ABOUT US
OUR STORY
Our story at Hansen Optometrists is one rich in history. We are the oldest family run and continual Optometry practices in Australia. First established when Henry Hansen, a Danish jeweller and watchmaker, opened his jeweller shop in Orange where he made and sold spectacles in 1886. In 1902 his son, Fred Hansen, advertising himself as a “Scientific Optician”, was testing eyesight and prescribing spectacles.
In 1945 his sons, Lel and Bob Hansen, continued the tradition as fully trained optometrists. They established Western Optical Pty Ltd with practices in Orange, Parkes and Wellington.
HANSEN OPTOMETRISTS TODAY
Now in its sixth generation, Hansen Optometrists has five optometrists and 14 support staff, and is one of the largest regional practices in Australia with branches in Orange and Parkes.
We are proud to have survived the test of time by continually growing and adapting to the modern age. Providing the best in optometric care and using the very latest advances in technology.
MEET OUR TEAM
Hansen Optometrists are your clinical experts with a highly trained team here to assist you with all your eye care needs.
NICK HANSEN
B Optom. (Hons) FACBO.
Nick Hansen graduated with Honours from the University of New South Wales in 1977 and then becoming involved in Paediatric Optometry with a main interest being the treatment of children with strabismus (eye turn), amblyopia (lazy eye) and visually related learning disabilities. In this area, he has published numerous papers and spoken at various Optometric and Educational Courses both Nationally and Internationally.
Nick Hansen has been a visiting lecturer to the School of Optometry at the University of New South Wales, lecturing in postgraduate Optometry Masters Course. In 1988, he was awarded a Fellowship to the Australasian College of Behavioural Optometrists and is a Past-President of the College. In 1997 he became the first optometrist in Australia to be awarded the title of Behavioural Optometry Specialist by the NSW Board of Optometric Registration. In 1999 he was then elected the first Chairman of the Intercontinental Federation for Behavioral Optometry (IFBO). In 2005 he was awarded the Woodland Memorial Award in recognition of altruistic service and outstanding contributions to Behavioural Optometry in Australasia.
Nick Hansen has also lectured across the country in Optometric Practice Management and is the past Chairman of The Australian Optometric Panel, which is a practice management forum and optometric industry focus group.
SEAN HANSEN
B.Optom. (Hons) FACBO Dip.Teach.
Sean Hansen left high school and undertook a teaching diploma at Mitchell College of Advanced Education in Bathurst and taught primary grades locally in Orange and on Infants classes in Yeoval.
He then returned to the University of New South Wales a few years later to complete a Bachelor of Optometry with first class Honours which he then pursued working at Hansen Optometrist from 1992 til today.
He is passionate about children’s vision and how this relates to learning. He has completed his Fellowship of Behavioural Optometry and many other additional studies in this area.
MARK HANSEN
B.Optom
Mark graduated from the University of New South Wales in 1983.
Mark has a special interest in sports vision, particularly target shooting. He was a part of the optometry team that conducted the visual screening on local and visiting athletes of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
Mark also has a keen interest in low vision, fitting rigid contact lenses for keratoconus, and also often does domiciliary visits for the elderly.
Mark is involved in helping to provide eyecare to overseas communities in developing nations . Through Orange Rotary he conducted an eye clinic in rural Nepal, seeing over 600 patients.
JAKE HANSEN
B.Optom, Grad.Cert.Oc.Ther
Originally born in Orange but growing up in Lake Macquarie, Jake moved back in 2008 upon completion of his Optometry degree at the University of New South Wales. Jake is the 3rd generation of Hansen optometrist to work in the practice.
Jake enjoys all aspects of optometry but is particularly interested in dry eye disease, children’s vision testing, the early detection of eye disease and specialty contact lenses. Jake also enjoys community engagement, having given numerous talks to local groups, schools and guest lectured at Charles Sturt University. Jake finished his post graduate certificate in ocular therapeutics and is qualified to prescribe ocular medications. He is also a member of the Orthokeratology Society of Oceania.
In his spare time Jake enjoys chasing after his four kids and maintains a large collection of reptiles. He is also a licensed venomous snake handler.
JUSTIN CLUNAS
B.Optom(Hons), M.Optom, Grad.Cert.Oc.Ther
Justin grew up and went to school in a small country town called Gloucester in the upper Hunter Valley.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Optometry in 1999, he came to Orange to work at Hansens Eyecare Plus as well as working with a local ophthalmologist two days a week.
In 2005, he and his wife moved to Ireland to live for a year followed by seven years in Newcastle. During that time Justin went back to university to complete his Graduate Certificate in Ocular Therapeutics which allows him to prescribe ocular medication.
While in Newcastle he also began a Masters of Optometry at the University of NSW. His masters mainly concentrated on specialty contact lenses and children’s vision.
Since moving back to Orange in 2013, Justin completed his Masters, and now specialises in dry eye treatment, management of eye disease, and the fitting of specialty contact lenses.
BAHAR ESMAEILZADEH
BVisSc, M.Optom
Bahar grew up in Canberra, where she completed her Bachelor of Vision Science and Master of Optometry. During her placements in rural and regional areas, she developed a passion for providing optometric care to underserved communities and decided to move to Orange to join the Hansens team.
Bahar takes pride in offering the full range of optometry services, with a particular interest in managing eye conditions such as dry eye disease. She is also passionate about children's vision and has a special focus on orthokeratology. Bahar is a member of the Australian College of Optometry (ACO) and the Cornea and Contact Lens Society of Australia (CCLSA), staying up to date with the latest advancements in optometry.
Outside of her professional life, Bahar enjoys travelling and spending time in nature, where she finds inspiration and relaxation.