A passion for contact lenses and dry eye disease with Dr Debarun Dutta

Dr Debarun Dutta (pictured) is a lecturer at the Optometry School of Aston University. He is the leader of the medical biology and pathology module for first year undergraduate optometry students. He also teaches contact lens and clinical practice for the second year optometry undergraduate students, and supervises PhD and clinical doctorate candidates with projects focusing on contact lenses and dry eye disease.

What is your professional passion?

My professional passion includes research in the area of contact lenses, eye infections and dry eye disease.

What are you most proud of?

I am very happy and proud of being an optometric researcher.

If you could switch career path, what would you choose to do?

I would like to be a professional chef. I regularly cook at home and like cooking a variety of grills, desserts and some Indian cuisine.

How do you manage a work/life balance?

Academic life demands a fair bit of work, and I try my best to balance work and life. I try to prioritise my work and allocate time for each task, and attempt to complete my work on time. Of course, sometimes I fail to complete in time, but I make up with the other tasks that may have finished early. At work it is important to say ‘no’ to certain volunteering projects with respect and a smile – something I am generally not good at.

What do you do to unwind?

I think staying away from work over the weekends and spending time with family members and friends helps me to relax and prepare for the week ahead. Also, going for a coffee and a casual chat with my colleagues at Aston University is helpful.

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

Firstly, I would continue to work – I love it. I like travelling and I am new to the UK from Australia, so I would travel around the UK and parts of Europe in the summer. Plus, a space tour with Virgin Galactic would be great.

Do you have your next holiday booked? Where are you going?

I have been exploring the natural beauty that the UK has to offer. One of the first things I did after landing in the UK was buy the Lonely Planet guide to Great Britain. I have been to the Peak District already, and I would like to travel to the Lake District next.