Counsellor-optometrist-information desk in one: Laura
Our always busy but helpful consultant Laura uses Estonian, Finnish and English in her job every day to talk to clients from all around the world. She is like an information desk – counsellor – optometrist all in one person, having to answer questions about laser eye surgery, eye diseases and medications both during and after office hours. She herself has not needed laser eye surgery – her vision is an exceptional 158 %!
Laura says that because she hasn’t been to the procedure herself, she has made up for the lack of that experience by going through the thorough pre-surgery eye exams several times. She is an ideal patient for our optometrists, because she asks everything about everything every single time. Laura puts herself in the shoes of our patients to know exactly what everyone who comes to KSA goes through, and thus prepares our optometrists for every question possible.
“I need to be like a sponge, absorbing every piece of information about vision and eyes from our surgeons, optometrists, my other colleagues and even the patients. I need to know every possible thing there is to know about this field, because the people who I speak to might ask very specific questions. I have to admit that, when I started this job, sometimes I didn’t even understand the question, let alone know the answers! But I have learnt a lot during my time here,” Laura said.
“Mostly it is the clients who I have to thank for finding out something new about vision or eyes. When they ask about something I don’t know yet, I have to consult several sources to find a thorough answer. And that’s the way I mostly learn new facts. Because of my job I am now like a private eye consultant for my friends and family. I happily test out tips that Dr Haavel gives for maintaining good vision and then suggest them to friends, too.”
Laura values her sharp vision a lot. “I love to read, to go to the gym, cycle – I couldn’t imagine having to do all that and enjoy it as much with glasses or contacts. That’s why I take really good care of my eyes!”