Interview: Sourcing solutions

Andrew McClean: Who inspired you to go into dispensing?

Alex Stewart: I started working weekends as an optical assistant. I became good friends with someone who was towards the end of the dispensing optician (DO) course and she suggested it would be something I would be good at. She inspired me to stick with it and acted as my mentor. We’re still great friends 15 years later and she’s now my director, still supporting me as a student optometrist.

AM: What do you love about dispensing?

AS: I think optics has so much to learn about and so many diverse roles because of the combination of healthcare and retail, which I think gives us a more varied working day. My favourite part about dispensing is exactly what got me into the contact lens optician (CLO) course and then optometry. It’s about building a rapport with the patient, discussing their needs, preferences and environment to come up with solutions for them that can make a real difference in their lives. I think this runs through any role in optics, whether you are in a consulting room or dispensing.