Originally from Guam, Gizelle Gomez began her optician career right out of high school when her mom introduced her to an optometrist operating in Guam’s Micronesia Mall. She immediately fell in love with the profession, finding that helping people to see better was incredibly rewarding work for her. 

Gizelle learned on the job, at first assisting with insurance and then implementing pre-tests for patients. With her robust curiosity and capacity for quickly grasping (and excelling at) new skills, she became an expert in many aspects of opticianry, including fitting and measuring for eyewear and helping customers choose the perfect frame and lens for their lifestyle and prescription.

After moving to San Diego, she continued to work in the field. She left a position at the Sunglass and Optical Warehouse to secure one in a doctor’s office to gain more medical experience. But then one of her former coworkers who had ended up at SportRx–optician Oscar Rayle–reached out and asked her to come work with him. She gave it a go and quickly decided that the culture and environment at SportRx were ideal for her.

Above all, Gizelle is someone who loves meeting new people. She possesses an innate ability to connect with all of them, which is a big part of what makes her so good at her job.

“I interact with a vast spectrum of folks and get to see what they do and how they do it,” she explains. “And it's just fascinating to me.” 

When consulting with customers, she focuses on their needs, habits, and goals, not just the numbers on their prescription. Many find their way to SportRx after being told that the eyeglass frame they want won’t work for them–and they aren’t given any guidance on how to find one that will work. Gizelle doesn’t work like that. Instead, she spends time learning her customers’ wishes, hopes and desires regarding their eyewear and then finds a way to achieve them.

“Many people see glasses as just an accessory,” she says, “But they are so much more than that.”

Most people who wear prescription glasses, especially those who have worn them since they were kids, consider their eyewear choices to be an extension and reflection of themselves. A person’s choice of eyeglasses often aligns with how they want to present themselves to the world at any given time. For those who enjoy sports, finding a solution that allows them to participate in their activity of choice can be another issue.

Knowing this, Gizelle provides customers with options that check all of their eyewear boxes. She truly enjoys helping people see better so that they can do all of the things they love while staying true to the persona they wish to embody.

Outside of work, like all SportRx opticians, Gizelle spends a good deal of time outdoors–hiking, fishing (in both San Diego and Oregon), and going to California beaches that are half an ocean away from her native Guam. She describes the beaches in Guam as quiet, laid-back and far less crowded than most San Diego-area beaches. The Guam ocean water is also clearer and warmer year-round than California beaches, making it perfect for snorkeling.

“The island is small [the population was about 165,000 when she lived there], so spending time with family and friends and barbecuing was a common weekly thing,” she recalls with fondness.

Usually accompanied by her fiancé and/or her sister, her San Diego fishing trips (always of the catch-and-release variety) typically involve pursuing spotted bay bass, while her Oregon trips focus on steelhead. She’s also had the opportunity to fly fish in remote regions of Alaska for Pacific salmon, Dolly Varden trout, and rainbow trout.

She and her friends are always on the hunt for new hiking spots, finding them through word of mouth from local hiking communities or the AllTrails app. Some of their favorite well-known trails near San Diego include Three Sisters Falls, Potato Chip Rock, and the Seven Bridge Walk.

Gizelle does not require prescription lenses, but her sunglass eyewear of choice for both hiking and fishing is anything from Maui Jim. When at work, she wears frames with SportRx lenses with the company’s BlueDefense coating which does not add a yellow hue like most other brands. For frames, she recommends the Raen Celeste. 

When fishing, polarized lenses help filter the glare from open waters and improve your perception of color and depth. Maui Jim PolarizedPlus2 lenses come in four colors suited for a range of fishing conditions: HCL Bronze for everyday use, Maui HT for low light such as shady riverbanks, Maui Rose for the most contrast for overcast weather, and Natural Grey for bright direct sunlight.

Choosing the optimal lens and frame for your lifestyle and sport shouldn’t be a frustrating and cumbersome process. Opticians like Gizelle and her colleagues at SportRx make sure it isn’t.

Being able to help people see clearly while doing what they love gives me so much joy,” Gizelle says. This joy is reflected in the joie de vivre in which she lives her life and infects her grateful SportRx customers.