10 April 2026
Photoshoots took place outside of a traditional optometry setting for OT’s April/May The Core Values edition.
Independent prescribing (IP) optometrist and Optometry Scotland vice chair, Richard Spruce, was photographed painting miniatures at his Menstrie home, while IP optometrist and The Optical People director, Jaclyn Pugh, had photos taken at a Chepstow fitness studio.
Pugh shared with OT that some encouragement from fellow boot camp members helped to ease her nerves ahead of the photoshoot.
“Being in my gym gear in front of what feels like the whole UK optometry community was so daunting,” she said.
“One person said they are interested in me, not my clothes and that helped a lot. I am so lucky to have these women in my life,” Pugh added.
She told OT that she appreciated the gentle and kind approach of the photographer, Alex Lloyd Jenkins.
“We think we are going to have him back to photograph the whole bootcamp crew. It was definitely an inspiring experience that broke down some boundaries for me,” Pugh said.
Behind the cover story
Spruce shared that the photoshoot was fun – if a little awkward to begin with.
“I’m always a bit self-conscious about these sort of things, but Iona put me at ease,” he said.
Spruce’s workstation was rearranged to allow for photographs to be taken at a range of angles.
“We also took some photos in the kitchen with a white background as there was more space and we could do different poses,” he said.
“Iona was friendly, chatty and professional, this helped me relax and hopefully this came through in the photos,” Spruce shared.
Lifting the weight
The lessons optometrists learn outside of university corridors enabling them to become resilient, effective professionals
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