Opticians
Eye Wear, Lenses, Glasses, Contact Lenses
Marin County, San Francisco North Bay, Ca. USA

An optician is an eye care professional who provides corrective lenses

 based on a refraction prescription supplied by a ophthalmologist or optometrist. The lenses may be contact lenses, spectacles or rarely as a monocle.

The term 'Optician' is also used to refer to retailers providing the above services.

An optician has many different tasks, some of which include: Learning about all different insurance companies to see what kind of coverage they carry and to submit claims for their patients, perform such pre-screenings as a pre-determination for a patient's prescription or pre-screening for glaucoma, and some labs will even cut and fit their own lenses. Opticians work directly under the optometrist or ophthalmologist. Once a doctor has given his recommendations, the optician will work with the patient to find the best frames, lenses, or contacts to meet the patient's needs. Opticians gather information from the patient such as what they will be using the glasses for, level of activity, and facial features. Additional duties include taking measurements of clients’ eyes, such as the distance from the lens to the eye surface, or how far it is from pupil to pupil.