Although his first career wasn’t in the optical field as it is now, Andrew Bruce’s first job as a photographer wasn’t too far off.
Now holding a master’s degree in Ophthalmic Optics and running the optical department at Watters Vision Care, Inc. in Battle Ground, Bruce originally began his optical career in his home country of England and worked in the field a while before entering photography school. After graduating from photography school, Bruce came over to the United States from England in 1987 when he was given the opportunity to work as a cruise ship photographer. He was 22 years old.
Bruce said he worked as a cruise ship photographer for three years and ended up meeting the woman who would become his wife, Angie, on the ship. Bruce and his wife then moved to Bellingham, where he ran his own photography business for about 12 years. Then, at the age of 33, Bruce decided to change his career path and went back to school for Opticianry.
“(Photography) became more of a task than an enjoyable profession,” Bruce said. “I wasn’t enjoying photography and it was time for a change. Having had the initial taste of the optical profession, I decided to enter the field."
Now 47, Bruce has been with Watters Vision for six years and lives in Battle Ground. Prior to living in the Battle Ground area, Bruce and his wife lived in Bellingham for two years. Then, both being Disney fans, Bruce said they decided to move to Orlando, FL, where they lived for five years. When Bruce and his wife had their son, Mason, who is now 15, he said they decided it was time to move back to the Washington, and they settled in the Battle Ground area.
Bruce’s duties running the optical department at Watters Vision include overseeing the eye wear area and performing contact lens fittings.
“My role is one that I compare to that of a pharmacist,” Bruce said. “The patient gets the prescription from the doctor and brings it to me to fill. It will be a glasses or contact lenses prescription and by evaluating the prescription, I can determine which lenses and styles are best for the patient. The prescription is just one part of the equation, how the prescription is made up is the finishing part.”
Bruce also oversees other aspects of running the office, including the ordering and purchasing of frames and more.
By completing the program and numerous exams for his master’s degree in Ophthalmic Optics, Bruce is unique in that fewer than 400 people in the U.S. have achieved that level of education within the field of Opticianry. He has now worked in the optical field for 15 years and has written numerous papers that have been published in several optical journals throughout Europe and the U.S. Bruce is also on the faculty board of a leading optical journal as a contributing writer.
“I like working with the people,” Bruce said of working in the optical field. “I like the fact that every patient’s situation is different. It’s not repetitive. It’s not one-size-fits-all. Every situation has to be evaluated to determine what is best for the patient. I also enjoy the technical aspect, I love to read technical journals, so I enjoy the technical component of the job, but most of all I enjoy the patients.”
Bruce grew up in a seaside town in England, Morecambe. He said he and his family used to go back to visit every couple of years, but now that all of his family are over in the U.S., he said they haven’t been back to England in about four years. Bruce became a U.S. citizen in 1994.
In his free time, Bruce said he primarily likes to spend time with his wife and son and he said he enjoys skiing and golfing with his son. He said he also likes to stay fit and he enjoys going running and working out. Bruce also currently holds a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and used to teach Tae Kwon Do on a part-time basis in Battle Ground.
