Meet Shanaz! Resident optometrist at Ollie Quinn's Angel boutique. We sat down with Shanaz to find out what makes her tick, and to chat the importance of eye-care.
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself!
Im Shanaz I am the Optometrist and the Manager of the Angel Boutique, so I guess that makes me one of Ollie's Angels. I was born and raised in Islington, studied International Baccalaureate to then go onto study Optometry BSc(Hons) at City University. Growing up I loved having my eyes tested in hopes of one day being prescribed glasses but sadly I've never needed them. To this very day, I still find it ironic how I am now sitting on the other side!
2. Why is eyecare important?
As a child, I always felt like having glasses would let me see the unknown, as I trained to become an Optometrist I realised it was the exact opposite! It's by looking into peoples eyes, you can discover the unique and amazing structure of each patients eyes as well as well as detecting signs of diabetes, high blood pressure, swelling on the brain and even signs of a stroke.
3. What are the three most important things you want people to know about eyecare?
One: Eyecare is part of self-care so its important to have regular check ups - even if you have great eyesight! We don't just care about your vision but also the health of your eyes (my favourite part of the eye examination).
Two: The misconceptions that glasses makes your eyes worse! This is a myth. When people have bad eyesight their brain learns to interpret blurred images and make educated guesses. When we wear glasses our brain learns to see clearer images thus, your brain gets out of practice doing all the tricks to cope with poor vision. This does not mean the glasses are making your vision worse but in fact you have allowed your brain to see true clarity.
Three: Contact lenses are amazing little things but its also important be sensible when using them.
Shanaz's 3 S's are; remember not to Swim, Sleep or Shower in your contact lenses! You'd be surprised how many people tell me they wished they listened to the advice they were given by their optometrist!
4. What do you do outside of optometry?
I am very into murder-crime documentaries at the moment and Game of Thrones obviously! I am also very creative and enjoy spending time learning a new skill/ craft, I can crochet a thing or two and sometimes I'll even bring out my paint brush. I'm always on an adventure! I Love exploring new and random places as well as getting lost in our amazing city.
5. How do you feel about pineapple on pizza?
Ew.
6. Most interesting moment you have encountered during an eye test?
I was in the middle of checking the back of the eye (retina) of a patient. I moved over from the right eye to check the left eye and asked him to look 'straight ahead'. In that moment he started shaking frantically whilst his head was rested on the machine.
I panicked and though he was having an Epileptic seizure due to my bright light! I was ready to call an ambulance and so I called his name and asked him if he was okay... He replied 'you told me to me to shake my head?'. *Exhale* I cried "LOOK STRAIGHT AHEAD NOT SHAKE MY HEAD!'