The Saskatchewan Association of Optometrists (SAO) recognized Dr. Sarah Sliva as the recipient of the Optometrist of the Year Award at its recent annual general meeting.
Sliva, the owner of 小蓝视频 East Eyecare in Estevan, said she didn't see anything like that coming, as she was nominated by a colleague who did all paperwork without Sliva knowing. It takes a lot to surprise her, but this award definitely took her by surprise, and she was very grateful for such an honour.
"It was a good thing I was paying attention because I actually heard it and I blinked a couple of times, stared at my computer and I thought, 'Someone has a very similar sounding name to me,'" said Sliva with a laugh. "But it turns out that no, it was me.
鈥淪o I was very surprised, very touched and very honoured that I had been even nominated for the award 鈥� What I get to do for a living is rewarding in itself. But to have recognition from your peers and colleagues just makes you feel very special."
Once the announcement about the recognition was made, Sliva started receiving congratulation calls and messages from hundreds of people. On Mercury's Facebook page alone, there were over 120 comments, celebrating and recognizing the success of the Estevan eye doctor.
"I really do appreciate the support that I've gotten from my family, my friends and our community. It's always nice when we can celebrate each other's successes," Sliva said.
The decision on award recipients is made by and amongst other established and respected Saskatchewan optometrists, and Sliva said this fact makes it even more special for her.
"Optometrists are all very dedicated professionals, so every optometrist would be more than deserving of the award. And to be picked amongst your peers as deserving of this recognition is a very high honour," Sliva said.
Sliva graduated from the University of Waterloo in 2009 and opened her own optometry clinic in Estevan in 2011. She said the decision to become an optometrist formed pretty early in life.
"I have worn glasses since I was fairly young. And I had some experience with ophthalmologists, and optometrists, and opticians as a young child. And I just always found it fascinating that I could go to the optometrist and not really see the letters on the chart. And then by some magic, when I walked out of the office, I could see. The words on the board at school were clearer. The trees had more definition. I could see the TV better. I could see the baseball coming towards me better, but I still couldn't catch it very good. It was amazing to me that something could be done to make the world so much more clear and vibrant, and engaging. And I really wanted to be on the other side of that experience and help other people," Sliva explained.
She added that she still gets that "wow experience" every time she gets an updated pair of glasses, and every day she goes to work to do her best to extend that experience to her clients.
This year marks the 小蓝视频 East Eyecare clinic's 10-year anniversary, and it has been shaped into a full-service clinic, serving the vision and eyecare needs of patients in southeast Saskatchewan.
In 2019, 小蓝视频 East Eyecare expanded with the addition of a satellite clinic in Carnduff.
Sliva said paperwork remains her least favourite part of the job, but in general, she gets to enjoy what she chose for the profession every day.
"The paperwork is not at the top of the most fun tasks I do, but it is necessary, so it does get done. But working with people, visiting with people, finding out what their visual needs are, finding out how I can help improve maybe their job or their hobbies, or how I can make their life better by helping make their vision better or more comfortable. So working with people is definitely my favourite part of the job. I love visiting with people. And I get to do that every day as part of my profession, which is pretty cool," Sliva said.
Coming from a small town herself, Sliva understood the difficulty patients face when travelling for healthcare services and sought to close the gap for vision care. While receiving the provincial recognition was an honour, she said she never really aimed for it.
"I'm very fortunate, I love what I do. I think I have the best job in the world. I think I'm part of the best profession and I practise in the best province. So for me, I go to work every day, because I enjoy helping people. And I enjoy what I do. It's not about the accolades and the recognition. Although it is nice to sometimes be told that you're doing a good job and that people appreciate you. So this was just the icing on the cake," Sliva said.
In addition to her role as a busy entrepreneur, Sliva is also a mom of six and an active volunteer.
Currently, Sliva sits on the association's billing committee, board of examiners, children's vision initiative committee, and new member mentor committee. She also sits on the board of the Souris Valley Museum, plays the organ at her church and volunteers on the school community council.
"Sliva is highly committed to education. She frequently accepts optometry students for internships and participates in outreach events in the community to educate people on the importance of vision health," the SAO said in a news release.
During the pandemic, Sliva completed three additional optometric programs to enhance the services she is able to deliver and maintained perfect attendance at the association's spring continuing education program.
"Sarah is more than deserving of the Optometrist of the Year Award. The truth is that I watch the way she approaches clinical situations and I see how appreciative her patients are of her compassionate care and I strive to meet that in my own practice," said Sliva's colleague, Dr. Amanda Olsen.
"Dr. Sarah Sliva is a worthy recipient of the Optometrist of the Year Award and a role model as a practitioner, educator, and citizen," said Dr. Heath Holliday, president of the SAO.
