Meet the Team: Mohammed Bhuta
5 January 2023
Mohammed says he never set out to become an optical lead, but says he’s pleased to have taken the leap, “I wanted to give back to the profession in some way, and this is one of the many opportunities I have been given”.
The opportunities have included two LOCSU development courses, first an LOC induction programme followed by a place at Cardiff University for the ‘Leadership skills for optical professionals’ module.
He says, “I applied and was surprisingly accepted! Soon after completing that (and what an experience that was!), an Optical Lead position came up, and some gentle nudging by a fellow colleague gave me the confidence to apply and here I am”.
Mohammed had been destined for a career in computing until his sixth form Maths and Biology tutors intervened, “they decided that they would not have me ‘waste my life’ behind a computer screen”.
And he adds, “Not keen on medicine and deciding against dentistry (after some work experience with a maxillofacial surgeon that included me fainting!) I fell back onto my one reserve option, which just happened to be Optometry”.
Reflecting on that time he says it was a positive intervention, “Here I am 25 years later, and, as cliched as it sounds, I realise it could not have been a better choice for me”.
Mohammed says it’s not just “giving people the gift of sight” that he likes about the job, but the people he meets along the way.
“Being able to converse and interact with people in the consulting room that I would never have the chance to do so walking down a street or sat in a waiting room somewhere”. And he adds, “I have met some amazing people over the years that I would never have had the chance to do so otherwise”.
As well as doing his part time Optical Lead role, Mohammed currently works a couple of days at an independent optician in the Northwest and one day a week at the University of Manchester as a clinical tutor in the contact lens clinics.
At home he says he spends far too much time on his Xbox.
“My family will attest to the fact that the study in which it resides is like a second home to me. Aside from that, the rest of time is taken up with my faith and praying, and reading on leadership, business, and investing”. And he adds with a smile, “All three I am better at reading than actually doing”!
On a more serious note, Mohammed says he is grateful for his start in life, “There is not a day that doesn’t go by where I don’t acknowledge and am inspired by and thankful for the firm, but very sensible upbringing my parents provided for me”.
Mohammed is a committee member on the Manchester LOC, and as an optical lead with LOCSU has a keen interest in the role of emerging digital technology to improve patient care in primary care optometry.
“A fully integrated and accessible computerised patient record system would allow any eye care professionals access to any ocular history of a patient to bring ease to daily practice and assist in making more informed and appropriate clinical decisions” he explains.
Whilst that might be something for the future there is one thing Mohammed says can help improve life more immediately, “You have to make sure whatever you do, you can start and end the day with a smile on your face”.
As we start a new year, I think we can all agree on that.