Opto-Réseau Meets with Roseline Filion!

One thing’s for sure: former diver Roseline Filion’s crazy schedule keeps her on her feet. But despite her jam-packed agenda, she took the time to meet up with us and talk about her upcoming plans, visual health, and use of contact lenses.

At barely 30, Roseline is a young retiree indeed. But she’s hardly kicking back at Club Med! In fact she had been preparing for post-diving life her whole time in professional sports, which she ended on a high note in January 2017 with a medal at the Rio Olympic Games. “I went to university, I did my CEGEP, I really stuck with the normal student track. Of course, sports were a part of my studies, but I was encouraged to continue and to find a field that interested me. Once I had done my first interview, I was hooked—I knew I wanted to be in TV.” She’s now reaping the rewards. In addition to preparing for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and keeping up with her studies in communications, Roseline became an entrepreneur. She owns an escape game with her family in her hometown, Laval, where she will also be spokesperson for the 2020 Quebec Games taking place there. “I feel like I belong there. It’s where my roots are, it’s where my career as a diver began. The city supported me for so many years, so now I can give back to the community in a way other than through my athletic performance.” It made perfect sense for Roseline to visit the Fabreville clinic for her eye exam and to choose her glasses for our video with URBANIA.

Despite two Olympic medals and an outstanding athletic career, Roseline’s been garnering public attention with her striking performances on the show Les Dieux de la Danse. “It’s really strange because I get the impression that people see me more and recognize me more now that I’ve quit diving (laughs)! I was also lucky to have people around me who knew I wanted to work in media. Les Dieux de la danse was something that I was really excited to do.” Her work with ALT was an opportunity for Roseline to plunge into her first media job after her diving career. It gave her the freedom to be herself and allowed her sparkling personality to shine. “It’s so much fun for me to introduce youth to current events in a more accessible way!”

For someone who spent her life pursuing the Olympic dream, it’s easy to understand that finding a second dream to strive toward is no easy task. For the time being, she’s taking advantage of opportunities as they present themselves and taking time to learn and try out new things. “I don’t know what I’m capable of accomplishing in the media world, so it’s hard for me to set a specific goal. I want to harness the energy I put into my sport, invest it in this field, and see where it takes me."

For Roseline, eyes are something to be treasured. She considers herself lucky to be able to marvel at the world around her and to take in all the wonders that life has to offer. “I feel like everything in life starts with the eyes. They provide something money can’t buy. It’s so important and brings me joy every day.” For aquatics athletes, eye injuries are commonplace. When you jump from ten metres, it’s easy to fracture the zygomatic bone (the bone surrounding the eyes) or get an infection from the force of water on the eyes. Being ten metres up was also what made Roseline realize she had a visual impairment. She began wearing glasses in daily life, but quickly realized that contact lenses would be indispensable for diving. “I began wearing contact lenses in 2004 because I could no longer see the end of the platform. It was becoming dangerous. That’s of course the reason I decided to go with one-day lenses—I lost so many of them diving that the monthly lenses started getting a bit expensive (laughs)!"

Roseline has a special fondness for her glasses, which she rapidly incorporated into her personal style once she was in need of vision correction. On a day-to-day basis, she regularly alternates between her glasses and her contact lenses, depending on the activity. “I have a ton of non-prescription sunglasses, so I wear my contact lenses when it’s nice out. I wear my contact lenses more often than my glasses, but the two go hand and hand. I have both with me every day!”

We took the opportunity to ask her when she chooses to wear her contact lenses:

If, like Roseline, your lifestyle requires the use of single-use contact lenses, be sure to consult your Opto Réseau optometrist, who will be able to advise you on which product is best for you. Dailies one-day contact lenses are comfortable and provide fresh lenses for every new wear. They also offer the ideal solution for athletes who participate in certain activities like aquatic sports, which carry the risk of ocean water or pool water getting in the eyes. This splashing has no serious consequences for the eyes, but can contaminate your lenses, which then need to be disposed of. With daily lenses, this is no longer an issue.

Credits

Photos: Arianne Nantel Gagnon
Makeup and hair: Beauties & co.
Special thanks to Mandy’s Vieux-Port for the warm welcome