Saška in frames Ross & Brown and Kaleos
“At ZITA, it was love at first sight. I found a frame I could wear all the time.”
19. may 2026, Author: Barbara Garaj, Photo: Jakub Čaprnka
Saška has known ZITA since the very beginning. She visited our optical store as one of our very first customers, shortly after the opening of our Živnostenská location.
During university, she realized she simply could not see properly during lectures anymore. It became clear that she needed not only an eye examination, but new glasses as well.
Out of all the frames she tried on, only one truly suited her narrow face and nose bridge. She fell in love with it instantly, and it stayed with her for a beautiful six years.
“I loved my first glasses from ZITA and couldn’t let them go. They became part of my identity. I loved that I could wear them at work, to important events, and even while hiking through the Poloniny mountains.”
For a long time, Saška hesitated to return to ZITA. However, she needed another eye examination and wanted prescription sunglasses so she could see better during the summer as well.
She visited Pradiareň for an eye exam, where a pair of white sunglasses by the Spanish brand Kaleos immediately caught her eye.
After the examination, she discovered that her prescription had changed. Her old frames could no longer support new lenses, but she still was not ready to let them go. It took some time before she returned to try on frames again and found one that met all her expectations.
“Even though I couldn’t let go of my old frame, I’m happy I got the chance to try something new at ZITA.”
Saška works as an activities coordinator and social work assistant at St. Louise Shelter in Bratislava, part of the Depaul organization.
Her clients are people experiencing homelessness and serious health issues — people recovering from amputations or strokes, or living with terminal cancer.
Some arrive from hospitals, others from emergency shelters, but at St. Louise they find a safe place where they can recover or spend the final chapter of their lives with dignity.
Saška studied special education, but while still at university she also worked at an emergency shelter, where she grew to love the rawness and intensity of that environment. Later, she moved to St. Louise Shelter, where life is calmer, though the human connection remains just as powerful.
Her role at the shelter is to get to know people, spend time with them, and help make their days meaningful. Together with clients, she visits Lumière cinema, bakes cakes, plays movement games, attends theatre performances, and does cognitive exercises.
Saška looks for potential in every person and tries to turn it into activities, experiences, and small moments of joy.
“What I love about working at the shelter is the diversity, the humanity, and the stories. I love being part of their lives, even if only for a little while. I can be someone who reminds them that they matter, that they are seen, and that their lives have value too.”
She does not see people experiencing homelessness as lost. Behind every story is a past filled with wounds, rejection, and addiction.
According to Saška, many people arrive carrying the feeling that they do not deserve love. That is why she believes solutions must be holistic and built through collaboration with an entire team of professionals.
Her work at St. Louise taught her that even death can be beautiful. Being beside someone until their final breath and holding their hand is a great privilege to her. Experiences like these have taught her to face death with far less fear.
Outside of work, swimming brings her peace. She loves the feeling of putting her head underwater and disappearing into another world for a moment.
She enjoys spending time with her family and regularly attends therapy, which she sees as a form of mental rest and self-care.
When the time came for new glasses, she never considered going anywhere else. At ZITA, she was looking for a frame that would stay with her for at least another six years and once again become part of her identity.
This time, the choice happened surprisingly quickly. An acetate frame by the Italian atelier Ross and Brown found her and marked the beginning of a new chapter.
