R W Cole Optician was founded in 1955 by Robert Cole at 58 Commercial Road in the heart of Pillgwenlly. Two generations later, the practice is led by Richard Young (joined 1992, director since 2008) and Vikki Baker (director since 2023), with David Suller on the glazing bench since 1979.
“Fantastic service. New to the practice they fixed my broken readers, tested my eyes and sorted new glasses for me, all in under an hour. Can't fault anything.”
A Pillgwenlly patient · via Google reviews
NHS and private sight tests, 30 minutes each so nothing is rushed. Most exams include a 3D OCT retinal scan: a layered cross-section of the retina, optic nerve and macula that picks up early macular degeneration, glaucoma changes and diabetic retinopathy before the naked eye can. Children's eye exams free under the NHS Wales sight test.
Silicone hydrogel daily, monthly and toric lenses; multifocal lenses for over-40s. The lifestyle-fit consultation matches the lens to how you actually wear them, whether that is sport, screen work, hayfever or persistent dry eye. Trial lenses, aftercare and direct-debit supply available.
The lens lab is on the premises and David Suller has been on the bench since 1979. A broken pair is often fixed while you sit; a new prescription pair can be glazed and fitted within an hour when stock allows. Frame adjustments, soldering, nose-pad replacement and pantoscopic-tilt corrections free for anyone who bought the frame here.
Vikki Baker and Kate Birch run the specialist side. Low Vision Service Wales (LVSW) accreditation means partially-sighted patients are assessed and supplied with magnifiers, telescopes and task lighting under the NHS. Medical retina assessment covers wet AMD referral pathways. Emergency eye examinations (red eye, flashes, foreign body) same day or next day under the Welsh EHEW scheme.
Every pair of spectacles has three measurements most patients never hear named. Get any of them wrong and a high-prescription patient sees a clear image straight ahead and a smudged one when they glance off-axis. David Suller has been measuring all three on the same bench since 1979.
Most chain opticians dispense frames. We fit them.
Commercial Road was laid in 1810, raised several feet on ship ballast so it would not flood at the spring tides. Newport Cattle Market opened next to it in 1844 and traded for 165 years. R W Cole Optician has been at 58 Commercial Road since 1955: seventy of those years, on the same patch of Pillgwenlly, fitting spectacles for the families who walk past.
BSc Hons MCOptom · joined 1992 · director since 2008
Qualified January 1989. Joined R W Cole in 1992. Took a break between 2000 and 2007 to set up an eye clinic in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and still visits to help provide eye care when he can. Director of the practice since 1 September 2008.
MCOptom · director since 2023 · specialist clinics
Joined the directorship on 28 November 2023. Leads the glaucoma, low vision and medical retina clinics. Trained in NHS Wales enhanced services and runs the EHEW emergency rota in Newport.
Specialist clinics · glaucoma, low vision, medical retina, emergency
Specialist optometrist working alongside Vikki on the clinical side. Trained in glaucoma assessment, low vision rehabilitation and emergency eyecare. The clinician you see on the EHEW pathway if you walk in with a red eye.
Glazing since 1979 · 47 years on the bench
Started glazing lenses in 1979 and has not stopped. Pantoscopic tilt, vertex distance, face-form wrap, soldering a snapped bridge, replacing a nose pad on a Saturday morning. The reason a one-hour spectacle service is a real promise and not a marketing line.
Also at the practice: Soraya Dean (dispensing, ~20 years), Stephanie Young (lens technician), and reception colleagues with thirty-plus combined years of optical experience. The full team is introduced on the next visit.
“Brilliant service and very friendly staff.” Newport patient
“Fantastic service. New to the practice they fixed my broken readers, tested my eyes and sorted new glasses for me, all in under an hour. Can't fault anything, I will be back here.” A first-visit Pillgwenlly patient
“The staff are always very professional and helpful and there is always a brilliant selection of frames.” Long-standing patient
Commercial Road runs from the centre of Newport south to the docks, through Pillgwenlly. The practice is on the right as you head south, on the corner near the old cattle-market site. Parking is on Lower Dock Street (free Sundays, two hours weekdays) or in the Asda Pillgwenlly Superstore car park, three minutes' walk away.
58 / 59 Commercial Road, Newport NP20 2PF
The live site embeds an OpenStreetMap or Google Maps panel here.30 minutes for a full examination, including a 3D OCT retinal scan on most tests. We ask you to book ahead so the optometrist has time set aside, but we can almost always offer a same-day or next-day appointment when the diary allows. Phone 01633 262 258 and reception will find a slot.
Yes. Under the NHS Wales sight test you are eligible if you are under 16, in full-time education up to 18, 60 or over, on income-related benefits, diabetic, glaucoma-affected (or a first-degree relative), or considered at risk of glaucoma by your GP. We check eligibility at reception. If you are not eligible, a private sight test is the same 30 minutes, same OCT, same clinician.
Most likely, yes. David Suller has been on the glazing bench since 1979 and the lab is on the premises. Walk in with the broken pair; for soldering, nose pads, screws and minor frame adjustments we usually have you out of the door within the hour. For a snapped frame that needs replacing, we have a wall of NHS, exclusive and children's frames and a one-hour glazing service when stock allows.
Phone us. Under the Welsh Emergency Eyecare scheme (EHEW) we offer same-day or next-day appointments for red eye, foreign bodies, flashes and floaters, sudden vision changes, eyelid problems and post-cataract concerns. If you are reading this out of hours, NHS 111 Wales is the route; in surgery hours we are usually the faster option.
Yes. For patients who cannot easily come into the practice, our domiciliary service brings the sight test, frame selection and follow-up dispensing to your home. Eligibility follows the NHS Wales criteria; phone reception to discuss what is involved and book a date.