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Sarah was teaching secretarial and life skills at a Staffordshire youth training scheme when she was approached by optometrist and practice owner Phillip Webb. 'I kept my horse stabled at his property and through conversations with him, I discovered they were looking for someone to train as a DO. Later he asked if I was interested,' Sarah recalls. 'I saw it as a real chance to change the direction of my life and do something totally different. I'm also a -7D myope, so I thought it would be interesting to learn about spectacles and how they can be made to look better on the face.'
Passion for paediatrics
Sarah began a three-year correspondence course through Bradford University, and admits that when she began she 'had no idea what DOs did'. However, she quickly came to love the profession. 'I really enjoy this job, no two days are the same and I love the fact I can help people. The confidence they get from wearing a really nice pair of spectacles is so important,' she says.
She is passionate about paediatric dispensing. 'A lot of parents seem to think it is the end of the world if their child needs spectacles, and it is really not,' she says.
'There are lots of frames out there now. We have come such a long way from the plastic blue or pink frames. I don't want children to feel there is a stigma attached to wearing spectacles, because there isn't.'
It's crucial, she notes, that children like their frames, as they simply won't wear ones that they don't like. 'I distinctly remember breaking my frames when I was a child because I hated them so much,' she says.
Sarah recalls a particularly special case, which she designed for the youngest surviving premature baby born at Birmingham Children's Hospital. The baby girl was a -20D myope, and her size meant designing the frames was quite a challenge. 'She was just minute,' Sarah recalls. 'I took all the facial measurements and did all the drawings and sent them off to the manufacturer. The frames were crystal, with pink and orange teddy bears down the sides. They were so tiny, they looked as if they would fit a Barbie doll. The baby girl's parents were over the moon, they didn't think they would be able to find anything that would fit her.'
Challenging cases, and finding the appropriate solutions, are the highlight of her role. She recollects the case of an elderly gentlman, who, due to a medical condition, was experiencing double vision but only in certain areas of gaze.
'I worked with him to find out exactly where the double vision was occurring. I then cut out some micropore to obscure certain parts of the lenses - it was such a simple idea, but it worked a treat,' she says. 'I told my colleague about it and, years later, she had a gentleman come in with the same complaint. She remembered my solution, and it worked for her patient as well.'
Sarah's other passion is continuous training and vocational qualifications. She herself has completed the Association of British Dispensing Optician's courses in low vision aids and contact lenses, as well as courses on presbyopic dispensing.
As a more senior staff member, she has supervised three trainee DOs, all of who gained their ABDO qualification. She has also supervised practice support staff while they completed their Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers (SMC) certificates.
For the past two years, Sarah has taken on the role of distance learning tutor for the SMC Optical Practice Support Staff level two certificate.
'Anything that helps all members of the team learn more about their jobs has got to be good,' she says. 'It is really important, and it helps build both staff and patient confidence. I have a real interest in helping people to do their jobs to the best of their abilities.' She is currently advising and marking papers for 10 students.
In addition to dispensing, Sarah is also responsible for writing much of the practice literature and creating eye-catching window displays.
In winning the award Sarah says she was 'thrilled'. 'I was quite surprised too, because the last person who won this award was a hospital DO, so I thought I didn't have a chance,' she says.
'I was very pleased - but I have to say that I believe winning this award is a major reflection on the practice. I am lucky to work for a fantastic practice. I don't think anyone could do their job properly if they were not supported by a strong team. So I feel I am really indebted to everyone here.'