Pivoting to industry as a community optometrist

I got a Saturday job at the local Specsavers in my hometown when I was 16, so I developed a good understanding of what it was like to be in the optical industry early.

A year or two into that job, I was doing science A-levels. I enjoyed science and had always wanted to be in the healthcare industry, and I realised I could put that together with helping people and patient care. That’s when I decided that optometry would be a really good option.

I went to Aston University, coming home every summer and continuing to work in my local Specsavers.

I kept up that clinical practice: constantly coming back, having that patient contact and dispensing. I liked the practical side of it – not just testing eyes, but seeing the whole patient journey through. This is probably one of the reasons why, further along in my career, I’ve enjoyed coming into industry with a lens manufacturer.

I completed my pre-registration placement at the same Specsavers that I had started out as an optical assistant. I was there for seven years in total, in that the same practice.

After a year qualified, I thought it was time to reach out and try different areas.

I got a part-time job at Asda Opticians, which gave me the flexibility to also locum, so that I could build up my skill set of working with a range of practice management systems and dealing with different patients and demographics. I did that for four years.

During COVID-19, I started a letterbox gifting business on Etsy.

I wasn’t locuming, and I wanted to show my creative side. A lot of people were posting out gifts at that point of the pandemic, and it was quite successful.

During COVID-19, I also worked as a contact clinical tracer for NHS England.

I was on the phone, speaking to COVID-19 patients and tracing and contacting others who they’d be in contact with to advise them on isolation. I was applying a lot of the skills that I learned in my career as an optometrist to that setting. I did that for nearly two years, which shows how long COVID-19 was around.

I joined Zeiss in September 2023.

I had been involved with continuing education and training (CPD) at Asda Opticians. I had worked on CPD facilitation and really enjoyed it, but I never delivered it. I thought, ‘I would really like to be able to give back in a different way.’

I saw this role come up at Zeiss Vision, where I would have the opportunity to deliver CPD and training.

The role was a bit more people-focused than what I had done previously. Quite often, in practice, you work independently in the test room when dealing with a patient. This role at Zeiss gives me the opportunity to work with different departments, including marketing, commercial teams and customer care.

I was able to work with lots of different areas of the business, to solve technical queries or provide training with a customer focus. We provide training to all practice members, including optometrists and dispensing opticians, so it’s nice to have that peer-to-peer time. I really enjoy that about this current role.

I’ve been able to do a range of things in this role – not only CPD delivery and training, but also providing training for new products being brought to market.

I now have an understanding about what products are coming to market, what their role is, and how they might fit into practice. It involves looking at it from a different perspective. We’re training practices on how they would use products, and the benefits they might bring to their patients and business.

We provide training to all practice members, including optometrists and dispensing opticians, so it’s nice to have that peer-to-peer time. I really enjoy that about this current role

Similarly, I’m co-leading the myopia strategy with another colleague.

I’m really interested in myopia management, and as we have products in this space at Zeiss, I’m still using my clinical skills. I can understand the research and relate it back to optometrists and dispensing opticians from a clinical perspective. It’s for a really great cause, too: to help children.

Alongside working at Zeiss, I am currently an AOP Peer Support Line volunteer.

That has really shaped my understanding of what practitioners go through, including from a pre-registration perspective. It’s good to be able to give back. It’s a really good cause, because it helps a lot of people. It’s nice to have peer-to-peer discussions, helping other optometrists.

I still locum, because I don’t want to lose that clinical skill, especially as I now lead CPD talks.

I don’t want to deviate away from it too much. The world of optics is changing quickly at the moment, so it’s really important to keep knowledge and skills up to date – especially the practical elements, and understanding what the new pathways are in terms of referrals. When I’m talking about myopia management, especially as that’s the focus I have in industry, I want to be able to do it practically as well.

I’ve had a good amount of experience working a variety of different practices. When I locum, it’s more in independent practices. I do roughly one locum day a month, sometimes more and sometimes less.

The world of optics is changing quickly at the moment, so it’s really important to keep knowledge and skills up to date

My presentation at 100% Optical 2026 was on communication, and how you need to bring patients on the journey.

Communication is important throughout all aspects of optical practice. From communicating eye conditions, to communicating your recommendations for optical solutions, we need to be able to communicate effectively.

We definitely find that to be the case, especially with things like myopia management. People need to understand what myopia management spectacles do and how they work. Making sure we deliver the explanations simply and coherently is key. That’s something I think we should all adopt.

If I hadn’t gone into optometry, my plan B would have been law.

In my current role, there is a bit of compliance. When we’re doing marketing, we have to make sure it’s technically correct. We’re really interested in the compliance aspect of things, and I think law really marries up with that. I really do enjoy that aspect of the role. If I didn’t do optometry, I would have gone down the legal route.

In the future, I would like to delve further in to myopia management. I am really enjoying the clinical aspect of it.

I really do enjoy working with clients.

My ambition is to grow within the business, really focusing on myopia and helping more children have access to myopia management if they require it. With that in mind, I am currently studying towards a module in myopia management at Glasgow Caledonian University. Myopia is one key thing that I want to focus on in my current role.