If you’re considering laser surgery at SES Laser, Britt is the first person you’ll meet.
As Medical Secretary to our busy specialist team, she takes care of all the important administration tasks that go into making a patient’s laser journey a success.
Tell us about your role at Southern Eye Specialists Laser. What does a ‘normal’ day look like for you?
My schedule varies day to day, as does my to-do list depending on whether we have admin, clinic, or theatre time. Typically, my day starts with sorting through my emails, with referrals to book, patient queries to answer, or communications with the team. If we have a surgery day coming up, I prepare the theatre list, ordering supplies and ensuring we have all the paperwork ready for each patient. On clinic or theatre days, you’ll find me at the desk facilitating the arrival of patients and making sure everyone involved has what they need to proceed through to the next stage. You can also find me delivering a cuppa and a sweet treat to our patients in recovery – a very important task.
Some patients might recognise you from a previous role at an optometry practice. Where does your professional interest in eyes and vision come from?
I fell into my first optics role nearly ten years ago after studying design. I was lucky enough to work with some of the best optometrists in the country, who saw my passion for eyes and desire to learn and gave me the opportunity to build on my knowledge. It’s very rewarding being able to form a connection with patients and help facilitate their care and improve their quality of life, and I love that I still get to see so many patients from my previous job – it feels like seeing an old friend.
Sight is such an important yet intimate part of life – even with all the tests in the world, we still don’t know what it is like to see through someone else’s eyes. It takes a lot of courage for our patients to share details of how greatly their quality of life is affected by their vision, so it is our responsibility to protect those details and use that information to give them the best possible outcome. This is what keeps me coming back day after day – that and the team; having a joint passion and a great group of people to work with makes for a lot of fun and laughter in the workplace.
What’s one thing you’d like New Zealanders to know about eye health?
Wear your sunglasses! Protecting your eyes from the sun is so important, especially in NZ where the sun is so harsh. UV can cause long-term damage leading to cataracts, pterygium and skin cancer, so sunglasses are an easy way to help reduce the risks. For ultimate protection choose lenses that are rated to UV400 with a back surface anti-reflective coating.
You spend a lot of time talking to people who are considering laser vision correction. What are the most common questions they have?
The two most common questions I get are “have you had laser surgery?” (especially if I’m wearing my glasses) and “am I going to be awake during the surgery?”. I understand how strange it must look for someone working in refractive surgery to be wearing glasses. Unfortunately I can’t undergo laser surgery because my corneas are too steep – trust me, Ernest checked! I feel it is important we are always truthful with our patients and set realistic expectations, so they can truly give informed consent.
Yes, you do have to be awake during laser surgery as it’s important you are able to follow instructions and focus on a specific point. I understand it can be quite nerve wracking being aware whilst your eyes are being lasered, which is why we offer a mild sedative to help take the edge off those nerves. The procedure is also quick and painless, and our surgeons Dr Liz and Dr John will talk you through the whole surgery.
What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned from working alongside leading eye surgeons?
How such a tiny physical alteration to the body can completely change someone’s ability to move through the world. When our surgeons perform SMILE Pro surgery, they are removing a lenticule (piece of tissue) that can be as thick as 30 microns – that’s half the thickness of a human hair! I find it so crazy that something so small is the difference between someone who can see perfectly versus someone who can’t function in their day-to-day life without glasses or contact lenses.
What are your favourite things to focus your eyes on outside of work?
Outside of work, I love to focus my eyes on a good book – actually, usually 3 books at once! I also find a lot of joy (and sometimes frustration) in sewing and quilting. When I feel like venturing outside, nothing beats camping in Mackenzie District and gazing up at the Milky Way above the Southern Alps.
