Dispensing Optician
Dispensing opticians give advice on vision care, and supply glasses and contact lenses to suit their customers needs.
Day-to-day Tasks
- calculate vision distances and angles
- give advice on caring for eye equipment
- measure for glasses or contact lenses and help people choose lenses and frames
- fit, adjust and repair frames
- refer clients back to an optometrist for vision tests when needed
- work with suppliers, order products and check quality on delivery
Skills and Knowledge
- customer service skills
- excellent verbal communication skills
- the ability to work well with your hands
- maths knowledge
- the ability to sell products and services
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
Industry Qualifications
You can get into this job through a university course.
To qualify to become a dispensing optician, you'll need to do a course approved by the General Optical Council. There are 3 different types of courses you could choose to do.
You could do a:
- full time diploma which takes 2 years followed by working under supervision for a year
- day release training course combined with working which takes 3 years
- distance learning course which includes on the job training and takes 3 years
You'll also need to pass the professional qualifying examinations from the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO).