Bruce’s father John Palmer moved his family from Sydney to become one of the first optometrists in Hobart to prescribe contact lenses. Bruce returned to Sydney to study optometry at UNSW, with a scholarship from the Australian Optometrical Association. He practised in Newcastle and Adelaide before joining his father in practice – and thus became one of the first “home grown” Tasmanian optometrists.

When John Palmer retired, Bruce merged his practice with Sims, Knipe, Maver & Pereira, as it was then called, later to become Total Eyecare. The Liverpool St premises where John & Bruce practised remains a Total Eyecare practice today.

Bruce has enjoyed the support base and broad clinical expertise that the Total Eyecare partnership offers. Regular clinical meetings, as well as ease of communication for second opinions are a strength of a larger practice. Total Eyecare provides these advantages, without the corporate agendas of some larger businesses. Bruce also takes comfort in the professionalism of his fellow partners, and the diagnostic equipment levels that are second to none.

Continuing education is mandatory for optometrical registration. As well as attending the regular seminars on offer, Bruce completed post-graduate certification in ocular therapeutics. This gives him up-to-date skills in ocular pathology, and allows him to prescribe antibiotics and other drugs for eye disease.

Practising mainly in the Liverpool St rooms, Bruce has a large number of contact lens patients, and this has become an area of special interest to him.

While Hobart (Liverpool St) is his base, Bruce has worked at all Total Eyecare practices from time to time – filling in when other optometrists are on leave.