Case Studies

Veterinary Ophthalmology is eye right

Julia Henken, a qualified veterinary surgeon and advanced practitioner in ophthalmology, has launched Eye Right Referrals.

28th March 2024

About the business

Julia Henken has come a long way since qualifying as a veterinary surgeon in 2011. She has now launched her fully independent Eye Right Referrals service for small animal eye care after becoming an advanced practitioner in Veterinary Ophthalmology and working exclusively as an ophthalmologist for the last six years. Based in Dalgety Bay, Julia works out of six clinics across Fife and beyond, as she is one of the very few specialists within Scotland.

She adores all her canine and feline patients and will always go over and above to save their eyes and improve their lives. Loving every aspect of Veterinary Ophthalmology but Julia especially enjoys creating beautiful cosmetic and functional eyelids for animals with eyelid problems and giving dogs their sight back with life changing cataract surgery. She prides herself in achieving excellent success rates in cherry eye surgery with a technique she has perfected over the years.

Julia explained, “I aim to make the referral process simple and time efficient for referring vets so that they don’t hesitate to refer to anyone other than Eye Right Referrals. Time is precious to general practitioners, and a simple referral process will give us an edge on our competitors, where the referral process can often seem confusing and time-consuming. I also believe in making the pricing as competitive as possible.”

How Business Gateway helped

Julia reached out to Business Gateway Fife and she has received a range of business advice and support from business adviser, Karen Cassells, who commented, “I was delighted to assist Julia with her business model, business plan, cashflow and funding as she started out. We were able to help secure her a Start Up grant and Fife Investment Fund loan for a cataract machine and other equipment. We will continue to work with Julia as the business progresses, particularly around development of her website. She has already built up an excellent reputation in her field.”

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