'Optometry has so much flexibility when it comes to income and hours'

Tell us about your journey into optometry. 

I initially had two career paths to consider: I had the grades to go to medical school, but I also had the opportunity to work for a computer company and study computer science. 

So, of all the STEM-related careers, why did I choose optometry? I could talk about my traditional optometry origin story – getting my rather strong first pair of glasses at age 5 leading me down the optometry path – but in reality, I knew I wanted a family and a career, and the time to get through medical school (plus my dislike of hospital environments) made me steer away from that route. 

I didn’t feel like I fit into the male-dominated computer world of the time either and I wanted to help people more directly. Because of a lifetime of eye exams, to me optometrists were people who made tangible differences in people’s lives by helping them see better and protecting their vision. I learned that optometry was the gateway to primary care and often the first place diabetes and multiple sclerosis can be detected. 

How has your career in optometry evolved or varied? 

I was sure I could have a work-life balance because there are so many modes of practice. I often made career decisions based on what was best for my family. 

Optometry gave me the ability to have Saturdays off until my kids were old enough to ignore me on the weekends. My next role led to me being a mentor and a leader of a large team of optometrists, the majority of which were young female optometrists. I learned that I enjoyed helping other optometrists as much as I did helping patients. I took every opportunity to learn about the many aspects of corporate optometry until I was able to move into bigger leadership roles. 

Do you believe the representation of women in optometry has changed over the years?

Women have always been represented in optometry. The Pennsylvania College of Optometry had female students 100 years ago, although they weren’t able to learn in the same room as the men. Our co-founder here at Specsavers, Mary Perkins, became an optometrist in the UK during the 1960s – at that time less than 5% of optometrists were women. 

When I went to optometry school it was around 50% women, and I think it’s been around 70% for some schools the last decade. Those are some great numbers. 

Why do you feel women are attracted to optometry?

In general, I think women are drawn to healthcare because they’re naturally strong listeners, are empathetic, and good at multi-tasking (and improvising, at least if they have a toddler in their life!). And then optometry has so much flexibility compared to many other roles when it comes to income and hours, which can be especially appealing for parents. 

What advice do you share with optometrists who are early in their career?

I believe you can learn from everyone you meet. Even if it’s not the answer you wanted to hear, setbacks and disappointment just teach you to be resilient. My best advice is, never be afraid to ask questions.