“I think what we are doing now will benefit thousands of children”

Tell us about your role…

I work two days at Moorfields Eye Hospital and three days at SeeAbility, plus the occasional day at Great Ormond Street Hospital during the school holidays. The majority of the time I am dispensing to children, and most of them have additional needs. One of my days for Moorfields is at an outreach clinic in a children’s development centre; I have been part of this clinic for over 12 years. My SeeAbility work takes me to various schools, so some weeks I’m not in the same place twice. I love this element and, wherever I visit, I am treated really nicely and feel valued.

What is your professional passion?

My passion is paediatric dispensing, which I get to do every day. It’s not just the run of the mill stuff; I love the challenges it brings. Since joining the SeeAbility vision team, their passion has rubbed off on me. I am passionate about providing a complete eye care service to the part of our community that needs it the most. I think what we are doing now will benefit thousands of children.

What are you most proud of?

I’m proud of what I’m doing now; I guess if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t carry on. I think, however, a singular moment was when I got my pre-reg position at Moorfields. This was a big step for me as I started in optics fairly late in life. I came from a very different background, and I was, until that point, a London black cabbie. One sadness was that my dad died a few weeks before I received my Moorfields’ acceptance letter.

I never set goals; I just want to be happy in my work. I need to work with kind people, and I’m very lucky on that front

What is your next career goal?

I never set goals; I just want to be happy in my work. I need to work with kind people, and I’m very lucky on that front.

How do you manage a work/life balance?

I don’t do this consciously; I accept that some periods are harder than others. Only working in term time really helps. If the job gets a little intense, there is always a school break in the not-too-distant future.

What do you do to unwind?

I walk my two dogs – I don’t have a choice in that – nonetheless, it is very therapeutic. I occasionally binge on Netflix; I have been known to spend an entire day watching something that grabs me.

You have won the OT lottery. What are the first three things you would do with the £1m jackpot?

I would book a big holiday in South America – I travel a lot but I have never been there. I would also visit the Southampton Boat Show and get a 30ft sport cruiser to the tune of £300K. And probably some liposuction!

About the author

Mitchel completed his ophthalmic dispensing and technician course at City and Islington College, returning later to teach as a part-time lecturer until 2013. He completed his pre-registration year at Moorfields Eye Hospital and has continued to work there on a part-time basis for the last 15 years. Mitchel is also part of SeeAbility’s vision team.