Who Are Ellerker Opticians ?

Ellerker Opticians is an established independent practice in the heart of Shrewsbury with a reputation for providing top quality eyecare and products. Our friendly, local staff have a wealth of knowledge in the optical industry. We will use state of the art technology to tailor our eye examinations to your individual needs. We offer a wide variety of frames and lenses to suit all tastes and budgets from NHS frames to individually handcrafted pieces to cater for the most discerning tastes.

Our Team

We are all committed to working together in order to provide the best possible care and service.

Click on our photos to find out more about us!

Iain

Iain is our resident Optometrist. He has been practicing in Shrewsbury for 16 years, having graduated with a First from Aston University in 2007. Iain continues to add to his skills, gaining the Professional Certificate in Medical Retina and Independent Prescriber qualifications. He has been a member of the Local Optometric Committee since 2016 and is Optometric Lead for the Urgent Eye Care Managed Clinical Network.

In a previous life Iain studied Astrophysics at Manchester and likes to keep up-to-date with the latest research into the Cosmos.

Iain has a young family and in his spare time can be found cycling through the Shropshire countryside.

Liz

Liz has been in and around the world of Optics since 2003, joined Ellerkers in 2018, to later take on the role of Practice Manager.

Before beginning her career in Optics, Liz gained a bachelors degree in English Language and Literature and a Masters degree in Anglo-Saxon Studies at the University of Manchester. This is where she met Iain, and the rest is history!

Outside of work she can usually be found reading, cooking or walking her beloved retired racing greyhound Sydney (our official practice mascot!)

Dan

Dan has been with Ellerker Opticians since 2013 and has been our resident Dispensing Optician since 2019. He enjoys both the mathematical
and fashion side of his job, ensuring he combines the best looking frames along with the most suitable lenses for every patient. Dan is sport mad
and when not watching it on TV you will normally find him on the golf course still believing he can make it as a professional!

Tom

Tom graduated from the University of Bradford in 2013 and became registered as an Optometrist in 2014. He has completed the Professional Certificate in Medical Retina. He first started at Ellerker Opticians as a locum in 2022 and became a permanent part of the team in 2023.

Tom loves spending time exploring the country with his wife and daughter. He enjoys skiing, watching his football team Wolves, swimming and going to as many of the restaurants Shrewsbury has to offer as possible.

Rachael

Rachael has been at Ellerker’s since August ‘21. She has over 12 years optical experience and helping patients choose beautiful new specs is her favourite part of the job. Rachael loves to talk and enjoys meeting new people and getting to know them. Her hobbies include crafts, travel, watching Formula 1 racing and spending time with her family, friends and her dog Daisy.

Our Team

Our Story

Based in the heart of historic Shrewsbury, Ellerker Opticians has been providing friendly and professional eye care for over 20 years.

Under new leadership, Ellerker Opticians now is a family-run practice that puts our patients at the centre of all that we do.

2000

Founded - Eyewear Direct was born in the Riverside Mall, Shrewsbury

2003

Moved to our current home - Following early success the business relocated to its current site on Mardol

2007

Old Name/New Name - Well-known Shrewsbury Optometrist Stephen Ellerker took over the business and we became “Ellerker Opticians”

2010

Pioneers Ellerkers is the first practice in Shrewsbury to use OCT scanning as part of our eye examination.

2015 - 2018

Expansion and new faces - Ellerker Opticians acquired both John Biddles’ and Hayward & Ward’s Shrewsbury practices, welcoming new patients from both. In 2016, Iain Milne started as Ellerker’s first full-time optometrist, bringing with him over ten years of local optical experience.

2018

New leadership - Iain became partner and Stephen eased back from operations

2019

Qualification - Daniel Bevington cemented 5 years of dispensing experience, qualifying as a Dispensing Optician and gaining the letters FBDO.

2021

Say Hello, Wave Goodbye - Following his PhD studies, longstanding stalwart Alex Durie left to pursue his passion in computing. Elizabeth Milne, Iain’s wife became practice manager, making the practice a family affair.

2022

New equipment - The practice installs an Optos Ultra-Widefield retinal scanner to deliver a truly hospital-grade examination.

2024

Independent Prescribing - Iain qualifies as an Independent Prescriber, gaining the ability to issue private medical prescriptions.

Our News

We are delighted to share some stories of our amazing work from our optometrist.

Optometrist identifies stroke in eye appointment

Our optometrist Iain Milne successfully identified signs of stroke in a patient which weren't picked up by the patients in previous visits with the doctor.

To read more on this article please click here.

Optometrist saves patients eye sight

We were able to diagnose a retinal tear over the phone for a patient.

If the patient hadn’t contacted us, there was a chance she could have lost her sight in that eye due to the extent of the retinal tear.

To read more on this story, click here.