UK Opticians (retailers)

UK Opticians (retailers)

An optician is a specialized practitioner who designs, fits and dispenses lenses for the correction of a person's vision. Opticians determine the specifications of various ophthalmic appliances that will give the necessary correction to a person's eyesight. Some registered or licensed Opticians also design and fit special appliances to correct cosmetic, traumatic or anatomical defects. These devices are called shells or artificial eyes. Other registered or licensed Opticians manufacture lenses to their own specifications and design and manufacture spectacle frames and other devices.

Corrective ophthalmic appliances may be contact lenses, spectacles lenses, low vision aids or ophthalmic prosthetics to those who are partially sighted. The appliances are mounted either on the eye as contact lenses or mounted in a frame or holder in front of the eye as spectacles or as a monocle.

Opticians may work in any variety of settings such as joint practice, hospitals, eye care centers or retail stores. However, registered opticians have to meet standards of practice and training, commit to ongoing education, hold professional liability insurance and are held to these standards by their respective regulating bodies.

Like many health care providers, opticians are regulated professionals in certain countries. The profession is often regulated by optician specific agencies, as in Canada and some states of the U.S., or jointly with optometry such as the New Zealand Optometrist and Dispensing Opticians Board or the United Kingdom General Optical Council. Opticians usually work independently from an optometrist or ophthalmologist although some opticians may work in a joint practice with other eye care professionals. Opticians convert a prescription for the correction of a refractive error into an ophthalmic lens or some other device, such as reading aids or telescopic lenses.

An Optician in the United States who has reached the highest levels of credentialing and education is known as an Ophthalmic Optician (O.O.)and is similarly trained and educated to the European Opthalmic Opticians. Currently, optician education and licensing varies throughout Europe. For example, in Germany, opticianry tasks are performed by ophthalmologists and professionally trained and certified opticians. In France, there is no regulatory framework and opticians are sometimes trained by completing an apprenticeship at an ophthalmologists' private office. An Ophthalmic Optician's education encludes a college education, and advanced certification by the American Board of Opticianry and National Contact Lens Examiners in the fitting of Eyewear and Contact lenses. Many "Ophthalmic Opticians" are certified in the bending of light with lenses (Vision Testing/Refraction).

An Ophthalmic Optician will verify a referring doctors written refraction before creating it and then consult with a client to design an ophthalmic lens or appliance to best meet their needs. Opticians gather information from the patient on the use of the appliance, their level of activity, the necessity for protection from radiant energy or projectiles, and eye and facial features. In providing services Opticians are required to use a variety of instrumentation; these range from simple measuring devices to complex examination equipment. The list of equipment is often specified in jurisdiction specific Professional Standards of Practice. The standards of the College of Opticians of British Columbia serve as an example.

There is an increasing demand for glasses and contact lenses, so job growth should be average to above average for dispensing opticians into the foreseeable future. The demographic of middle age and elderly people is expected to grow rapidly, creating more demand by new corrective lens users and those who require regular vision care.