“Everyone encouraged me to study optometry”

How did you first become aware of optometry?

I was interested in healthcare and once I started researching potential careers after GCSEs, I learnt about optometry. I messaged optometry students and optometrists on LinkedIn to understand what a day in the life of an optometrist would be like, the sort of things they do, and how open the career is. That made me even more interested in optometry.

Who influenced or inspired your decision to go into optometry?

There wasn’t one specific person, but the community as a whole has been inspiring. People on social media posting content like ‘day in the life’ or showing the equipment they use was fascinating to me, whether they were a student or optometrist. When I spoke to people through LinkedIn, everyone encouraged me to study optometry. Hearing their stories helped my decision. I also work in a practice, where I became involved with pre-screening – speaking to the optometrist about the scans was really interesting.

What were the main reasons you wanted to become an optometrist?

I always wanted to work in a healthcare setting as I wanted to help people. I carried out my own research into the careers you can go into within optometry, like working in High Street practice, hospital optometry, in prisons, the education sector, or in research. Optometry is really open and that’s what I like about it.

It’s a rewarding career. I’ve heard a story from the optometrists at the practice where I work where they referred a patient to hospital due to swelling of the back of the eye and it turned out to be inter-cranial hypertension. The patient could have lost their sight if it were not found, and this inspired me to also change people’s lives.

Optometry is really open and that’s what I like about it

What placements have you carried out, and what have you learnt from your experience of optometry so far?

I currently work in Specsavers as an optical assistant and dispenser. Connecting with the patients is really nice. As a dispenser, I get to sit down with the patient and not only discuss lens options, but build that rapport and get to know them better.

I have gained a lot of skills in organisation, teamwork, and communication as our practice is quite busy, with sometimes as many as eight clinics running at the same time, including audiology. The optometrists in practice are always eager to share their knowledge, so I know they will help me if I have any questions. I’ve also developed a good set of work friends.

I have started volunteering for a charity called Cam-Sight, which helps to support people with low vision and visual impairments. I went to a Pilates class with people who had visual impairment or sight loss and the community was so friendly. It was inspiring to see that there is a team to support them and make sure they know they are not alone.

What is your favourite aspect of optometry so far?

I am a hands-on person, so I like the clinical side of using the equipment, especially the slit lamp. There is so much you can do with a slit lamp. It’s exciting when you find something unique using the equipment, because without these tools we would have no idea what is happening at the back of our eyes.

I am looking forward to learning more about ocular diseases and the pathology side of optometry, analysing results from optical coherence tomographers or visual field tests, and using our clinical lab sessions to understand optometry more.

It’s exciting when you find something unique using the equipment, because without these tools we would have no idea what is happening at the back of our eyes

Do you have a career path in mind? What are your professional goals?

I’m trying to keep my options open because there are a lot of different paths you can take after the degree. For now, I’m going to say ‘yes’ to any opportunity that comes by, and try to get as much experience as possible in as many different settings as I can. I will continue to work in practice as a student as it helps me to understand the modules more, as I can see it in a real-life scenario. I am interested in hospital optometry, as well as volunteering and travelling, so that could potentially be something I look into.

Saying ‘yes,’ finding a support network, and keeping up with notes

What helped you settle into university or the workplace?

Having people around you who will support you to do well. I have a good set of friends around me. It takes time because you have to build trust.

I came to university with the mentality of saying ‘yes’ to every opportunity so that I could meet new people. This also has a benefit for networking within the optometry community. It is part of the reason I wanted to become a student rep for the AOP. We benefit from having meetings, coming to the AOP offices, meeting other student reps and hearing their stories.

Is there one thing that you wish someone had told you about optometry before you started the course?

I would have prepared myself for the physics element of the course, as I was not the strongest at physics.

How do you approach balancing studying and work, with socialising and making time for yourself?

Having a balance is important. Usually, I take time for myself early in the morning or late at night, and every few weekends I make time to visit family. During the day I focus on studies, and because I’m more of a social person, I like to spend time with others.

I work in practice two days a week but always keep a few days for catching up on notes. I try to take a couple of hours in the day to sit in the library and revise. Something I have found helpful is studying together with friends. We book a study room and teach each other, which helps us to remember the content. It also means we can socialise at the same time.

What do you enjoy about being an AOP student representative? What has being an AOP student representative involved?

Meeting the student representatives from other universities at the AOP offices was an interesting experience. It was nice to hear other people’s career stories. I enjoyed creating videos with the other student reps, and learning a lot more about the benefits the AOP provides – not just for students but optometrists. Helping at the AOP talk at the university Welcome Day for the new first year students and promoting the AOP at our Optics Society stall at freshers fair was a unique experience.