What is an Optician?

The role of an optician is to design, verify and fit eyeglass lenses and frames. They also help to select contact lenses. The lenses are based on the prescription that is supplied an optometrist or ophthalmologist.
Opticians cannot perform an eye exam (reading the eye chart for example) nor can they write a prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses.

From wikipedia (link) Opticians determine the specifications of various ophthalmic appliances that will give the necessary correction to a person’s eyesight.

An ophthalmic appliance might be lenses for your eyeglasses, contact lenses or low vision aids.

You will find opticians in many places of business: a solo practitioner (usually with an optometrist), retail stores (“big box” stores), eye clinics and even hospitals.

An optician is a regulated and licensed profession, and have to maintain their level of education every year in order to remain qualified.

Optician’s Equipment

There is a variety of equipment used by opticians to perform their job:

Lensometer

A lensometer verifies the correct prescription of the lenses in a pair of eyeglasses, both fixed and progressive prescriptions as well as the lens center.  It’s important that the lens center aligns with the pupil of the wearer.

Pupilometer

This measures the distance between the pupils of the person wearing the glasses so that the lenses are centered on the visual axis.  Even small discrepancies in the lens centers can cause headaches and eye strain.

Board certification

In the US, opticians are certified by the American Board of Optometry (ABO) to fill eyeglasses and contact lenses prescriptions that are provided by optometrists and ophthalmologists.

Note

Opticians cannot diagnose or treat problems with your eyes, but instead refer you to a qualified doctor.