Postcard from… Dubai

Since moving to Dubai in 2019, specialist optometrist, Zach Cairns, has had many unique experiences.

He has learned to scuba dive, watched camels race, and admired the live penguins at an indoor ski centre.

But beyond the desert driving and snorkeling with sharks, he has witnessed a simpler kind of awe in the silent moment when his patients try contact lenses for the first time.

“The nicest ones are where you get that pause when they are taking everything in,” Cairns shared.

“Sometimes there are happy tears. They are the most thankful patients,” he said.

After completing his pre-registration training at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, Cairns spent three and a half years working across a broad range of clinics through a residency programme.

He then saw a job opportunity come up at Moorfields Dubai and was attracted by the unique opportunity.

“I was keen to do something a little bit different,” he said.

Zach Cairns

Zach Cairns, specialist optometrist and practice director at Cairns & Co in Dubai

After successfully securing a job interview, Cairns decided to combine the interview with a short holiday with a friend.

“My first visit to Dubai was for the interview. I was very much jumping in with two feet,” he reflected.

Cairns was impressed with the city when he first arrived. He is reminded of the spectacular scale of the cityscape when his friends and family come to visit.

“Everything is bigger here and more opulent. It is really something to behold if you have never visited before,” Cairns said.

Cairns secured the role and made preparations to move to Dubai. He explained that there are different processes followed across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in order to be able to practise as an optometrist.

For a UK optometrist to be able to practise in Dubai, they need to complete degree and background checks before undertaking a multi-choice examination at a testing centre.

“All the UK optometrists I know of who have come over here have passed – no problem,” he said.

Cairns noted that his role within Moorfields Dubai was focused on core optometry skills – such as refraction, contact lenses and low vision clinics.

Under the current Dubai Health Authority regulations, optometrists are unable to use pharmacological agents. Guidelines introduced in February this year prevent optometry practices from owning fundus cameras, optical coherence tomography and tonometry.

Until September this year, the UAE did not have an optometry course. However, the Gulf Medical University has now launched a four-year optometry degree.

“I’m hopeful that with the introduction of a local optometry degree, the profession will continue to develop and expand its recognised scope within the UAE,” Cairns observed.

In June 2025, Cairns branched out and established his own independent practice in Dubai, Cairns & Co. His practice offers primary eye care and specialises in contact lenses.

His vision was for an optometry practice that provides high-quality clinical care with a personal touch – where patients feel comfortable from the moment they walk in.

“I always had a pipe dream of having a family-run opticians like you would get back home, where staff not only know your name and your family, but your coffee order,” Cairns shared.

The most important thing is to know why you are moving and not simply decide after watching a TikTok video

While Cairns’ professional passion lies in specialist contact lenses, there have been hurdles to overcome following the February guidelines that restrict what technology can be held within optometry practices.

Before the updated DHA guidelines were issued, Cairns put a downpayment on a fundus camera and optical coherence tomography device, which are now in storage.

He has made use of the training he received at Moorfields Eye Hospital in fitting using trial lenses. Cairns has also utilised his hospital contacts when further tests or scans are required.

He observed sharing the possibilities of contact lenses with patients in a region that tends towards refractive surgery has been a rewarding aspect of his job.

“People don't realise that contact lenses are an option for good vision,” Cairns said.

“With specialist contact lenses, you can see an immediate improvement in vision – there is no waiting for recovery. You can put a lens on, get excellent vision and enjoy that moment with the patient,” he added.

Cairns shared that one of the aspects of working in Dubai that attracted him was the potential to shape the future of the optometry profession within the region.

“There are too many places where you have that opportunity. I would really like to make a difference to optometry within the UAE,” he said.

While in Dubai, Cairns met his wife – who is from Brazil and works as cabin crew for an airline.

“Meeting my wife has been a big thing, and her supporting me through these past couple of years has been amazing,” he said.

“It has been a whirlwind really. Time goes fast in general, but even more so here in Dubai because you don’t really have seasons,” Cairns added.

Living in a city where gold leaf has been applied to most edible surfaces, including steak, burrata and biriyani, sometimes it is the simpler home pleasures that Cairns misses.

“Wine gums – that is the one thing I can’t get here. But generally, there is a pretty large British and Irish expat community in Dubai so there’s not much that you can’t find,” he said.

Cairns encouraged those contemplating a move to Dubai to consider their reason for relocating.

He highlighted that an average optometrist salary on the High Street would be around £15,500, rising to around £43,000 within hospitals.

Cairns added that the cost of living in Dubai is only slightly less than London, and comparable to other major UK cities.

“Don’t move here for the salary. If you’re moving here for family or for the lifestyle, then there are good reasons for that,” he shared.

“The most important thing is to know why you are moving and not simply decide after watching a TikTok video,” Cairns highlighted.