About

Haag-Streit UK Ltd promotes prevention, early detection, careful monitoring and effective treatment of retinal disease, glaucoma, corneal disorders, ocular motility and visual defects.  Dedicated to providing tailored solutions through the integration of information technology, leading brand ophthalmic instruments and unparalleled customer care, Haag-Streit UK Ltd, focuses on the individual requirements of both the professional and the patient.

Haag-Streit itself has set the ‘gold’ standard in modern slit lamp microscopy for more than 50 years and keratometry for over 100 years, a standard that is yet to be challenged.  By bringing together trusted brands, such as DRS and EyeCap, Octopus and Reliance and Ellex as well as Clement Clarke and Moeller-Wedel, Haag-Streit UK Ltd can offer infinite solutions that exceed the high standards set by each individual manufacturer.

A brief history

Since it's formation in 1917 as a dispensing optician with one branch in London's Wigmore Street, Mr Clement Clarke's dedication to research development and tradition of the most sophisticated instrument manufacture has resulted in numerous advancements in both the respiratory and ophthalmic fields.

Mr Clement Clarke's enthusiasm for original exciting instruments at the forefront of technology, carved the way for a series of innovations starting with the pocket compass sold to the War Office. The introduction and success of the patented Synoptophore, in 1929, made it clear that a concentration on diagnostic instruments was necessary.

Clement Clarke's innovation was as notable in his approach to eyecare as it was to instrumentation. Within three years he established a second branch in Torquay and in the years leading up to the war, the company expanded to 36 retail outlets throughout the UK.

By 1958 Clement Clarke was one of the leading dispensing opticians in the UK with 104 outlets and 1,026 staff. In 1986 the group was acquired by Boots Plc and in 1989 was purchased by the Swiss based company Haag-Streit AG located in Berne. Highly respected internationally for ophthalmic precision, Haag-Streit further strengthened Clement Clarke's resources and gained access to new markets and long term investment. In January 2001 the Ophthalmic division of Clement Clarke was renamed Haag-Streit UK.

Today, Clement Clarke manufactures a number of internationally recognised instruments such as the Perkins Tonometer, the 904 portable slit lamp, the Tonosafe disposable Tonometer prisms and a wide range of test types, trial frames and lens sets. Additionally, Haag-Streit UK acts as the exclusive distributor for Reliance, Octopus, DRS, Ellex, and Sonomed.  

Haag-Streit UK is developing new products both independently and in partnership with companies, which allows Haag-Streit UK to ensure that both the customer and the market have the latest ophthalmic products available with built in quality and innovation, which would be expected from a Swiss group company.