Yong Eyes Opt

"I've worn glasses my whole life, and the optometry field has interested me a lot from an early age,” says Dr. Sophia Awadia, owner of Bedford Park's Yonge Eyes Optometry, where she also works as an optometrist. “I was always fascinated by it when I went to get my eyes checked or my glasses adjusted. Eventually, when I began thinking about what I should do for a living, optometry naturally popped up in my mind."

Dr. Awadia studied optometry at the University of Waterloo, and obtained a master's degree in eye research. "After I graduated, I practised in many cities throughout the country, gaining more practical knowledge and experience. I moved to Vancouver, then to Oshawa, and eventually, I decided that I wanted to open my own optometry practice in Toronto. I moved to the city, found a space and opened Yonge Eyes Optometry on January 2, 2014."

Opening up her own business isn't the end of the journey for Dr. Awadia; the optometrist is constantly refining her knowledge of vision. "Aside from what I do here, I'm also back on the school benches, where I'm studying vision therapy, a very helpful treatment for those with vision problems after a concussion, for instance. I want to expand my experience and the range of problems I can help treat."