Practitioner stories

Optometrists, dispensing opticians and eye care professionals from across optics share their stories

Mindfulness illustration that is yellow, pink, blue and green

Eyes on wellbeing

How to feel less stressed: practitioners share their go-to destress hacks

As April is Stress Awareness Month, we asked 15 practitioners working in different modes of practice across optics, from High Street to hospital and industry, what they do to unwind after a busy day

11 min read

Life in practice

A crowd of people wearing coats and woolly hats gather close to a field. A girl in a red jacket and pink hat in the centre of the crowd is pointing at the sky. There is an orange stripe of light low across the horizon as the sun sets with darker clouds moving across a light grey sky.

Those who search for the moon

10 min read

Life in practice 5

Also in this section

Cathy Davis in her running kit tying up her shoelaces outside a Specsavers practice

“The tumour would’ve continued to grow, I would’ve continued to be unwell and would’ve been left with lifechanging disabilities”

Life in practice 1

Maurice celebrating being made a Freeman of the City of London, presented by the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers

Obituary: Maurice Zack

Optometrist and practice founder, Maurice Zack, has died at the age of 86

Life in practice

John Hockney in a smart suit with a deep red bow tie

Obituary: John Hockney

Life in practice

iclw2

I could not live without…

My hospital’s NHS relationship

Life in practice

Dr Louise Terry and Dry Enyam Morny

Ghana-Wales Vision Pact: celebrating optometry through collaboration

5 min read

Life in practice

Karan is smiling in front of a grassy field and is wearing dark blue medical scrubs

“It is important to share knowledge as much as you can”

Life in practice

Optometrist Tony McGinn outside a Specsavers opticians practice

Providing eye care in Kenya

Life in practice

A man with brown hair and a beard in a grey exercise t-shirt smiles at the camera. He is standing at the top of the hill, and behind him there is a forest and rolling hills

Optometrist Connor McCann on living with a brain tumour

6 min read

Life in practice 1

Long reads

How to feel less stressed: practitioners share their go-to destress hacks
11 min read
Those who search for the moon
10 min read
Ghana-Wales Vision Pact: celebrating optometry through collaboration
5 min read

A man is seated at a coffee table working on a laptop

Preparing for a day in practice

Life in practice

A diary sits on a white table net to a vase of pink carnations and a glass jar containing different coloured pieces of chalk

Getting to grips with cancellations

Life in practice

A rugby player sits in a library with seven infant school children on either side all holding books. Behind them stand Moin Valli, Chloe Starr and Rachael Rose.

Valli Opticians supports school reading project

Life in practice

A man stands in snow wearing jeans and a beige jersey next to a fir tree

Reflections on practising as an optometrist in the US

5 min read

Life in practice 5

Murray Smith wears a flat cap and dark green jacket

Obituary: Murray Smith

The much-respected optometrist has died at the age of 96

Life in practice

sight test elderly man

Encountering potential glaucoma as an IP optometrist

5 min read

Life in practice 1

A woman wearing a brown hijab and dark top with a red pattern smiles at the camera

“This month really uplifts my mood”

Life in practice

Animation of a group of faces

International Women’s Day: celebrating achievements

11 min read

Life in practice

Zabir Ali is on stage holding an award, surrounded by seven members of his team in a line

UK optometrist honoured at Transitions Innovation Awards 2024

Life in practice

Attendees are seated outside in a group and are smiling towards the camera

Hakim Group hosts second Irish retreat

Life in practice

Chris Steele is sat at a desk in his consulting room, smiling at the camera, with a piece of optical testing equipment on the desk in front of him

You had me at hospital

“Hospital optometry is heading in new directions”

11 min read

Life in practice

Three images of video calls are displayed on a blue backdrop. In the first image on the top left a woman in a black hijab smiles while holding a white mug. In the central lower image, a man with a beard and spectacles is pictured. In the third top right image, a man wearing spectacles and a navy shirt sits in a testing room. Behind him is optometry equipment and a flat screen displaying images of a retina.

Ramadan 2024: optometrists share their experiences

Life in practice