Emily Steele works for Edmonds & Slatter Opticians in Leicestershire and has just completed the optical assistant course with ABDO College
Why did you choose an optical career?
I’d started to need glasses a few years before and realised my idea of how glasses were supposed to look was totally out of date. I noticed how much of a fashion statement they are now.
I’d previously worked in a pharmacy. I wanted to stay in healthcare but have something more directly involved with patients, getting to know people and helping them express themselves.
How did you become an optical assistant?
It was almost by chance – I’d been browsing through the job site Indeed and saw a posting for Edmonds & Slatter Opticians, who have five practices in Leicestershire. It combined my enthusiasm for healthcare and customer service with a chance to learn and progress so, despite having no optical experience, I decided to go for it!
Now I’m in the job I’ve realised just how much growth and development there is available as an optical assistant and as a career path. I’m lucky enough to have a really supportive team who are always willing to answer questions and help me expand my knowledge.
I completed the official optical assistant course at ABDO College (the Association of British Dispensing Opticians’ education centre) while working full-time. It took 26 weeks and you can go on to study to become a dispensing optician.
What do you start with every day?
Switching the urn on for the first round of hot drinks! We set up all the computers and make sure that all of the pre-testing equipment is running correctly and ready to go – the Henson visual fields, the Optomap imaging machine and the biometer.
Once these are all set up, we have a five-minute meeting where we go over the day’s appointments, how many pre-screenings we have (assessments before eye tests) and any additional appointments, including teaching patients how to use contact lenses.
What are the main challenges?
We are a practice that is constantly developing and moving forward with new technology. For example the advancements in myopia management, aimed at controlling the progression of short-sightedness in children, keeping the level of myopia as low as possible.
Another example is the Lifemeter scan. It’s a small peg-like device that is placed onto the end of your finger, much like the blood oxygen measuring devices pulse oximeters.
The machine scans non-invasively (no needles required!) to see how dense the carotenoid levels are in your body. These levels are vital indicators of overall health, providing valuable insights into potential risks like macular degeneration and Alzheimer’s disease.
It can be difficult to keep track of every new development, particularly as someone relatively new to optics; thankfully our regular training sessions help with this, and there’s always a good meal with it too!
How do you wrap up your day and prepare for the next one?
We get organised for the next day’s clinic, shutting down and sanitising all our machines. We’ll also talk about how the day has gone, and anything we need advance notice of over the next few days.
We’ll prepare for the next day’s briefing meeting – outlining priority tasks, such as chasing urgent spectacle orders or confirming doctors have received important information. Communication is key as different staff work on different days, so the notes for this meeting that are written at the end of the previous day are vital for a smooth handover.