Dispensing Optician

Dispensing opticians are trained to grind, fit and dispense spectacles, contact lenses and other optical appliances, following prescriptions written by optometrists (ophthalmic opticians) and ophthalmologists (eye surgeons). Special additional training is needed to fit and supply contact lenses. Taking into account each customer's prescription, occupation, lifestyle and facial features, dispensing opticians offer advice on types of lens and on frames, including style, weight and colour. Once the glasses have been made, dispensing opticians check that they match the prescription and final order specifications. The frame may need reshaping, for example, so that the glasses fit the customer properly.

When an optometrist and a dispensing optician work in partnership, the dispensing optician usually looks after the management of the practice.

Entry level
You must hold the professional qualification of the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) and be registered with the General Optical Council (GOC), renewing your registration annually for as long as you practise in the UK. There are several routes to qualification, including:


· The three-year ABDO distance learning course, for which you would need to be employed by a qualified optometrist. The third year of the course is the pre-registration year;
· A two-year, full-time diploma course, followed by one year's pre-registration experience under the supervision of a qualified optometrist;
· A three-year, full-time degree course, leading to the ABDO Fellowship Diploma and a BSc in Optical Management;
· A three-year, day-release course, similar to the distance learning course mentioned above.


For entry to a degree course, you would need five GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3) with two or three A levels/H grades. Subjects must include maths, English and a science-based subject. Diploma courses are held at City and Islington College, London, Glasgow Caledonian University, Bradford College and Anglia Polytechnic University.

Making the grade
The General Optical Council intends to make Continuing Education and Training (CET) a condition for re-registration in 2007. All dispensing opticians and optometrists will have to gain 36 CET credits of any category and by any learning mode by December 2006, for continued registration. There will also be speciality lists, including a speciality contact lens list for dispensing opticians who are also contact lens opticians.

Personal qualities
As a dispensing optician, you would need to be patient, caring, approachable and able to deal with people confidently and sympathetically. It would help to have an understanding of sales techniques, together with some knowledge of style and fashion for selling spectacles and contact lenses. You should be able to deal with scientific and mathematical information and to handle ophthalmic instruments with accuracy and attention to detail.

The work also requires business skills and administrative duties, such as keeping records on customer prescriptions, working orders and payments, and tracking sales.

Looking ahead
Prospects for employment are generally good. There are around 4,000 registered dispensing opticians in the UK. Most start as assistants in private practice, or work in partnerships, companies or retail stores. Others work in hospitals and a few teach. Smaller numbers are employed as consultants to lens manufacturers or as sales representatives selling ophthalmologic instruments.

Promotion opportunities vary according to the employing organisation, but many dispensing opticians hold assistant manager posts by the time they qualify. There are opportunities to become self-employed or, as is often the case, to work in partnership with one or more optometrists.

Registration with the General Optical Council is recognised in many countries abroad.

Alternative suggestions
Other professions concerned with visual problems include optometrist and orthoptist. In the broader field of healthcare professions, you might consider dietitian, occupational therapist, physiotherapist or speech and language therapist.

Take-home pay
There are no nationally agreed rates of pay but full-time trainees usually start on £11-12,000 a year, rising on registration to around £16,000. An experienced dispensing optician can expect to earn around £29,000, while those working with contact lenses can increase their salary to around £35,000. Self-employed dispensing opticians may earn much more than this.

Effects
Dispensing opticians typically work five days a week, often including Saturdays. Sometimes evening work is also required. You should be prepared to spend a lot of time on your feet and, if you are involved in preparing the lenses, to take precautions against the hazards associated with glass-cutting, chemicals and machinery.

Sources of information
Association of British Dispensing Opticians: www.abdo.org.uk
College of Optometrists: www.college-optometrists.org
Federation of Ophthalmic and Dispensing Opticians: www.fodo.com
Generals Optical Council: www.optical.org
Institute of Optometry: www.ioo.org.uk

CRCI: JJ