Leah graduated in 2011 from the University of Melbourne and is a member of the Australasian College of Behavioural Optometry.
From her days as a student to today Leah remains committed to & passionate about the need for independent eye care being easily accessible to all. This has been a key driver of her career for as long as she can remember.
“When I was a teenager, I struggled with lots of headaches, particularly while trying to study. I went and saw an Optometrist, but due to their limited exposure to binocular vision dysfunction, my eye condition went undiagnosed, and I continued to suffer from headaches until I became an Optometrist myself. This led to my passion for paediatric Optometry, of which a significant number of children suffer from a binocular vision disorder. It has been so rewarding to be able to help so many children who were previously struggling in school, get their confidence back.
Why Independent practice? "For me, nothing could ever compare to having the autonomy to offer your patients the treatment and products that will work best for them. It is this autonomy that allows me & my team to work through much more complex solutions whether this is managing more pathology, removing foreign bodies & offering more thorough treatment options for dry eye, paediatric, myopic patients, and ocular disease co-management.
“There are no limits on what we can offer, how often we can bring patients back for follow up care or how long we can spend with them. It’s my ability to take the time & extra care that I know will make such a difference to not only my patients eye health and their quality of life as much as it reflects both my love for my work and the joy, I get from working with each of my patients.”
Having grown up in country Northern Victoria, Leah chose to return to her regional roots on graduation as she believes it not only gives her the best opportunity for strengthening her clinical skills as much as it is the opportunity to give back to her community in a meaningful way.
Outside of the practice Leah enjoys competing and breeding show jumping horses. She moved to the Yarra Valley in 2014 and loves to spend her weekends riding horses and exploring the Yarra Valley.