What Makes a Great Optical Professional? With Harinder Singh Paul

Hassnain Safdar: From Curious Child to Vice President of the College of Optometrists

In this inspiring episode, Garry Kousoulou speaks with Hassnain Safdar, an IP optometrist, independent practice owner in Leicester and newly elected Vice President of the College of Optometrists. This is more than a career story. It is a conversation about ambition, curiosity, risk, leadership and what it really takes to make a difference in the profession. Hassane shares how childhood curiosity about his brothers’ glasses sparked his interest in vision, how patient care became his purpose, and why independent practice gave him the space to deliver something truly personal and meaningful. Garry and Hassanie also explore the future of optics, including AI, smart glasses, low vision technology, independent practice, professional leadership and the importance of younger voices helping to shape what comes next. This episode is full of wisdom for optometrists, dispensing opticians, practice owners, students and anyone who wants to build a career with purpose. It is a reminder that success does not happen overnight, that long-term thinking matters, and that if you want to shape the room, you first have to be brave enough to step into it. Garry Kousoulou is joined by Hassaine Safar, IP optometrist, independent practice owner and vice president of the College of Optometrists, for an inspiring conversation about leadership, independent practice, AI, patient care and the future of optics. From childhood curiosity to professional influence, Hassane’s story is a powerful reminder that success is built through curiosity, courage, service and long-term This episode is for anyone in optics who wants to think bigger. Garry Kousoulou speaks with Hassaine Safar, IP optometrist, independent practice owner and Vice President of the College of Optometrists, about what it really takes to lead, grow and make an impact in optometry. Hassane’s story shows how curiosity, long-term thinking, patient care, risk-taking and genuine drive can shape a career. From independent practice to AI, smart glasses, low vision technology and professional leadership, this conversation explores where optics is heading and why the people who want to shape the future need to be brave enough to step into the room. “Low vision may be seen as boring by some, but it can be one of the most rewarding parts of optics.” “If a partially sighted person can use smart glasses to understand a room, read a newspaper or call their mum, that is game-changing.” “The future of eye care is not something to fear. It is something to understand.” “This profession needs people who are brave enough to innovate.” “You have got to be in the room if you want to shape the room.” “This is exactly the kind of episode people will listen to more than once.” “Every time you listen back, you will probably hear something new.” Whether you are an optometrist, dispensing optician, optical assistant, student or practice owner, this episode will challenge you to look at your own career differently. It is about leadership, ambition, service, technology and the future of eye care. A must-listen for anyone interested in optometry, independent practice, optical leadership, social media for opticians and the people driving the profession forward.

If you want to lead harder on LinkedIn and social: Dr. Kristie Nguyen — The LinkedIn-Famous Optometrist Who Quietly Does It All

Dr. Christy Nguyen — The Prolific Optometrist Who Has Every Skill You'd Ever Want What does it actually look like when an optometrist combines 20+ years of clinical excellence with world-class patient empathy, a top 1% LinkedIn presence, and a genuine love for the optical industry? In this episode of The Optician Show, host Garry Kousoulou FBDO sits down with Dr. Kristie Nguyen, the Orlando-based optometrist (Winter Park, Florida) whose social media following has made her one of the most recognised faces in modern optometry — and one of the warmest, most clinically generous people you'll ever hear on an eye care podcast. This conversation is a masterclass for optometrists, dispensing opticians, optical assistants, practice owners, optical retail staff, and anyone working in independent optical practice. Whether you're a newly qualified optometrist, a seasoned dispensing optician, a final-year optometry student, or a practice manager looking to build culture and connection inside your optical practice, there is something here for you. Why Christy stood out for this episode Garry opens with a confession most podcast hosts would never make: "I don't know many more people in our industry that post more than me. And that's you." Kristie laughs and pushes back gently – "I do pause quite a bit" — but the truth is she's built one of the largest, most engaged optometry audiences on LinkedIn from scratch, all while running a clinic-first, patient-first practice inside CY Eyewear. She didn't arrive in optics by accident. "I had a calling," she says. "I came across the revelation during church, during a passage of God curing the blind. And I was like, you know what? I would love to do exactly that, because I am pretty much blind without my glasses and contact lenses." She'd locked onto optometry by the eighth grade and never looked back: "I literally just had my blinders on the entire time. And that's how I ended up here." For Garry — who interviews scores of optometrists every year and gets exasperated by the "I didn't quite get into pharmacy" answer — Kristie clarity of purpose is the kind of origin story every optical practice owner wishes their associate had. Best optics / Optom quotes . “I like to connect the aesthetic part of eye care with the health part — and make it fun.” 2. “I grew up wearing glasses and contact lenses, so I understand the struggle of not being able to see clearly.” 3. “Being able to give that gift back to other people — that’s what drives me.” 4. “A lot of the time, patients just want to vent. Once they feel heard, they calm down.” 5. “Let’s start from scratch and see what actually works for you.” 6. “If you don’t tell patients what to expect, that’s where the problem starts.” 7. “As a user yourself, you understand the patient’s pain points.” 8. “When the doctor and the optical team communicate properly, everybody wins.” 9. “I never try to make people feel dumb. I’d rather show them, teach them and help them understand.” 10. “When every patient sits in the chair, I think: what if this was me?” 11. “The goal is not just to prescribe. The goal is to make the patient feel heard.” 12. “LinkedIn gave me a professional place where I could simply say what I needed to say.” 13. “I had to learn to put myself out there.” 14. “I don’t like staying negative for very long — it doesn’t feel good.” 15. “Sometimes the brain is willing to learn something new.” 16. “Be yourself. Be authentic. Be true to yourself — and try to help others along the way.” My strongest three for graphics would be: “The goal is not just to prescribe. The goal is to make the patient feel heard.” “I like to connect the aesthetic part of eye care with the health part — and make it fun.” “Be yourself. Be authentic. Be true to yourself — and try to help others along the way.”

Brian Tompkins: 50 Years, One Practice, and Why Optometry Should Be Fun

Because when optometry is done with care, personality and purpose, it deserves to be seenOne of the best practitioners, optometrists I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and I can call him a friend. — a child in the chair, the nose press, the foot pedal, and the parent in the corner remembering the same trick from thirty years ago. That single image does the work the original meta-opening was trying to do, but it earns the reader's attention first instead of asking for it. Pat Bicknell's card about the sheet of cloth and the stick comes in next, so by the end of the third paragraph we've got two generations of stories framing the whole piece before we get to the milestone. Brian's voice is now properly threaded through. The quotes I leant on hardest are the ones that do real work — "If you're not having fun, what is the point?", "Surrounding yourself with smarter people is a good move" and "we are conceptually treating each patient as if it's your mum", " Brian Tompkins: 50 Years, One Practice, and Why Optometry Should Be Fun Brian Tompkins is one of the best optometrists and practitioners I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. More than that, I am lucky enough to call him a friend. This episode is not just about 50 years in practice. It is about the stories, the patients, the humour, the standards, and the energy that have made Brian such a loved and respected figure in optometry. We talk about children in the chair, parents remembering the same tricks from decades before, the importance of making patients feel comfortable, and why Brian still believes optometry should be fun. Brian’s voice runs right through this conversation. From “If you’re not having fun, what is the point?” To "surrounding yourself with smarter people is a good move,” this is full of wisdom from someone who has given so much to the profession. We also discuss technology, AI, the future of optometry, the NHS, contact lenses, patient care, and why every patient should be treated as if they were your own mum. The closing message says everything about Brian’s mindset: “Never be afraid. Always follow something which you are slightly afraid of, and get to grips with it.” A brilliant conversation with a brilliant man. For opticians, social media should not just be about selling glasses or posting offers. It should show what makes your practice different. The people. The conversations. The care. The experience. The reason patients come back year after year.Brian Tompkins’ career is a perfect example of what we always encourage independent practices to show online: personality, patient care, community, trust, humour, expertise and a genuine love for the professionBecause when optometry is done with care, personality and purpose, it deserves to be seen

The Label I Never Had: Living with ADHD and Autism in Optics

There was a reason I loved problem-solving. Episode Description There was a boy who never quite liked school. Not because he wasn't bright — he clearly was — but because the way school worked never really worked for him. The lessons felt slow, the structure felt suffocating, and sitting still when your mind is already three steps ahead of the room is its own kind of torture. He got through it, the way people like him always do — on charm, on quick thinking, on finding ways around the system rather than through it. Then came the dispensing course. The qualification that would define his career. And it was hard. Not just hard — it was the kind of hard that makes you question whether you belong in a profession at all. While others seemed to absorb it naturally, he had to work differently, fight differently, find his own route to understanding. He passed. But it cost him something. And then, in the world of optics itself, surrounded by colleagues and optometrists who seemed to share a kind of professional language he could never quite speak fluently, he felt it again. That familiar sense of being slightly outside the room. Watching through the glass rather than sitting at the table. Capable. Driven. Talented, even. But never quite fitting the mould. He built a remarkable career anyway. Thirty-six years. Patients who adored him. A human connection that no textbook could teach. A mind that could hold a room, read a person in seconds, and make optics feel anything but clinical. And then, at 52 years old, sitting in a consulting room on the other side of the chair for once, he finally got an answer. ADHD. And autism. In this deeply personal episode, Garry Kousoulou FBDO — dispensing optician, entrepreneur, and host of The Optician Show — shares the story of his diagnosis in real time, recorded on the very day he received it. He talks honestly about what it felt like to have a lifetime of experiences suddenly reframed, about managing a career demanding precision and focus with a brain wired entirely differently, and about why he believes the world of optics absolutely has a place for people who think like him. If you've ever felt like you didn't quite fit. If you work in optics and carry a label — or suspect you might — this episode was made for you.

The Future of Independent Optics: Frames, Feeling & the Fight for Better Customer Experience

It begins with a box of old frames. Jason tells the story of discovering his grandfather’s original frame designs after helping clear out his father’s optical practice — a moment that would eventually lead to one of the most distinctive independent eyewear brands in the world. From three generations of optical history to modern frame innovation, this is a conversation about legacy, courage, customer experience, and why independent opticians must never lose the magic of what makes them different. Jason shares the story behind Kirk & Kirk, the brand he runs with his wife Karen, and explains why their frames are made from a unique acrylic-based material called K-Lite — designed to give bold, colourful, personality-filled eyewear without the heavy feel. As Jason explains, the colour may be obvious, but the story is what makes the frame powerful. “You have to talk about the hundred years of history before they touch the frames.” This episode goes far beyond eyewear. Garry and Jason dig deep into what independent optics needs to do to survive and thrive in challenging times. They talk honestly about complacency, customer service, staff training, merchandising, the threat from online eyewear, the power of storytelling, and why too many practices are failing to communicate their true value. One of the big messages from the episode is clear: frames are not just functional. They are emotional. Jason says: “It’s easy to put a frame on somebody that looks good. But what’s not easy is to find a frame that makes somebody feel good.” That line sums up so much of this conversation. Great eyewear should help people feel taller, more confident, more themselves. It should not just help them see better — it should help them show up in the world differently. Garry shares how often he is stopped in the street, on the Underground, or on the bus because of his Kirk & Kirk frames. That leads into one of the strongest points in the episode: when patients love what they are wearing, they become walking adverts for your practice. “If your patients are raving about where they bought their frame, you can’t go wrong.” The conversation also tackles one of Garry’s favourite subjects: practice experience. From the way the phone is answered, to whether patients are greeted with a smile, to whether the outside of the practice is clean, every detail matters. Garry puts it simply: “A smile is an international recognition of welcoming.” And Jason brings the conversation back to the customer: “The customer comes first.” Together, they explore the difficult balance at the heart of optics: it is both healthcare and fashion. A patient comes in for clinical care, but they also leave wearing something on their face every day. The handover from the testing room to the shop floor should feel seamless, confident, and human. This episode is also a wake-up call for independent opticians. Jason says: “The independent optician is really under threat.” But this is not a negative conversation. It is a practical, passionate, and inspiring one. The message is not that independents are doomed — it is that they must communicate better. They must explain the difference between a £40 frame and a £400 frame. They must train staff. They must display frames with confidence. They must stop assuming the patient understands quality, craft, lens choice, fit, service, and story. As Garry says in the episode, many practices make the majority of their turnover from glasses, yet they often do not think deeply enough about how those frames are displayed, explained, and sold.