My journey in optometry began in 2011 when I first entered the world of eye care as an optical assistant for a busy high-street multiple. From the very beginning, I took pride in helping patients feel fashionable and confident in their choice of spectacles, and I quickly discovered a genuine passion for making people feel good about themselves both inside and out.

This passion soon developed into a fulfilling career as a high-street optometrist. I built strong clinical foundations by completing my BSc in Optometry through studies at both City University and Aston University, gaining valuable insight into how clinical skills are developed across the UK.

After completing the Scheme of Registration with the College of Optometrists in 2019, I progressed to the role of senior optometrist for a major high-street chain. In this role, I mentored and supervised pre-registration optometrists while working towards my ambition of becoming a practice partner. Alongside my clinical work, I served on the Local Optical Committee and played a key role in facilitating a pre-registration training academy for a well-known high-street chain, always striving to support and elevate the next generation of eye care professionals.

As I approached the final stages of the partnership approval process, life took an unexpected but joyful turn with the news that my family was about to grow. This prompted me to step away from residency and embrace the flexibility of locum work.

While locuming offered freedom, it also exposed challenges that many optometrists quietly accept as part of the job, particularly the daily transport of thousands of pounds’ worth of essential clinical equipment between practices, often carried in makeshift solutions such as pencil cases, makeup bags, stethoscope cases, or even tupperware.

This experience highlighted a deeper issue within the profession. Students are required to invest heavily in lifetime-guarantee equipment, yet they are rarely provided with suitable ways to protect or transport it, contributing to a broader feeling of being undervalued. Drawing on my extensive high-street experience and a desire to broaden my scope of practice, I went on to earn a Professional Certificate in Glaucoma from Cardiff University and I am currently working towards an Independent Prescribing qualification with the University of Hertfordshire.

Today, I continue to locum in community practices and remain closely connected to modern optometry. I also work in hospital settings specialising in glaucoma and injection clinics, contribute to Optometry Today, and fit contact lenses on set for TV and film productions.

It was through this combination of lived experience, clinical expertise, and professional frustration that OptokitbyAK was born—a stylish, luxury case designed specifically to protect and transport optometry equipment. For me, it represents more than just a case; it is a statement that our tools matter, our profession matters, and that every eye care professional deserves to feel protected, professional, and proud in both their work and their kit, every single day.