Job Description
I get to work with individuals who suffer from symptoms due to vision problems.
Vision is a learned skill, it isn't something that just happens to us! As we go through life we learn to use our vision to interact with our environment, control our body and solve problems.
When someone has a vision problem, it means that their vision hasn't learned the skills to work in a specific situation, causing them to have symptoms like headaches, doubling vision, or sore eyes! Another example could be someone who has had a concussion or a traumatic brain injury. When this happens our vision may suddenly forget how to work in specific situations and need to re-learn how to do that, which is where vision therapy comes in!
Relevant School Subjects
- Business
- Health and Physical Education
- Science
Areas of Expertise
- Healthcare
- Leisure/Sports/Tourism
- Science
Career Story
I grew up in Windsor Ontario, and when I was in high school I wanted to be an equine rehabilitation specialist. An equine rehabilitation specialist is essentially a physiotherapist for horses. They work with a horse who has an injury and allow them to heal. So, I applied for the Equine program at the University of Guelph.
When I got to my third year of university, I realized that this was no longer something that I wanted to do. My interests and my dreams had changed! So, I decided to finish getting my degree anyways. I'm glad I did, because I learned a lot of great skills at university that I have been able to use in many areas of my life. So, I graduated from the University of Guelph in May of 2020 right when COVID-19 had first struck.
I knew that I loved science, education and that I loved to teach and coach people. So, I thought about becoming a teacher. In the meantime, I needed to find some sort of job to pay the bills until I was able to apply for teacher's college.
I applied to be a receptionist at an optometry office, and that's where Dr. Lukito (my boss) saw that I had the skills to become a vision therapist. From there, I apprenticed under him and another therapist in the industry and I also got certified through the Optometric Extension Program Foundation. I am currently enrolled in Vision Therapy Canada's Practical Vision Therapy program and will be graduating from that in August.
Looking back, even though I didn't end up in the career that I thought I would, I wouldn't change a thing. I'm so happy with the people I've been able to meet, and the skills that I've been able to learn along the way.