Optician

Those eyeglasses and contact lenses you wear were created by an optician. In addition to dispensing eyeglasses and contact lenses, opticians also dispense low vision aids and ophthalmic prosthetics to those who are only partially sighted. Due to the increasing demand for glasses and contact lenses, the number of opticians is expected to grow nine percent by 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some may go to school for this, but many more learn on the job through apprenticeship.

Opticians will recommend what style of eyeglasses or shape of lenses might be best for a patient based on facial features and occupation of that patient. Opticians will measure your eyes to make sure your eyeglass frames fit and you are able to see through your lenses as clearly as possible Some opticians also go to a lab where the frames are shaped and the lenses ground. They bend, or reshape, the frames and they grind the lenses which are then inserted into the frames. An optician can also tint the lenses if need be.

Those who have worn glasses for years know that they sometimes get broken. By taking the broken glasses to an optician, they can be fixed or adjusted and the broken lens reset. Fitting contacts takes considerably more skill, and some opticians specialize in doing this. The eye must be measured for size and shape, the material to create the contacts chosen, and the lens size created. An optician can help those who are not used to wearing contacts and teach them how to insert, remove, and care for them with patience.

If you are in need of new or replacement eyeglasses or contact lenses, please contact an experienced optometrist or ophthalmologist in your area for an initial appointment.