Cargills Folkestone

Mr Mike Thomason BSc (Hons) MCOptom

Mike Thomason Graduated with an honours degree in Optometry from City University, London in 1989. He undertook his pre-registration training with Cargills in Folkestone, his home town where he lives with his wife & family. He became a partner in the firm in 1995. He has experience in private practice as well as Hospital contact lens and low vision clinics. He now enjoys applying these skills along with general sight testing to both NHS & Private patients in community optometry. He is able to offer coloured overlay assessments for children with reading difficulties (visual stress sometimes associated with dyslexia). He is also accredited to provide post-surgical cataract patient checks, and has an interest in myopia management with specialised spectacle and contact lenses.

Mrs Naomi Stringer BSc (Hons) MSc MCOptom

Naomi Stringer graduated from City University with a First Class Honours degree in Optometry in 2002. She then undertook her pre-registration year at Cargills in Folkestone, under the guidance of Mike Thomason. In 2010, Naomi completed her Masters degree in Clinical Optometry with a dissertation in Dry Eye Management. For the last 18 years she has shared her time between high street independent Optometry practices in Kent and working for the Kent and Medway Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Service (The Paula Carr Trust). As well as her specialist interest in diabetes and dry eye, she is also accredited to undertake MECS examinations (Minor Eye Condition Service) and post-cataract examinations. She has worked for the Community Glaucoma Network for 5 years, helping to diagnose and monitor glaucoma patients. Since having two children Naomi has particularly enjoyed paediatric Optometry, including fitting myopia control contact lenses, overlay assessments and prescribing Colorimetry lenses. She became a partner at Cargills in 2021. In her spare time, Naomi loves running and hanging upside down from an aerial hoop!

Mr Bendre Dalton BSc (Hons) MCOptom FBDO

Bendre Dalton qualified as a Dispensing Optician in South Africa in 1998. He moved to the UK in 2000 and worked as a Dispensing Optician until 2008 when he returned to university to study Optometry. Bendre successfully completed his studies with a First Class Honours degree and since qualifying has worked in Jersey Channel Islands and more recently in East Kent. While in Jersey Bendre carried out specialised contact lens fitting to post corneal graft and keratoconic patients and performed regular coloured overlay assessment. Bendre is particularly interested in myopia control in children, binocular vision anomalies and dry eye management. In his free time he enjoys cycling and dinghy sailing.