Stewart Caithness Gray

The practice was formed as Stewart and Caithness Optometrists in 1984 when Brian Stewart and Hamish Caithness went into partnership in the New Edinburgh Way in George Street, Dunedin. In 1991 the practice relocated at its current site and three years later, For Eyes, a sunglass store was incorporated into the business. Paul Gray, who had trained as an optometrist in the UK, joined them in 1996 for some overseas travel and professional experience. He later returned to the UK for a few years but came back and ultimately joined Brian and Hamish in partnership in 2006. The practice was renamed Stewart Caithness Gray Optometrists Ltd in 2010.

In 2013, the sunglass store was amalgamated back into the optometry practice and in 2014, Hamish retired from practice. Brian then retired in 2017 to leave Paul as the sole owner.

Our optometrists are all university trained, New Zealand registered and members of the New Zealand Association of Optometrists and the Cornea and Contact Lens Society of New Zealand Inc. Paul is also a member of the Orthokeratology Society of Oceania.

 

Paul Gray BSc(Hons), MCOptom, PGDipSci

Paul comes from North Yorkshire, England and studied for his degree in ophthalmic optics (optometry) at Aston University in Birmingham, England. Following graduation in 1990, he spent a year working in Harrogate before gaining membership of the British College of Optometrists and registration with the General Optical Council in the UK.

Paul then spent a few years working at Cooper and Leatherbarrow Opticians on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales before deciding to have a working holiday in New Zealand. He moved to Dunedin in 1996 to work at Stewart and Caithness and stayed for 3 years before returning to the UK. He then came back to NZ in 2002 to work with Brian and Hamish and became a partner in the business in 2006.

In 2010, Paul completed a post graduate diploma in science (PGDipSci) with credit through the University of Auckland. This therapeutic qualification enables Paul to prescribe eye drops to treat a variety of ocular conditions.

Paul is married and has two sons. Most of his time away from work is spent with the family although he enjoys tramping and skiing and is a current member of the Dunedin Land Search and Rescue (LandSAR) group and the Dunedin Cliff Rescue team. He is also a past member and former team leader of the New Zealand Red Cross Disaster and Welfare Team in Dunedin. Paul also plays the violin, passing his Grade 8 while still at school, although sadly it spends more time in the case now than being played.

 

Support Staff

Our optometrists are only part of the team at SCG. Our support staff are the first people that you meet when you visit us and we recognise their importance and value within our practice. We have a great team and are proud of the work that they do, as they are of the service that they provide. They all have a good eye for knowing what frame will suit a particular face shape and therefore which frames will look the best on you. If you are looking for a new frame, they will help to guide you through the process and are always more than happy to offer an honest opinion.

Steve is our optical technician and has over 30 years of experience in the optical industry. He has run our Dunedin workshop for the last 20 and is one of the most experienced practice based optical technicians in the country. In 2010, he was one of only three people in Australasia to be invited to attend the Hoya Vision Care biannual international technical conference which was held in Spain. He has a vast knowledge of optical frames and lenses in addition to a fantastic range of technical skills.