Diploma in Eyecare Specialist

Did you know that Eyecare Specialists provide 80% of all visual care in the United States? That means that they are vital members of the eye health field.

Eyecare Specialists help fit eyeglasses and contact lenses, following prescriptions from ophthalmologists and optometrists. They are also commonly responsible for maintaining patient charts, obtaining patients' histories, patient screening, selecting frames for prescription mounting, and prescription verification. Additional duties may include scheduling customer appointments, administrative activities, ordering supplies, and helping customers decide which eyeglass frames or contact lenses to buy.

The need for quality eye care services is growing as the older population increases and rates of certain chronic diseases that may cause vision problems. As a result, there are excellent opportunities in the optometric and ophthalmology fields and the fashionable eyewear industry for trained Eyecare Specialists.

The Eyecare Specialist program at North-West College is a professional health care training course designed to provide the fundamental knowledge and education needed to work as a technical assistant under a doctor's supervision.

Eyecare Specialists routinely perform a variety of important tasks, including:

Scheduling patient appointments.

Receiving customers' prescriptions for eyeglasses or contact lenses.

Measuring customers' eyes and faces, such as the distance between their pupils.

Helping customers choose eyeglass frames and lens treatments, such as eyewear for occupational use or sports, tints, or anti-reflective coatings, based on their vision needs and style preferences.

Creating work orders for ophthalmic laboratory technicians, providing information about the lenses needed.

Adjusting eyewear to ensure a good fit.

Repairing or replacing broken eyeglass frames.

Educating customers about eyewear—for example, showing them how to care for their contact lenses.

Performing business tasks, such as maintaining sales records, keeping track of customers' prescriptions, and ordering and maintaining inventory.

Successful graduates of the Eyecare Specialist program are qualified to take the American Association of Opticianry examination. They will be able to function as a technical assistant under a doctor's supervision, measuring the curvature (or power) of letters of a specific size at a specific distance, recording pressure or tension within the eye, assisting in detection, determining the power of lenses in old and new prescriptions, and frame measurements.