History of the Practice

The practice has been growing steadily through word of mouth and personal recommendation ever since it was established in 1970.

"It all started a long time ago" with one of the early pioneers of the Edinburgh optics scene, W M McGrath, starting a business in Queensferry Street. With family and friends helping out on reception and other staffing positions the business built up to become one of the largest optometrist and contact lens practices in Edinburgh.

The son of the business, J A Murray McGrath, began to fit the new modern contact lenses from the basement of the shop and as time went by it all became too busy to sustain in one premises.

Murray then moved the practice into the family home at Randolph Cliff and it continued to build with the main business sending clients for contact lens fitting and the contact lens practice sending them the other way for new spectacles.

Having achieved his degree in optometry in Glasgow, Donald Cameron joined the father's business in 1976 and over the next few years developed an interest in contact lens work. In 1981 Murray and Donald agreed terms of a new partnership and McGrath and Cameron was born.

Always keen to expand horizons, Donald took up a session each week in the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh and over time the doctors there increasingly referred hospital patients, who require contact lenses for medical reasons, to McGrath and Cameron.

The partnership grew in strength and activity with Heather Grandon joining in 1994, bringing new skills and new patients to the practice until eventually it became too large for the space available in Randolph Cliff. In 2004, with Murray looking to retire, the practice purchased a wonderful property at 5 St Vincent Street which will allow the business to develop for many years to come.

As Murray retired, there was really too much work for the remaining optometrists to manage successfully and then Heather announced that baby number one was en route. Donald's son, Ian had qualified in optometry in Manchester two years previously and was working in contact lens related research and was keen to return to be involved in what was now the family business. In December 2005 as Heather began maternity leave, Ian returned to Edinburgh to begin working in the business

The practice has now a solid base from which to expand its services. The hallmark of the consulting rooms is the high level of specialist eye care equipment and mark of the practitioners is our commitment to maintaining the very highest standards of clinical skill and care.

As legal changes allow optometrists to gain access to therapeutic drugs over the next few years, our intention is that the practice should increasingly be seen as the source of advice on all eye related problems. This should assist GPs in accurate diagnosis because of our equipment and experience as well as helping the hospital keep patients in the community wherever possible rather than in centralised busy out patient departments.