Optometry has many career pathways and although most follow the traditional clinical route, this is by no means the only way to make a meaningful impact on the health of patients or the prevalence of preventable blindness more broadly.
One look at Professor Shahina Pardhan’s career is more than enough to confirm this. She has taken on numerous roles – from PhD student all the way to founding director of Anglia Ruskin University’s Vision and Eye Research Institute – has broken new ground and glass ceilings, and ultimately benefitted over 150,000 people globally. But what exactly can pursuing a career outside the examination room look like?
An academic alternative
For Pardhan, like many in the field, the motive behind choosing an eye care career was the preventable blindness she encountered in her personal life. ‘My inspiration for pursuing optometry came when someone I knew lost her vision due to gestational diabetic retinopathy – something that could have been picked up through an eye test and then prevented,’ she explains.
‘At that moment, I thought to myself, “I want to save sight.” However, I wanted to focus on prevention rather than treatment because I wanted to tackle blindness at an earlier point.’
This decision to obtain a bachelor’s degree in optometry was one important choice that led to another; pursuing academia over the clinic. ‘I really like working in clinics and seeing patients, but loved research more,’ she says.
‘My introduction to research came via a very intelligent supervisor during my undergraduate year and I enjoyed the research project I completed. I then went on to complete my PhD and really enjoyed academia, research and interacting with students and the optometry community. I’ve been a College examiner for pre-registration students for more years than I can remember.’
This passion for academia, particularly focusing on the prevention of avoidable blindness, has been the driving force behind Pardhan’s substantiative body of research, which stands at over 210 papers and counting.
She has sat on various boards, including the Assessment Panel for REF2021 for Allied Health Professions; the Editorial Boards for Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics, the Journal of Personalised Medicine, and Frontiers in Public Health; and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness’ Diabetic Retinopathy and Low Vision groups.
She serves as an associate non-executive of Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board and has also worked to increase public knowledge regarding eye health by conveying her research via newspapers, radio and TV stations, including the BBC and ITV.
Even with all of these duties, she still dedicates herself to paying forward what she received from her supervisor, having supervised over 59 research assistants, fellows and PhD students of her own. ‘The transition from being led to becoming a leader has really taught me to look from the view of the other person,’ she says.
Championing Change
Although it’s clear that Pardhan’s career so far has progressed in leaps and bounds, the journey has had its difficulties. ‘Every role that I’ve held has taught me that, if you believe in something, you shouldn’t let anything get in the way,’ she explains.
As an Asian woman, establishing and progressing a career in eye care has frequently meant facing inequities head-on. Right from the beginning – on her first day working as a lecturer at the University of Bradford – she was barred entry to the staff common room because ‘secretaries weren’t allowed’.
‘It has sometimes been incredibly tough to be on the front lines of driving change,’ she admits. ‘I’ve often felt I needed to be much better to be considered an equal. But I’ve also learnt that people try to see themselves and their thinking in others; however, we all think and act differently.
‘I think if we become aware of the unconscious bias within ourselves, life will be better. I also hope people learn to recognise imposter syndrome within themselves. Both of those things are quite difficult in practice.’
Pardhan’s experiences and desire to see the gender imbalance in academia improved have meant that she has often been at the forefront of driving change within the eye care field.
She was the UK’s first female professor of optometry, is an active member of the Woman in Vision UK network and was recognised as one of 10 Champions of Change within The Ophthalmologist Power List 2019 for her work addressing gender inequity in academia.
Eye health for all
But Pardhan’s passion for addressing inequality doesn’t only extend to practitioners; much of her time and research has focused on reducing health inequities for patients. ‘My latest project aims to do this in different parts of the world,’ she explains.
‘We’ve demonstrated that low eye health literacy is a big barrier to reducing the risk of blindness – there’s lower awareness of how to prevent diabetic retinopathy in different ethnic groups in whom the risk is high. Language barriers and other cultural factors also come into play, so my team and I have developed linguistically and culturally appropriate eye health literacy videos in 12 different languages.
‘I am working with people at the grassroot level, including mosques, churches, community centres in the UK, and with collaborators from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, Trinidad, Ghana, Nigeria, and Mexico to reduce the risk of diabetes-related blindness. We’ve seen improved retinal screening uptake alongside increased knowledge and awareness regarding prevention of the disease.’
Of all her achievements – including the 2001 Asian Women of Achievement Award (Professions), 2005 Asian Jewel Award (Healthcare and Education), 2022 College of Optometrists’ Arthur Bennet Prize, The Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers’ 6th Fincham Silver Medal (pictured, left), and the 2024 British Asian Women’s award (Education) – patient difference is her greatest source of pride.
‘My proudest achievements are when I’ve done something that reduces the risk of blindness. When patients in this current project tell us, “We were ignoring retinal screening appointments before, but we won’t anymore, because we know they will reduce the risk of blindness” – I know I’ve made some impact.
‘It comes as no surprise, then, that when asked about her plans for her future, she replies, ‘My passion is reducing the risk and impact of blindness. If I can continue to help achieve that, I will feel very privileged.’
