Richard was an optometrist who excelled in the twin fields of contact lens education and British Standards.
In 1956, he studied ophthalmic optics in London, at what was then called the Northampton Polytechnic, rebranded ‘College of Advanced Technology’ in 1957. Once he secured his diploma in 1958, he was admitted as a Fellow of both the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers (FSMC) and the British Optical Association (FBOA), before starting two years’ National Service. The beginning of his optical career coincided with the publication of the first GOC Register in 1960.
His first post involved working with the contact lens pioneer Frederick (‘Freddie’) Burnett Hodd MBE. Richard would later recall with particular fondness and pride that he also worked with Hodd’s father, who died in 1965. During this time, he practised in the Orthoptics Clinic at the London Refraction Hospital.
Richard was keen to build on his qualifications, so decided to specialise in contact lenses. By 1963, he was one of a very select group of practitioners entitled to a special asterisk in the Opticians Register to show a skill and expertise in this area. He had acquired the BOA’s Diploma in Contact Lens Practice (DCLP) by 1964, the Higher Diploma by 1965 and the Diploma in Orthoptics at the start of the 1970s. Having been an examiner for the Joint Board of the rival qualifying associations, Richard was a Founding Fellow of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists) in 1980.
In 1964, Richard joined the teaching staff at the Northampton College as a full-time lecturer. Two years later, it became The City University. He would remain there until 2000, teaching several generations of students. He was responsible for teaching contact lens practice and organising the university's contact lens clinics, while also fulfilling a similar role in orthoptics. He also obtained further academic qualifications, being awarded the MPhil in 1973, and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1978. He was a founding member of the International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE) in 1979, one of three members who made it to the 40th Anniversary commemoration in 2019. He was also a contributor to a Swedish contact lens course and became a near-fluent speaker of the language. The Sveriges Kontaktlinsförening appointed him an Honorary Member in the 1970s (as did the New Zealand Contact Lens Society) and the Sveriges Leg, Optikers Riksforbund (SOR) awarded him its Golden Jubilee Medal in 1985.
In the 1970s, Richard served on the Contact Lens Technical Committee of the British Standards Institute (BSI). Initially, he was the representative of the Joint Committee of Ophthalmic Opticians (JCOO) - which prior to 1980 was the negotiating body for the profession with the government on all matters other than NHS fees - and subsequently as the representative of the British Universities Committee of Contact Lens Educators (BUCCLE). He also served on the BSI Ophthalmic Industry Standards committee and was a Council Member of the British Contact Lens Association. As editor of the BCLA’s journal, he oversaw its change of title to 'Contact Lens and Anterior Eye'.
During his retirement, Richard enjoyed photography and DIY. He kept his GOC registration and maintained many professional contacts. He was seen as an authority on contact lens history and, as one of his last acts as he faced terminal illness, Richard donated a number of items from his working career to the College Museum.