Bernie did not use his vocation as an OPTICIAN towards a means to acquire wealth. To him this was an opportunity to help people improve their eyesight, especially the underprivileged. As an optician in a large city he spent much of his time with children who were under the care of social workers and had little or no means to pay for his services. Many with facial disfigurements were able to see because of his devotion to helping them towards that end. His compensation was the ability to witness the face of a small child who previously was unable to see and now had adequate vision to read. He accomplished this by making a plastic mold of the child's face and having glasses made specifically for his or her features. Then there were the poor and needy....they could not go unattended. He accepted any fee and often he financed the cost of the glasses.
Following his retirement in 1986, he worked as a part-time optician in a large establishment. This optical experience was totally different from the one he was used to and loved for so many years. As a result, in order to fulfill his need to help those less fortunate he would make house calls in the evenings or as time permitted to those people who he knew were unable to leave their homes for a variety of reasons.
He got more joy from the continued progress being made in his field than from any hobby anyone could possibly have. Most people surf the internet for their own and varied purposes. His prime use of the internet was to search for any new procedures related to the eyes that would help him to help those who were sight impaired. He contacted doctors, attended seminars and read everything he could get his hands on - this was his most important pastime following his retirement.
During his retirement his preoccupation with helping those with low vision continued. No matter who you were or where you lived, he would gather his special instruments and pay a house visit in an attempt to restore some sight to the visually impaired. Nothing made him happier than to witness the joy he was able to give when that person would acquire some sight with the use of visual aids. There was no fee...it was one of his many gifts to bring joy to another's life.
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