In Focus: We Want to Write About the Roles That Make Optics Work

What does a day in your role really look like? What do people misunderstand about the work you do? And what makes you glad you chose it?

At NeedAnOptom Healthcare, we’d like to hear the answers from the people doing the work. That’s why we’re launching In Focus, an editorial series about the roles that make an optical practice work, and the people behind them.

Optics is more than the eye examination or the person helping you choose a frame. A practice is made up of many roles, with different skills and responsibilities. We want to describe those roles properly, in the words and experiences of the people who know them best.

What is In Focus?

Each In Focus piece will look at one role, or one part of practice life, and explore what it is really like day to day.

We’re curious about what the job involves, what someone outside the practice might get wrong about it, what makes the work rewarding and where the experience might lead. Not as a job description, and not as a sales pitch. Just a clear, human account of the work and the person’s experience of it.

The series is deliberately broader than optometrists and dispensing opticians. We’d like to hear from people across the whole practice: optical assistants, practice managers, reception and front-of-house teams, retail and sales staff, dispensing and laboratory teams, domiciliary visiting teams, pre-registration trainees and the people who keep a practice running behind the scenes.

A piece might explore the small details that shape a working day: welcoming people into the practice, keeping appointments and tasks moving, helping someone find eyewear that suits them, working with lenses, supporting a visiting team or keeping everything organised in the background. Every practice is different, and we want each story to reflect the person’s own experience rather than make assumptions about what a role must involve.

Who would we like to hear from?

We’re looking for people working across UK optics, at any stage of their career, who would be willing to be featured. You might work in an independent practice, a multiple, a hospital or domiciliary care.

You don’t need to manage a team, have a particular job title or feel like an expert in everything. You might have been doing the job for fifteen years, or you might be just starting out. We’re interested in both.

And if your first thought is, “I’m probably not senior or experienced enough to have anything worth saying,” please don’t rule yourself out. You are exactly who we want to hear from. A straightforward account of what you do and what you’ve learnt can be every bit as useful as a long career story.

This is an invitation, not a selection process. You can voluntarily apply to take part, and there’s no obligation, no cost and nothing to prepare before getting in touch.

How it works

We want the process to feel straightforward and comfortable. Here’s what to expect:

1. Tell us a little about yourself. Get in touch with your role and a little about what it involves.
2. We’ll share an outline. We’ll come back with a short outline of the piece we have in mind, so you can see its shape before agreeing to anything.
3. We’ll gather your perspective. If you’re happy with the outline, we’ll either send you some questions and write up your answers, or arrange a short conversation and write from that.
4. You’ll see the final copy. You’ll have the chance to read the piece before publication. Nothing goes ahead without your agreement.

Taking part is voluntary. You can withdraw before publication. By agreeing to take part, you agree to us publishing the piece and the details you choose to share. That covers the piece and the details you give us; anything beyond that, such as photographs or using your name alongside our recruitment services, will be discussed separately and never assumed.

Taking part does not create an obligation on either side, and it is not an application for a role.

Why tell these stories?

It’s easy to see a job title and assume you know what the work involves. But there’s usually more to it: practical knowledge, teamwork, patience, problem-solving and the everyday decisions that help a practice run well.

We’d like In Focus to give people across optics a chance to explain that work in their own terms. It may also help someone considering optical careers to picture a role they haven’t thought about before. If you’re exploring optometry jobs, optician jobs or dispensing optician jobs, hearing about the day-to-day reality from someone already doing the work can offer a useful perspective.

There is no single route or experience that makes someone’s story worth hearing. We’re interested in how people found their way into a role, what surprised them and what they wish more people understood. We also want to recognise the quieter, less visible parts of practice life: the work that may not get much attention, but matters to the people doing it.

The series will be shaped by the people who choose to take part. We’ll listen first, agree an outline together and work from the experience you want to share.

A separate note about recruitment

NeedAnOptom Healthcare also works as an optical recruitment agency, connecting optical professionals and employers. That work is separate from In Focus. Being featured does not lead to a job, placement or optical vacancy, and taking part is not an application for work.

Put yourself forward

If you’d like to be considered, tell us your role and a line about what you do. We’ll come back with an outline of the piece we have in mind, and you can decide whether it feels right for you.

There’s no need to write a biography or prepare anything in advance. We’re simply curious about your experience and the part you play in optics.

Connect with NeedAnOptom Healthcare

Join SCAN Clinical Exchange: A peer-to-peer community and locum exchange for the optical community. Explore SCAN Clinical Exchange and request access.

Contact NeedAnOptom Healthcare: Get in touch to tell us your role and a little about your work.