Nigel Burnett Hodd joined the practice in 1973 and took over the business when his father retired a year later, continuing the practice’s specialist contact lens status.

He has a Diploma of Contact Lens Practice from the College of Optometrists and has been president of the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA). He recently received honorary life membership of the BCLA in recognition of his significant contribution to the Association and to the contact lens industry. Nigel has also expanded the practice in other directions, with the introduction of the latest technology in eye exams, dyslexia assessments and myopia prevention.

He founded a contact lens laboratory, that was once in the basement of the practice, which has become No 7 Contact Lens Laboratory, now based in Hastings, a leading supplier of GP (Rigid Gas Permeable) and complex contact lenses in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Nigel retired from seeing patients in October 2015, handing over the business to his daughter Caroline Burnett Hodd, Connan Tam and Jovi Mendoza. Just like his father passed on the business to him, Nigel has now done the same to a new generation, to bring in new technologies and techniques. Although retired from clinical practice, Nigel is still actively involved in organising conferences such as the Association of Independent Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians (AIO). Recently, he has helped to launch the AIO Independents Code.