Meet Our Team

Mr Gerard Ainsworth is a highly experienced consultant ophthalmic surgeon working within the NHS in North Cumbria, where he has worked as clinical director for the Ophthalmology department. His specialist interests include cataract and refractive surgery, as well as glaucoma.

Mr Ainsworth graduated from the University of Manchester in 1995 and began his ophthalmic training at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton before moving to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and then Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham to further his surgical skills and undertake advanced subspecialist training in glaucoma. He completed his comprehensive specialist training with a fellowship in corneal surgery at the Sussex Eye Hospital, Brighton in 2006.

Ged is a fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and holds a postgraduate diploma in Cataract and Refractive Surgery. Twice a year he teaches trainee surgeons at the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and is a member of:

• United Kingdom and Ireland Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons
• European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons
• British Society of Refractive Surgeons

Outside work, Ged lives with his wife and two children in the beautiful Lake District. He is passionate about skiing and hits the slopes as much as he can, both in the Lakes (when the weather allows) and in Europe. Ged is a frustrated sailor at heart, and so enjoys watching his children sail on Ullswater. He and the family, along with Megan the dog, also love walking the fells and sampling any local hostelries that might happen to be en route!

I’m Michelle from County Cork. I moved to Cumbria is 1990 for a 3-month spell to help, my then employer, set up a hotel. Needless to say, I’m still here!   To be honest I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

Having qualified in Hotel Management in 1987, I moved into the NHS in 2001.  For many years I worked in operational roles across Primary and Secondary Care, and more recently as a healthcare commissioner before joining Mr Ainsworth in 2022 to develop services at Lakeland Vision.

 My most rewarding role was setting up a Covid centre in Copeland at the outset of the pandemic, then a test centre and finally a vaccine centre in December 2020.

I’m married to Steve, and we share three grown-up children.   In our spare time we enjoy travelling in our campervan and hitting Europe’s highest points.

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My first role within an opticians was when I was 22, getting my first job with the High Street chain Boots Opticians in Carlisle.  I worked for them for 2 years before moving to Whitehaven to work for Specsavers, gaining my qualification as a Cert 3 Optical Assistant. Eventually I transferred through to the Penrith branch of Specsavers. Here I progressed and eventually was offered the position of Store Manager. When Covid hit I spent lockdown looking after my one-year-old daughter.   I joined the Lakeland Vision team in June 2022 as a Clinic Administrator.

Outside of work I live with my husband and daughter in a little village just outside of Penrith. In my spare time, she am quite an established baker and have created numerous spectacular cakes for events. I also host a Discussion Group on True Crime that has around 45 members and is forever growing. With my group we attend shows, cinema, meals out and crafting days. Not to mention the odd lake swim and hike.

I enjoy being a mum to my little girl and I love that my job here at Lakeland Vision allows me to have a great work-home life balance.