In August 2004 a very young and ambitious optometrist, myself, opened a practice in Ermelo. Not growing up in the town I knew no one and set my sights on winning over the confidence of the community one eye examination at a time. Certainly a laborious process and a bit naïve in hindsight, but as Tony DeLorger writes in his poem : ” -naivety, an innocence without being encumbered by tainting experience or learned biases that subjugate balance
and create confusion and limitations.”
Word spreads fast and soon I was overwhelmed by the support from not only Ermelo and surroundings, but patients from all over South Africa. We relocated twice to more favourable locations and settled in our current location in the centre of town in 2010. I have been blessed with wonderful staff since the start and my first two employees, Ms. Tharina Coetzer and Ms. Miranda Ntlatseng, are still part of my practice a whopping 20 years later! Congratulations to them and a HUGE THANK YOU. I am privileged to have witnessed and partake in immense changes in our profession. Long gone are the days of reading a couple of letters on an old dilapidated eye chart or peaking into eyes with a small little light only to see a tiny view of the back of the eye.
We have state of the art equipment that enable us to look at cross sections of the retina allowing views of individual layers only a couple of micron thick. With all equipment having a digital foundation, patients can see everything that we see inside the eye and information can be shared with colleagues across the globe in a second. Contact lenses exist now which reshape your cornea while you sleep, allowing you to see the next day without glasses.
Multifocal lenses, that used to take two weeks to manufacture, can be manufactured in-house within an hour. Having diagnostic- and therapeutic drug privileges, our practice can diagnose and treat many eye conditions establishing us as a true primary eye care provider. These are but a few advancements in the past 20 years and we can’t begin to fathom what the next 20 years may bring.
Blessed in abundance, I would like to thank:
- my loyal patients over the years for entrusting me with their most valuable sense, sight!
- my exceptional staff. I am very appreciative of each employee who tirelessly devoted his/her time , at present as well as in the past, building a trusted and respected eye care practice.
- my wife Izelde, for always entertaining my sometimes overzealous endeavours, must be exhausting at times.
- God, for granting me the grace, wisdom and means, to run a successful practice.
Today 20 years later, older and wiser, I am still as passionate as ever about eye care and I look forward to welcoming you as part of my practice soon!
Hannes Zwarts