Anstice Optometrists (Anstice and Associates) is a Christchurch optometry practice at 10 Clyde Road, Ilam, bringing together a team of experienced optometrists, optical dispensers and vision therapists with interests in specialised areas of optometry. The practice's stated aim is to deliver eye care for every stage of life, from children through to adults.
Core services span SchoolVision® assessments, adult eye examinations, contact lenses, Irlen diagnostics, orthokeratology (Ortho-K), SportVision®, myopia control and neuro visual examinations. The team includes Dharshie Hughes (Optometrist/Owner), Jeremy Fox, Iris Xu, Nicola K Boyce and Kim Stedman, each bringing specific clinical interests — from paediatric vision and Schoolvision to contact lens fitting, therapeutic qualifications, and experience with binocular vision disorders and head injuries.
Beyond eye examinations, Anstice also offers a range of eyewear, including children's frames, sports frames, safety frames, frames chosen to suit face shape and lifestyle, and optical lenses. The practice is affiliated with Southern Cross.
Anstice Optometrists, also known as Anstice and Associates, operates from 10 Clyde Road in Ilam, Christchurch, bringing together a team of optometrists, optical dispensers and vision therapists who each bring specific clinical interests to the practice.
The practice is led by Dharshie Hughes, Optometrist and Owner, who graduated from the University of Auckland in 2003 and spent early years conducting post-operative care at the Eye Institute in Sydney before joining Anstice in 2011, drawn by an interest in children's vision. Jeremy Fox, a Schoolvision Specialist who qualified in South Africa and later worked in the UK's National Domiciliary Eyecare service, joined in 2013 and focuses on general optometry with a specialisation in children's Schoolvision. Iris Xu, who joined in December 2014, brings speciality training in children's vision alongside a special interest in elderly patients and ocular therapeutic certification, and is fluent in English, Mandarin and Cantonese. Nicola K Boyce specialises in paediatric optometry and the visual facets of learning difficulties, alongside extensive contact lens fitting experience, while Kim Stedman returned to Christchurch after 18 years in the North Island, having run a paediatric vision clinic in Hamilton for seven years, with additional interests in head injuries and binocular vision disorders.
Anstice's signature offering is the SchoolVision® Assessment, which the practice describes as going beyond a simple "can see, can't see" test to focus on a child's ability to read, write and learn without visual stress. Alongside this, the team offers SportVision®, framed around the idea that visual fitness can be trained and improved much like physical fitness, and Irlen Diagnostics for Irlen Syndrome — a perceptual dysfunction caused by sensitivity to light rather than a straightforward vision problem.
For children experiencing progressive short-sightedness, the practice offers orthokeratology (Ortho-K) as a myopia control option. Core adult and general eyecare services include adult eye examinations, contact lens fitting across soft and hard lens types, and neuro visual examinations. The practice's team-wide focus on paediatric and learning-related vision issues runs through much of its service list, reflecting a specific interest area shared by several of its optometrists.
On the eyewear side, Anstice stocks children's frames, sports frames, safety frames, and frames chosen to suit different face shapes and lifestyles, alongside a range of optical lenses. This range means the practice can take a patient from diagnosis through to a finished pair of glasses without needing to go elsewhere.
Anstice Optometrists is affiliated with Southern Cross, and appointments can be booked online through a dedicated booking widget, or by calling the practice directly at 03 343 3909. The practice is also active on Facebook for news and updates.