An entrepreneur with a clear vision of what patients value is back in business.

Jenny Faries is a certified orthoptist and the managing director at the helm of Insight Limited Comprehensive Eye Care, which has started seeing patients.

The practice’s services include general eye check-ups, glaucoma diagnosis and treatment, diabetic eye exams, laser surgery — and, eventually, will include cataract surgery.

Ms Faries said: “My goal is way less waiting time, lower co-pays and better communication.”

An orthoptist is an expert in diagnosing and treating defects in eye movements and problems with how the eyes work together.

Ms Faries works with people who have blurry or double vision and eye-muscle problems, and conducts paediatric eye exams.

She said she is highly trained at diagnosing children’s vision problems, which are then treated by an ophthalmologist or another professional.

While not a doctor, Ms Faries said, she is “a physician’s assistant extraordinaire”.

Ms Faries said: “With kids, it’s especially necessary to detect a problem early. Vision development is happening in the first eight years of life, and if you don’t catch a problem within that time frame, you’ve probably lost the opportunity in some ways to fix what might have been fixable.

“In some cases, it’s not too late to be fixable, so it’s best to be checked.”

She added: “Eye-muscle problems are often genetic, but your eye muscles can also be affected by disease or stroke. An eye-muscle problem can happen at any time in life.”

At Insight, Ms Faries works alongside ophthalmologist Lucia Kuffova, who is joining the practice after 25 years at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, where she has led a team of ophthalmologists.

Ms Faries said Dr Kuffova is an expert in inflammation and complex vitreoretinal surgery.

Also on the staff of five are technician Mya Albuoy and receptionists Yolande Somner and Jameelah Henry.

Two additional ophthalmologists, cornea expert Karina Kueper and Igor Tavcar, will provide specialist services throughout the year. The practice plans to have Dr Kueper back in July.

Ms Faries became certified in orthoptics after taking the two-year graduate degree programme in clinical vision science in the faculty of health at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

She returned home upon graduation, initially working in the late Leonard Teye-Botchway’s office.

Ms Faries believes she is the only orthoptist on the island.

“Patients who have an eye-muscle problem are often so grateful when they find me because it’s not a known profession. Even GPs don’t know to refer patients to me for services.”

She said Insight has invested in top-drawer equipment for the treatment of patients.

Ms Faries added: “We have the best retinal laser, which allows for quicker, more comfortable treatments for things like diabetic retinopathy or retinal tears.

“We also have a new virtual reality headset for visual field testing, which makes that easier.

“Patients with glaucoma have a visual field test every six months, and people dread it, so I am happy to have a new machine which promises to make it less taxing.”

Insight is the successor practice to Ms Faries’s previous business, Island Ophthalmology, which closed on April 14 after a dispute between the partners. It provides the same services as the previous practice.

She said: “I did my best to get open as fast as I could to keep continuity. Anyone who came to Ophthalmology is absolutely welcome back.

“If we haven’t reached out to them, they need to confirm their appointments.”

• Insight is on the second floor of Milner Place at 32 Victoria Street in Hamilton. Parking is available on site.