rather than unique individuals, convinced Linde it was time to head home and do something better.

Optometry is a caring profession; you need to spend time with people to get the best from their vision.

Blink is a family-oriented practice, so we’ll call you by name and we like to find out as much as we can about your history and that of your family. The ‘big picture’ is important. Quick eye care solutions are not for us. We’re thorough, professional eyecare experts and who take a genuine interest in your current and future eye health. You can be certain that our advice will be your best interests, not the interests of our bank account. Long-term, we benefit from the trust of your family. That’s the way we work.

How you help children

80% of what a child learns is taken in through their eyes and visual system. Studies have found that approximately 25% of Year 0-8 students have visual problems that are serious enough to impede learning. When vision problems go undetected, children almost invariably have trouble reading and doing their schoolwork. They often display fatigue, fidgeting, and frustrations in the classroom—traits that can lead to a misdiagnosis of dyslexia or other learning disabilities.

Imagine trying to learn how to read without being able to clearly see the words or trying to learn how to add numbers without being able to tell if the number is a six or an eight. A large number of children enter school without ever having a full eye exam.

We have a special interest in the care of children’s eyes because of the possible impact on learning to read, write and reproduce phonics. Mobility can also be affected by poor coordination. Several conditions can present in early childhood that can impact negatively on learning and more importantly, on self-confidence. Those factors can combine to unfairly inhibit a child’s chances of reaching their potential.

While vision screenings at Kindy and school are helpful, they do not replace a comprehensive eye examination. The NZ Association of Optometrists (NZAO) recommends that infants should have their first eye exam at age 6 to 12 months and follow up eye exams at the ages 3 and 5 years. Further recommendations are an eye exam every two years for school-aged children who do not require vision correction. Children requiring glasses and/or contact lenses should have annual eye exams.

Physical environment

Our practice is based at 78A Birkenhead Ave. It is a beautiful Villa giving a warm and friendly atmosphere. There is parking provided in front and behind the practice and we also have excellent Disabled Access. A bus stop is just outside.

Your eye health is the reason we come to work each day and where we get our satisfaction. Call us today to find out more.