Raising awareness of a career within optics

Practitioners from Specsavers Driffield have visited their local secondary school and sixth form to speak to students about the importance of eye health and raise awareness of career pathways in optics.

Optometrist, Jess Forman, and contact lens and dispensing optician, Annabelle Stephenson, visited Driffield School and sixth form in the East Riding of Yorkshire and delivered an interactive session for students across Years 10 to 13 studying health and social care, and child development.

Through the session, the practitioners discussed how different conditions can affect people’s vision and everyday lives, the importance of regular eye exams, and what their day-to-day work involves.

Students were able to try on ‘Sim Specs’ – goggles that simulate different eye conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration – which allowed them to experience some of the conditions discussed.

Haydn Simpson, a supervisor at Specsavers Driffield, and optical assistant Neve Jones also spoke with students in Years 7 and 9 about apprenticeships.

Speaking about the school visit, Forman said: “We are grateful to the teachers and students for welcoming us into their classroom. We genuinely hope they found it as engaging as we did, because from our own experience, we know how valuable hands-on learning is when it comes to building pathways into healthcare.”

Ruth Mortimer, co-ordinator of CEIAG and a teacher at Driffield School, said: “While classroom learning is essential, we highly value inviting professionals from their respective industries to speak with our students. It’s an excellent way to bring topics to life and offer real-world perspectives that help students connect their learning to actual healthcare settings and understand their potential future roles.”