The discovery of a window in his consultation room, hidden behind an in-built cupboard, was a revelation for optometrist Shonit Jagmohan that got him thinking about what other mood-boosting improvements he can make to his Melbourne practice.
It only takes 11 seconds for Mr Shonit Jagmohan’s consultation room to transition from natural light to complete darkness, but it has made a world of difference to his mental health and wellbeing.
With a simple touch of a button on his mini iPad, he can activate an electronic block-out blind and pre-set modes of lighting, so the transition is seamless for patients and provides ideal testing conditions for the optometrist.
“It has been a game changer, as an optometrist, to have natural light and fresh air.”
For Jagmohan, having a window allowing natural light and fresh air in his consultation room has made a significant difference to his mental health, a subject he says the profession needs to keep discussing. The cumulative effect of a career in artificial light and bland consulting rooms is just one factor that make optometry a challenging career for some.
“I have read about the impact poor mental wellbeing has had on our industry, especially given the last couple of years with the pandemic, and lockdown. It is horrifying to read the statistics, to know so many optometrists have been struggling, but it is also somewhat comforting to know we are not alone,” he says.
“As a profession, it is something that we don’t often talk about, but we are all impacted in one way or another, and it was exacerbated during the pandemic with Melbourne being the most locked-down city.”
A pre-COVID survey of 505 registered practising Australian optometrists in mid-November 2019 revealed that 31% were experiencing moderate to severe psychological distress, with similar findings for depression and anxiety. One in four were also experiencing moderate to extremely severe stress.
The survey, led by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) School of Optometry and Vision Science head Professor Sharon Bentley, also demonstrated a prevalence of high burnout, as indicated by exhaustion (56% of respondents), cynicism (57%) and professional efficacy (23%).
Mid-COVID, in perhaps the most comprehensive data on the psychological impact so far, Optometry Australia (OA) also surveyed 3,290 optometrists during the month of April 2020 to provide a snapshot of optometrists’ mental state. It indicated 88% of optometrists were ‘travelling ok’, which OA said is an indication of the sector’s resilience, but it meant 12% were struggling.
“Shining a light on mental health and having it in the forefront of our minds is important,” Jagmohan says. “Many of us have been there, and need support from our friends, families, but also our working community as well. Over the last few years, I personally have found the pandemic extremely difficult. I needed to find a way to support my mental health to be able to maintain my resilience and still be the best practitioner for my patients.”
To address this, practice owners Jagmohan and his wife, Sharon, decided to renovate their two consulting rooms at Vision Camberwell in Melbourne’s inner east during the pandemic.
Established in 1951, the practice has been in its current premises on Burke Road, Camberwell for 34 years. Jagmohan joined the practice in 2016 and became a managing partner in 2017 as part of a succession plan with then-owner Associate Professor Richard Vojlay. Jagmohan and Sharon, who manages the practice’s finances, purchased the practice from Vojlay in 2020.
It was the impetus to create an environment that was better for Jagmohan’s mental health long-term.
“The driver for wanting to renovate the consulting rooms is what we already know about mental health and Vitamin D – it’s accepted knowledge that natural light and exposure to outdoors are good for our mental health,” he says.
“If you’re stuck indoors without natural light, without fresh air – as optometrists tend to be – it can be a driver for reduced mental health. I’ve got patients who are radiologists who can 100% relate.”
Before joining Vision Camberwell in 2016, Jagmohan spent two years working in Queensland; when he moved to Melbourne, he noticed the onset of the ‘winter blues’.
“It impacts people differently. I’m a Kiwi of Fijian-Indian descent – it impacted me more than Sharon, who is Australian-European. When I moved to Melbourne, I was making a conscious effort during winter to manage my exposure to light,” he says.
Jagmohan and Sharon first spoke to their electrician – who is also a patient – about lighting options for the practice, such as installing globes that emit UV light, to promote better health when working indoors for long hours.
“As a practitioner with an interest in myopia management, I know we need to spend two hours outdoors a day, we know natural light is good for us. How do I support that, given my profession is an indoor profession that’s often associated with darkness? That’s when we thought about installing a window and electronic blinds,” he says.
Their electrician introduced them to an interior designer who specialises in creating spaces that boost mental health. She met with Jagmohan and his wife and joined Jagmohan during a patient consultation.
“She watched me do a consult to see my workflow, and what I needed in terms of adaptive lighting. As optometrists, we’re sitting, we’re standing, we’re washing our hands, we’re getting saline, we’re getting fluorescein, we’re getting behind a slit lamp, dimming lights, we’re constantly moving, so we also wanted to make sure the space was efficient. She also interviewed me to see what kinds of colours and textures resonated for me,” he says.
They then emptied the consultation room, removing all equipment and several built-in cupboards, to get a full sense of the space they were working with.
“When we pulled everything out, we discovered an old window, which was completely boarded up and covered with cupboards, looking out on to a disused courtyard. We thought, ‘this changes everything’.”
Given the practice is a commercial property and the building is over 125 years old, they had to seek approval to install a new, functioning window, but it was well worth it, Jagmohan says.
“I have fresh air when I want it and we created a small garden outside my window in the courtyard. It has been a game changer, as an optometrist, to have natural light and fresh air,” he says.
“Removing overhead cupboards has helped by not having a lot of clutter around my head space, and we installed a large mirror – again to create a sense of space.”
They changed the room layout, installed textured wallpaper, replaced the carpet with new flooring in natural wood tones, and Jagmohan selected artwork for the walls, including a large photo above his desk of a monk watching a sunrise at Angkor Wat, a temple in Cambodia.
They also renovated a second, smaller consultation room.
“It’s hard to believe I spent six years in a windowless room. It’s only now that I’ve got this different space, with natural light and fresh air that I’ve been fortunate to create, that I realise it’s more conducive to me being at my best. I don’t know how I survived before,” he says.
“I think we don’t realise the impact being inside a windowless dark room can have on us. It doesn’t mean everyone can change their lighting or colour scheme – a lot of practices are in shopping centres – but if someone is thinking of doing something new, they might read this and factor in how their choice of lighting, tones and textures can affect their mental health, more than they considered before.”
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