At and awards ceremony held by Optical Dispensers Australia, optical dispenser Ms White received a Role Model and Leadership award, while optical assistant, Ms O'Connor was awarded rookie of the year.

Both Ms White and Ms O'Connor, who work out of the Quinn and Co store at 149 Baillie Street, Horsham, said they were shocked to receive the awards.

"It's a national award, so our optical dispensers all over the country were nominated," said Ms O'Connor.

"Just to be nominated for my work was amazing and overwhelming ... to win was just crazy."

Ms White also acknowledged how great it is to receive such industry praise.

"It's pretty cool that our profession is starting to have more events and getting more recognition as well," she said.

Both award recipients had been nominated by Quinn and Co Eyecare's business support manager, Stephanie Howie.

In Ms O'Connor's nominations, Ms Howie said that What sets her apart is her remarkable combination of strength and kindness.

"It is her boundless empathy and kindness that truly define her character," Ms Howie wrote.

"Every patient is treated with the warmth and familiarity of an old friend, as Astrid's genuine care and compassion shine through in every interaction."

Ms O'Connor said getting to know her customers is one of the great parts of her job.

"I think a lot of people think that we just pull some glasses off the shelf, put them on someone's face, and that's it ... but there's a lot more involved," she said.

"We really have to get to know our customers, find out what their daily lives involve, find out their hobbies, we really get to find out some interesting things about them, so we can find the best solutions for them."

For Ms White, she enjoys the technical side of the job.

"It's a lot of maths behind the scenes, a lot of double checking things," she said.

"Coming out with a solution that's going to work for [the customer] based on their prescription, based on their face, based on the measurements, and then based on their preferences and their lifestyles.

"There's a lot of thinking that goes on, that's probably the best part for me."

In nominating her, Ms Howie expressed the dedication Ms White has to seeking information and sharing it with both her team and teams at other optical dispensers.

"Her commitment to excellence is evident in her completion of well above the mandated training required for all dispensers at Quinn and Co. Eyecare," Ms Howie wrote.

"She demonstrates her dedication by staying behind after supplier training sessions to ask additional questions, even after everyone else has left."