Killay Square Eyes is a 100% independent practice at 4 The Precinct, opened by Joe Warchal in October 2024 after sixteen years across Swansea and the south-west. Thirty minute eye examinations, OCT scans read at the slit lamp, and one of a small number of independent prescribing opticians in the Swansea area.
The shop runs to four service lines. Each one is delivered by Joe Warchal himself at 4 The Precinct, not subcontracted out and not split between a chain optometrist and a separate dispenser. Most appointments are 30 minutes. Most findings are followed up in clinic.
Refraction at distance and near, slit lamp inspection of the anterior eye, intraocular pressure, and a digital retinal photograph. Most findings are followed up in clinic the same week rather than referred out, under our independent prescribing rules.
Wet and dry age related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and unexplained central vision changes. Joe holds the Professional Certificate in Medical Retina, gained through hospital secondary care work at Amman Valley during the pandemic.
Chloramphenicol, ocular lubricants, low dose steroid drops where appropriate, prescribed directly for acute eye conditions that would otherwise route through a GP or A and E. One of a small number of independent prescribing opticians in the Swansea area.
Deliberately smaller than a chain. Single vision, varifocal and reading lens options dispensed by Joe in person. NHS frames available for eligible patients alongside the private range. No commission lift on the shop floor.
Killay Square Eyes is too young to trade on a founding date. What we can say honestly is why Joe opened the practice, what we trained for before opening, and how we run the room day to day.
Joe Warchal is a former Olchfa pupil who spent the first part of his optometry career travelling as far west as Cardigan and as far east as Bath, before settling back in Hendrefoilan with his family. Opening on Killay Square fulfilled a goal he had since age twelve.
Two qualifications most independents in Swansea do not carry. The Professional Certificate in Medical Retina from hospital work at Amman Valley. Independent Prescribing rights from postgraduate study. Both let Joe close the loop in clinic rather than refer up.
No chain ownership, no central buying, no commission targets on the shop floor. The frame range is edited by Joe himself, the appointments are 30 minutes with the optometrist, and the practice will fit around shifts and school runs by arrangement.
During the 2020 pandemic Joe took on secondary care work at the Amman Valley hospital medical retina IVT clinic, assessing age related macular degeneration patients under hospital supervision. He went on to qualify as an Independent Prescribing Optician, one of a small number in the Swansea area, and gained the Professional Certificate in Medical Retina from his hospital experience.
In practice that means two specifics: he reads his own OCT scans at the slit lamp rather than emailing them to a remote interpreter, and he is enrolled in the WGOS urgent eye problem pathway, so a same day red eye is seen and treated under the NHS in Killay rather than rerouted to Singleton or Morriston.
Wales runs a broader eligibility scheme than England under the General Ophthalmic Services. We participate. If any of these apply, the eye examination is free at the point of care.
In Wales, NHS eye examinations are free for a wider group than in England. We are enrolled in the Wales General Ophthalmic Services scheme and the WGOS urgent eye problem pathway, which means a same day red eye is seen and treated on the NHS here in Killay rather than referred to Singleton or Morriston.
Core hours are Monday to Friday 09:00 to 17:00, with an early 08:00 start on Thursdays. We understand that 9 to 5 is not always possible, and Joe will fit appointments around shifts and school runs by arrangement. Drop a note below or ring the practice on 01792 803 798.
For urgent eye problems (sudden red eye, flashes, floaters, pain, vision change) please phone rather than use the form, and we will fit you in the same working day under the WGOS scheme.
For anything not here, ring the practice on 01792 803 798 and Joe will pick up between appointments.
Both. NHS Wales eligibility is broader than the English NHS: anyone under 16, full time students under 19, anyone over 60, anyone with diabetes or glaucoma, anyone over 40 with a family history of glaucoma, anyone with an HC2 or HC3 voucher, and anyone deemed at risk under the Wales Eye Care Service criteria. If you are not eligible, private fees are on request when you book.
Often not. Joe holds the Professional Certificate in Medical Retina and the Independent Prescribing qualification, so the diagnostic conversation, the OCT interpretation and the first prescription can happen in clinic. We refer onward where it is genuinely needed, not by default.
Yes. No surcharge for moving your records across. Bring the prescription and any recent OCT or retinal images and we will read them in clinic at your first appointment.
Yes, by appointment, fitted by Joe in person. Initial fittings, trial wear, and routine aftercare. Ring the practice on 01792 803 798 to book.
30 minutes for a routine examination with Joe. Private fees are on request when you book, and the NHS Wales eye examination is free if you fall in any of the eligibility groups above.
4 The Precinct, Killay,
Swansea SA2 7BA
| Monday | 09:00 to 17:00 |
| Tuesday | 09:00 to 17:00 |
| Wednesday | 09:00 to 17:00 |
| Thursday | 08:00 to 17:00 |
| Friday | 09:00 to 17:00 |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |