Optician on a Mission
By Denis Langlois
Gayle Harrison made a promise to herself eight years ago . After being forced to choose a new career , and deciding to go back to school to become a licenced optician , she vowed that if she was successful she would use her skills to help children and adults in developing countries . It ' s a promise she kept in both 2013 - when she travelled as part of a team to the Dominican Republic a year and a half after she became a licenced optician - and again in 2016 when she spent three weeks in Malawi in southeastern Africa . Later this year , from Nov . 15 to 30 , Harrison will take part in her third outreach trip .
She will travel with a team to El Salvador and Nicaragua with the goal of equipping a permanent clinic and training local staff to conduct eye assessments and fit glasses as well as organizing onsite clinics in remote villages . The plan is to take 1,500 to 2,000 new pairs of glasses with them .
Her team is currently seeking donations to assist . Recently , Harrison , who was named Optician of the Year by the Ontario Opticians Association in 2014 , spoke with Optical Prism about her work , what inspires her and the future .
34 Optical Prism | July 2017