There can be few in the optical profession that can match Prab Boparai’s dedication to continued development of her career.
During her time in optics, Boparai has qualified as a dispensing optician, a contact lens optician and later, as an optometrist, highlighting a rare hunger for knowledge and passion for the job. In 2017, this passion was recognised by peers.
Her award-winning journey in optics began with a part-time position in practice while studying for A-levels. Fondness for the job led her into a two-year course in ophthalmic dispensing.
Towards the end of the programme, one of the lecturers told Boparai that her marks were extremely good and she should make a concerted effort to continue with additional qualifications and learning.
Spurred on by this motivational pep talk, Boparai soon qualified as a contact lens optician, bringing new additional competencies to her dispensing role. A few years later she was headhunted by a multiple to become a practice manager and quickly got involved with management of a regional business development programme.
Getting married and having children would normally slow the pace at which a person’s career progresses, but Boparai had different plans. ‘My husband, who is also an OO, told me that I should train as an optometrist following some time out following marriage and motherhood, so I returned to university as a mature student,’ says Boparai.
From a logistics and home-life perspective, the first year of the course was hard to manage. A place at University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) meant a weekly commute between home in London and Manchester during the week. ‘When you’re in the middle of doing it all, you just manage, but when I look back, I do wonder how I managed to fit it all in,’ she says. Late nights spent completing assignments were common during her time at UMIST, but sheer dedication pushed her through. At the end of the first year of her course, Boparai got the chance to continue her course at City University, removing some of the pressure she was under. ‘The staff there were very understanding about my situation and the support and guidance I received from my husband was fantastic,’ says Boparai.
Qualifying as an optometrist after roles as a DO and CLO is a significant undertaking, and Boparai is quick to admit that this path will not be for everyone. However, there are some advantages to having in-practice experience under your belt if considering such a transition. ‘My time in practice meant I knew exactly what was expected from a day-to-day optometrist and I understood the topics within the courses. As a DO, I also had a better understanding of lens and frame dispensing than most of the other students, but I wasn’t excused from any part of the course,’ she says.
Relocating to Stafford brought the opportunity to build experience as an optometrist in both multiple and independent settings over several years. The underlying hunger for knowledge and career development saw Boparai seek out a hospital-based role at the Wolverhampton Eye Infirmary at New Cross Hospital. Initially supporting an ophthalmologist, she soon became a specialist hospital optometrist and built up experience in assisted ophthalmology clinics.
‘This has definitely been the most rewarding part of my career so far,’ says Boparai. ‘In practice, conditions can be fairly standard, often with little in the way of pathology. In a hospital setting it’s completely different.’
In 2010, Boparai achieved another major milestone in her career when she became a practice owner. ‘I wanted to increase my involvement in the patient journey,’ she says. ‘Sometimes, as an optometrist, you don’t get involved with the patient beyond the consulting room.’ The acquisition of Bushbury Eye Care, which was later renamed Prab Boparai Opticians, was the catalyst for her to have more input at every touch point of the patient experience in practice. ‘Working with children is especially rewarding,’ she says, ‘but being able to make a difference with any patient is a great feeling.’
Enhanced services are a major part of Prab Boparai Opticians and are a perfect fit for her experience within the hospital setting. The practice has three enhanced areas: Repeat intraocular pressure measurements, Mecs and pre/post-cataract services. ‘Enhanced schemes are the way forward, but there is more that we as optometrists are trained to do that is not used day-to-day.’ The practice also offers dry eye clinics and Boparai has received a School Vision diploma, allowing her to perform specialist examinations tailored for child patients with reading difficulties and visual dyslexia.
As chair of the Wolverhampton LOC and the South Staffordshire Optical Society, Boparai manages to find time to give back to the profession, with input into three new local eye care schemes with the help of Wolverhampton Eye Infirmary, NHS England and the local clinical commissioning group. She is also an accredited assessor for the Wales Optometry Postgraduate Education Centre at Cardiff.
Boparai’s advice to colleagues in the profession looking to further their careers is simple: ‘Don’t stop where you are. There are plenty of opportunities out there, no matter what your role is.’
CV: Prab Boparai
Experience
2017: AOP Optometrist of the Year
2013-present: Chair, Wolverhampton LOC
2016-present: Chair, South Staffs Optical Society
2010-present: Principal optometrist and director, Prab Boparai Opticians
2007-present: Specialist Hospital Optometrist (currently PT), Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust
1998 – 2010: Optometrist, Boots Opticians
1988-1995: Manager/dispensing optician/contact lens optician, Specialeyes Opticians
1987-1988: Dispensing Optician, Batemans Opticians
1985-1987: Trainee dispensing optician, TH Collison Opticians
Optics education
1995-1998: UMIST/City University: Optometry
1982-1985: City and East London College, ophthalmic dispensing and contact lenses
Enhance your role
The College of Optometrists’ higher qualifications provide a mechanism for optometrists to offer enhanced services for conditions including glaucoma, low vision, medical retina, and paediatric eye care.
Its courses are delivered by a range of providers (see below) and incorporate e-learning and face-to-face teaching.
Meanwhile independent prescribing courses at Aston, City, Glasgow, Cardiff and Ulster allow OOs to assess patients, establish diagnosis, determine the clinical management required moving forward and prescribe.
ABDO’s Low Vision Honours blended learning course is also available for ECPs who have a specialist interest in working with patients with low vision.