Opticians

Opticians typically perform the following tasks: • Measure clients' bridge and eye size, temple length, vertex distance, pupillary distance, and optical centers of eyes, using measuring devices. • Verify that finished lenses are ground to specifications. • Evaluate prescriptions in conjunction with clients' vocational and avocational visual requirements. • Recommend specific lenses, lens coatings, and frames to suit client needs. • Assist clients in selecting frames according to style and color, and ensure that frames are coordinated with facial and eye measurements and optical prescriptions. • Maintain records of customer prescriptions, work orders, and payments. • Heat, shape, or bend plastic or metal frames to adjust eyeglasses to fit clients, using pliers and hands. • Show customers how to insert, remove, and care for their contact lenses. • Determine clients' current lens prescriptions, when necessary, using lensometers or lens analyzers and clients' eyeglasses. • Prepare work orders and instructions for grinding lenses and fabricating eyeglasses. • Obtain a customer's previous record, or verify a prescription with the examining optometrist or ophthalmologist. • Sell goods such as contact lenses, spectacles, sunglasses, and goods related to eyes, in general. • Fabricate lenses to meet prescription specifications. • Perform administrative duties, such as tracking inventory and sales, submitting patient insurance information, and performing simple bookkeeping. • Assemble eyeglasses by cutting and edging lenses, and fitting the lenses into frames. • Instruct clients in how to wear and care for eyeglasses. • Supervise the training of student opticians. • Order and purchase frames and lenses. • Grind lens edges, or apply coatings to lenses. • Repair damaged frames.