Special Feature
Next Gen
Guided in her path to optometry
By Jody Johnson-Pettit
A young Scarborough-based optometrist has worked
her way up and now owns her own practice.
Dr. Jessica Hall’s interest in optometry came at a
young age.
“When I got my first pair of glasses in Grade 7, I
remember the shock and awe of how clear things
were. A career in optometry was a possibility since
then,” she says.
Dr. Hall says a team of doctors and staff in the
optometrist’s office where she was a patient
supported her journey to becoming an optometrist.
In high school, she was hired to work Saturdays at
the office’s front desk.
36 Optical Prism | October 2019
“I helped with scheduling, billing and filing and
over the years and throughout my undergraduate
studies, I took on more roles within the office.
I started pre-testing patients, teaching contact
lens insertion and removal, I took retinal photos,
Optomaps and did visual field testing,” she says.
“The opticians taught me lens and frame selection
and fitting techniques for dispensing eyewear. I
even wrote some policy manual articles for current
and future staff of that clinic to help with training
and continuity of the practice procedures.”
Hall, who was born and raised in Scarborough,
Ontario, graduated with her Doctor of Optometry
and Honours Bachelor of Science from the
University of Waterloo School of Optometry in 2011.