Optical Prism March 2018 | Page 36

NEXTGEN FINDING JOY IN HELPING PEOPLE SEE BETTER

By Troy Patterson
Marina Lander enjoys the difference she makes as an optician by helping people to see better .
“ I think many people want to grow up and say ' I want to do something where I help people ,’ ” says Lander , a dispensing optician and contact lens fitter at The Eyeglass Factory in Thornhill , Ont .
“ My contribution lives with them as a pair of glasses they wear . So , for me , it ' s important to know it ' s not just a pair of frames I select for them or just to fill a prescription , I know that because of what I do , people can see better ."
Lander graduated from university with a degree in sociology , but says university didn ' t prepare her for the practical experience needed in a profession . She stumbled into the eyecare industry by chance in 2009 , landing a summer job while in university with a larger chain eyecare company .
That job started her on a path through the optical field , first as a frame stylist and then to becoming a registered optician after finishing a four-year part-time opticianry program at Seneca College .
Lander fast-tracked the program by taking courses through summer to finish in three years .
In 2013 , she graduated and fell in love with the vision care field ' s broad range of specialties - from both fashion and trends on the aesthetic side of the optical business to the technical and hands-on application of skill for what she says is the most important part of opticianry : the medical consultation expertise that ' s needed to ensure a patient ' s eyewear works as prescribed .
34 OPTICAL PRISM | March 2018