This Hamilton optician's experience in South Africa was eye-opening. Now she's started her own practice

Tapiwa Musewe remembers her first pair of glasses.

They were bright pink and left her curious about the work of the optometrist who prescribed them: "What did he do to help me see again?"

Musewe, who is now a Hamilton optician, also remembers a dream she had while studying, in which a group of children came to her seeking help to see.

"I remember being in that dream and saying, 'I'll help you guys.' And I helped a few of them and then I said, 'You guys need to come back tomorrow.'" It helped her to know she was on the right career path.

In January, Musewe became the owner of Draga Vision Care, an optometry practice in Hamilton's Stoney Creek area, which offers eye exams, prescriptive eyewear and contact lenses.

She sat down with CBC Hamilton to talk about becoming a business owner, and working in a field where she says she hasn't met many people who look like her.

Tapiwa Musewe shares what it's like to become the owner of a clinic

7 months ago

Duration 1:22

Optician Tapiwa Musewe recently became the owner of a Hamilton eye clinic and shares her experience.

Musewe is registered with the Ontario College of Opticians, which describes the profession as being similar to pharmacists, since opticians are trained to interpret and supply prescriptions, but don't perform eye exams.

Lessons from time spent in South Africa

She received a Bachelor of Science degree from McMaster University before studying opticianry at Georgian College in Barrie, Ont.

After that, Musewe said, she considered studying optometry in Canada, but found it too expensive. She said she also wanted to learn from "a different perspective," so she studied in South Africa at the University of Johannesburg. Musewe said she completed her optometry degree in 2018 but has not yet bridged those credentials to practice in Ontario.

In South Africa, Musewe said, she worked with a diverse range of clients and learned to work with different kinds of bodies. For example, she said, she worked with many racialized people who naturally had larger optic nerves, which in Canada is often considered a sign of glaucoma. Musewe said she learned to test for the condition but not see the enlarged nerve as the same cause for alarm in all patients.

She also learned to work with people who feel uncomfortable going to a specialist, and how to include family members in a person's care.

When she returned to Canada, Musewe worked at Georgian College and later, she worked to provide glasses care to people at home.

Along the way, she received some support in her path to becoming a business owner from the Southwestern Ontario Black Entrepreneurship Network (SWOBEN) which offers support and networking to Black people who run businesses or nonprofits.

"That was humbling, because it made me realize I don't know everything," Musewe said.

She'd never made a business plan before and a mentor she met through the network helped her through that process. She also had access to a lawyer and an accountant. "It was more than just a program for me. It was literally about doors being open."

Getting more women in leadership roles

Dr. Surjinder Sahota, an optometrist in Abbotsford, B.C., said mentorship is hugely important and helped her early in her career.

Sahota is the treasurer for the Canadian Association of Optometrists and part of Canadian Women in Eye Care, a new group focused on supporting women in the field.

Currently, she said, that group is accepting applications for mentors and mentees in a new mentorship program they're setting up.

Sahota said that while in her experience at least 50 per cent of people in her field are women, there are disparities when it comes to pay, and representation in leadership roles.

"More times than I count on my hands, people will walk in and say, 'Oh, I thought Dr. Sahota was male,'" she said. The goal of Canadian Women in Eye Care is to empower more women to be leaders in the field and in their communities, she added.

'I would really love to meet her'

Musewe says she doesn't know any other Black women opticians who own a practice in Hamilton.

"In Canada there's not a lot of that. And if there is, I would really love to meet her," she said.

Fazel Khan is the registrar and CEO of the College of Opticians of Ontario, which regulates and opticians. He said the college does not collect demographic data, so he can't confirm if Musewe is correct.

Khan said about one-fifth of registered opticians are self-employed, but most work for big companies. Anecdotally, he said, opticianry is a diverse profession."You'll see a lot of different nationalities running optical stores."

Khan said the college wants to start collecting demographic data and is working toward that as part of a broader equity strategy to support its 3,200 members and future opticians.

The hope, he said, is also to make eye care more culturally sensitive by creating guidance based on different peoples' experiences.

He noted the college has had many international students apply in recent years, and adds that his team is working to promote their pathways to certification for internationally certified professionals. "We're very pro-accessibility."

Musewe has done some work for the college and Khan says he's happy to hear about how she's doing. "A lot of people don't get to demonstrate their merit," he said.

Going forward, Musewe said she's excited to establish herself and is considering projects such as offering free eye tests for young immigrants.

"I'm looking forward to just being able to support the community and the best way that I can."