Tina Arbon Black speaks to Gill Thorp from Airedale Opticians about becoming Dispensing Optician of the Year
Against strong competition there was one entry that stood out for Dispensing Optician of the Year 2023, Gill Thorp from Airedale Opticians. Thorp’s passion, commitment and dedication to her patients was clearly evidenced.
Working with sight impaired patients not only providing advice and supplying optical aids but acting as a lifeline in times of crisis, considering not only their visual needs but their mental wellbeing as well. Thorp also runs competitions within local schools raising awareness of different eye conditions and highlighting the need for children to have regular eye examinations.
Thorp says: ‘It was an amazing night, I never expected to win, and was so nervous going up on stage, thankfully Russell Kane made me feel at ease. I felt incredibly honoured and humbled to have won. Richard Spencer, last year’s winner, and I were actually in the same class at Bradford College. That night I didn’t sleep at all.’
Thorp’s career in optics began from a chance encounter in 2011 walking past Airedale Opticians where she spotted an advert for an optical assistant. Thorp’s strong desire to help her patients led her to begin her training as a dispensing optician at Bradford College in 2015, qualifying in 2018. Thorp says: ‘I learned so much on the dispensing course and loved studying at Bradford’.
At the start of the national lockdown Thorp decided this was an ideal time for further study and completed a child psychology diploma alongside home schooling her two children. ‘I wanted to gain a greater understanding of how children think and develop,’ Thorp says. Thorp routinely sees children in practice from as young as one-year-old.
‘Making sure children’s frames fit accurately and are fun and exciting is essential, I love working with children, seeing their faces when they put on their first pair of spectacles. Children can often feel nervous when they first come into the practice, so I like to get down to their level.
'Often that means sitting on the floor, finding out what colours they like or if they have a favourite superhero character, allowing time to build a level of trust. Having a good selection of brightly coloured themed cases helps too,’ says Thorp.
Having recognised the postcode lottery in low vision services and that patients locally did not hold a winning ticket, Thorp began providing low vision services in 2021, returning to Bradford College to start the ABDO Low Vision Honours course. She has now completed her theory examinations and is currently working towards completing her low vision case records.
To this end, she runs regular low vision clinics at her practice and finds this one of the most rewarding aspects of her work. Her commitment to her low vision patients goes above and beyond the call of duty with steps taken to ensure the mental wellbeing of patients as well as satisfying their visual needs.
Thorp intends to expand her low vision service to include domiciliary work focused not simply on providing optical and electronic aids but also assisting patients with practical household adaptations and helping them set up their own existing technology (mobile phone, tablet computer, PC, Smart TV, etc) to get the best from the built-in accessibility options and the wide range of applications available to assist the blind and visually impaired.
Thorp is clearly passionate about her role as a dispensing optician. She explains: ‘I love my job, being a dispensing optician for me is not just about optical solutions, it is so much more; spending time talking and listening to my patients, providing tips and support for improving their mental health and quality of life. All too often people are reluctant to ask for help as they don’t want to be a burden.’ It is clear Thorp makes a real difference to her patients and her local community.
Reflecting on the months since winning Dispensing Optician of the Year, Thorp says: ‘I have been overwhelmed by the number of patients calling in to offer their congratulations, as well as all the messages of support, everyone popping in wanted to see my award, and like me were genuinely surprised at how heavy it is. We have also had a lot of new patients coming in because of all the really positive publicity.
‘I have the best job; Airedale Opticians is a great independent practice with a real family feel. I work with two other dispensing opticians and optical assistants, and three optometrists, and feel proud to be part of such a great team.’