1.

Interviewer: Hello Louise. Could you start by telling us when you first became interested in
eyes? 

Louise: When I was choosing my A level options I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, so
I did some work experience at a local opticians and really enjoyed it.

Interviewer: Was it easy to train to become an optician?

Louise:  I wouldn't say it's an easy course but it's very practical and interesting.

Interviewer: What does your job involve?

Louise:   I examine people’s eyes to make sure they are healthy. I measure the eyes to
see whether the person needs spectacles and what power the spectacles
need to be, I fit contact lenses, and I advise people on how to keep their eyes
healthy. I have been an optician for 20 years and I also work at the RNIB,
where I help people who have lost some or all of their sight.

Interviewer: How often do people lose their sight completely? 

Louise: People who have problems with their sight that can't be corrected with
spectacles are added to a register, so that they can claim money and support.
Of the people on the register, only 3 to 4 per cent are completely blind (no
light seen at all); most have some sort of vision left.

Interviewer: What do you do to help visually impaired people?

Louise:   We teach them how to make the most of the vision they have left by using
magnifying glasses, doing special exercises, teaching them how to look after
their eye health to stop their vision getting worse, and also by putting them in
touch with rehabilitation workers at social services who help them with
finding their way out and about, so mobility, and advise them how to make
their home safer like marking the edges of steps, better lighting, marking
kitchen appliances with tactile markers.

Interviewer: What is your favourite part of your work?

Louise: I like going out to see people in their home, as these are the people who are
too ill to get to the centre and really need our help.

Interviewer: Is there any new technology that will help you in your work, which you are
excited about?

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Louise: The latest piece of technology to come to opticians, called an OCT, is an
infrared scanner that can help us to see structures of the eye behind the
retina at the back of the eye. It enables us to detect eye disease in a very
early stage and also to identify when someone needs urgent medical
attention, so it really is a sight saver.

Interviewer: How often should people get their eyes checked? 

Lousie: Most people should have an eye test every two years. If they know there are
eye problems in the family such as glaucoma or if they have glaucoma or
diabetes, they should have a test every year. A person under 16 might need a
test every six months if they are short-sighted or have a lazy eye. 

Interviewer: Why is eye health important?

Louise: Eyes are so precious and preventing sight loss is vital as, once the vision is
damaged, we don’t yet know how to repair it. If we look after our eyes,
there’s every chance that if we develop a disease, such as glaucoma or
diabetes complications, it can be treated before it's done too much harm.

Interviewer: What should we be doing to maintain our eye health? 

Louise: We should have regular eye tests, eat a healthy diet including lots of green
leafy vegetables, and protect our eyes from UV by wearing good sunglasses.
It’s also very important that we don't smoke: smoking is known to be
associated with eye disease.

Interviewer: Can you give three words that describe your job?

Louise: Rewarding, challenging, varied.

Interviewer: Thank you for talking to us today, Louise.

Louise: It’s been a pleasure.

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