Optician Awards: What makes a winner?

^{Optometrist of the Year, sponsored by OutsideClinic, winner: Dr Martin Smith, Martin Smith Opticians}

Martin Smith: I’ve wanted to work with eyes for as long as I can remember, partly inspired by the ophthalmologist who used to do some of the eye tests at my local opticians, who I later worked for as a receptionist. She was lovely, and made the work really appeal to me as she really cared about helping the patients. It was of course a very different profession at that time compared to now.

Originally I intended to be an ophthalmologist and applied to do medicine, but work experience at a hospital during sixth form persuaded me that the institutional environment wasn’t one in which I felt I could have the freedom I desired, so I changed my mind and worked for a year at my local optician while I resubmitted my application to do optometry.