Optometrist Kiran has worked for Optical Express for over 15 years, starting out as a core optometrist and progressing into a senior member of her team. Specialising in refractive optometry, she provides a wide range of clinical eye care solutions to her patients, ranging from glasses and contact lenses to life-changing laser eye and lens replacement surgery.
The wide range of eye care solutions that Kiran provides means that her workdays are extremely varied, as she could be doing anything from post-operative check-ups to initial consultations to assess a patient’s suitability for a refractive procedure. This clinical diversity that comes with a role in refractive optometry is one of the reasons why Kiran has stayed with Optical Express for such a long time, as it allows her to continue learning and developing new skills year after year. “The best thing about working for the company is the variety that you can achieve within your role. The mixture of patients that you see on a daily basis and no two days are ever the same,” she explains.
Initially starting out as a core optometrist, Kiran quickly realised that Optical Express could offer her a completely unique career pathway. Deciding to make use of the training and development opportunities available to her, she was able to progress into a number of different roles, and eventually got involved in the training and development of optometry colleagues: “For a number of years, I held a training position within the company, which allowed me to train optometrists, some of them new into developing their role as an Optometrist specialising in eye surgery. After a while, I took on a new role of Optometry Development Manager for Essex, Kent, and London.”
As a mum to two children, achieving and sustaining a healthy work/life balance has always been of great importance to Kiran. Delighted to find that Optical Express supports flexible approaches to work schedules, she was able to switch to part-time hours to allow her to effectively manage both her work and family commitments. “I work part-time with Optical Express, which does involve working Saturdays, but then I only work two weekdays, so it does work out well for my family,” Kiran comments.
Besides these flexible working patterns, Kiran sees the ‘free laser eye surgery’ staff benefit at Optical Express as another major plus to working for the business. Recently deciding to opt for life-changing treatment, she has found that it has significantly improved both her own quality of life and the service she can provide to her patients, as she is able to give them a first-hand account of the day of surgery. “Having had the surgery now, it’s easier to talk to patients. I do see patients day in, day out for their consultations and I do feel that once they know that I’ve had the surgery, they tend to open up a bit more and ask me more about the procedure itself, and I’m able to tell them honestly what actually happened for me and my experience,” Kiran comments. Are you ready to take on a new challenge? From unrivalled career development opportunities to being able to achieve and sustain a healthy work/life balance, you’ll find a career at Optical Express more satisfying than you ever imagined. View our latest vacancies now and develop your career with the UK’s leading refractive surgery provider.
