The beginning of the year marks a new group of students embarking on their final year of optometry, and this also means a new Optomsoc Executive Team. We recently had the chance to catch up with Justin McNamara, President of Optomsoc and ask him some questions about what he's looking forward to this year.  Hey Justin, for our YO members who don't know, can you introduce yourself and what your main role/s are as Optomsoc President? Hello everyone, I’m Justin McNamara and I’m the OptomSoc President for 2024. This role is best split up into three main parts. The first involves advocating int ..read more

Ever wonder what it's like to be in the Young Optometrists Committee and what each role entails?  If you are, here is one of our new segments where we introduce to you a member of our committee and showcase their career path, passion projects, as well as what they do in YO.  Our first interview is with our new Education Officer, Crystal Dang!  Hey Crystal, please tell us a bit about yourself!  I graduated from UNSW in 2021 and have since been practicing at a full-scope independent optometry practice in Cabramatta. My strongest interest is ocular disease and therapeutics. I ..read more

Mariane Nguyen graduated in 2015 and now practices in South Coast NSW. In 2020, with she started Untagged, a small business specializing in handmade pet ID tags.  Tell us a bit about yourself. Hello, YO community :) My name is Mariane and I have been an optometrist in the south coast of NSW since 2015. Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine myself as an entrepreneur but that all changed in 2020. With all the spare time I had during COVID lockdowns in regional NSW, like many others, I decided to buy a new puppy. My husband and I named our new Cavoodle puppy - Archie. He had the tiniest ..read more

Karuna Darvesh graduated optometry at the end of 2022 and is going on to the end of her graduate year at Specsavers. She enjoys taking her dog for little adventures, playing sports, traveling to new places, and eating different cuisines. She recently had the exciting opportunity to perform Bharatanatyam (an ancient classical Indian dance form) at the Qudos Bank Arena to welcome the Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Narenda Modi.  Tell us about your journey as a new graduate optometrist! The transition from doing numerous placements during university to a graduate optometrist was initially a chal ..read more

Linda Lam graduated from QUT in 2015 and is now the principal optometrist and owner of Eyesquire Optometrist in Rockdale, NSW. Linda started off working as a sole optometrist in a small practice but, after feeling stagnant in her role, she moved onto taking over an established practice to further her goals and passions.  Why did you start up a business and how did you go starting it up? I started a business as I was feeling a bit stagnant in my current position and wanted to learn about what else was out there. At the time I had been at my first job for over a year and it was a small ind ..read more

Aimy Huynh graduated from UNSW in 2023 and is currently working full time at an independent optometry practice. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, cooking and spending time with family and friends. Her favourite TV show is Friends and she love travelling to new places and eating lots of food! Name:  Aimy Huynh Workplace: Eyesense Optometrists Favourite Disease: Dry Eye Disease What about Optometry really grinds your gears? (if any!):  When equipment malfunctions during the consultation!  What drives your passion for Optometry? Seeing how grateful my patients are by help ..read more

Student Year: Final year Optometry Student at UNSW Favourite Disease: Glaucoma due to the varying presentations of how the disease can manifest as well as the array of different eye drops and management options we have available to manage the disease. What about Optometry really grinds your gears? (if any!): Contact lens wearers who have bad hygiene practices scare me a little. What drives your passion for Optometry? I like how optometry involves application of the clinical skills and knowledge you learn from university to the lives of real people. It is incredibly rewarding af ..read more

Tell us a bit about yourself I graduated from UNSW Optometry in 2019 and my graduating role was in Nowra, NSW.  I love being outdoors and staying active, so Nowra was the perfect spot to enjoy hikes and swim at the nicest local beaches on my day off. Now that I’m back in Sydney, during my time off work I’m either weight-lifting, hanging out with family and friends, trying out food places, and working on my e-commerce business. What made you want to study optometry/be an optometrist? I’ve always wanted to work in the health industry as I find it very rewarding to help out people. However ..read more

Student Year: Final year optometry student Favourite Disease: Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). In 4th year, it was my first encounter with a disease which had majorly impacted on a patient’s quality of life as well as their family members. It has stuck with me. What about Optometry really grinds your gears? (if any!): When patients have an eye infection and don’t go to their follow-up appointments! What drives your passion for Optometry? I am a storyteller myself and a sucker for good stories. I love learning about the interesting lives of the people I see in clinic ever ..read more

Minh-Tri Trang is a final year optometry student at UNSW. Favourite Disease: Pachychoroid disease spectrum because it is interesting to see how the presentations link and multimodal imaging makes it more exciting.  What about Optometry really grinds your gears? (if any!):  When patients decline that they’ve had eye surgeries in the past but you see IOLs on slit lamp hmmm.  What drives your passion for Optometry? Emphasising to the community that the profession is more about making glasses! Education of pathologies and management of eye conditions is an avenue I want to ..read more