Rita Thurston
Founder and Senior Optometrist
Phone : 07 3801 3551
Biography
Rita was born in Finland and at the age of 14 moved to Brisbane.
As a result of her interest in optometry, Rita applied to and was accepted by the Queensland Institute of Technology to study optometry.
After graduating from QIT in 1980, Rita had a short stint working for OPSM before, in 1981, starting Rita Thurston Optometrist.
In 1986, behavioural optometry came to Australia. Behavioural optometry had answers to fixing the children’s vision problems that had frustrated Rita in helping kids to study and learn better, so in 1987 Rita became a foundation member of the fledgling Australasian College of Behavioural Optometrists.
Rita now has over 40 years expertise in children’s vision and has helped many thousands of kids to become better students.
Rita has always invested in cutting edge technology in her practice and today, has one of the widest selections of equipment available at any optometry practice.
Rita has always had a passion to help the under privileged and since 2009, has been providing free eye clinics and glasses to the island nation of Vanuatu.
In 2017, Rita, along with her husband Adrian, established South Pacific Eye Clinics (SPECs) as a vehicle to expand their work in Vanuatu.
.