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Eye & Contact Lens Factsheets

An Optical Who's Who -

Optometrist, Ophthalmic/Dispensing Optician,Ophthalmologist.
What do they all mean? How to choose a new Practitioner?

As a profession we have proved ourselves ineffectual in educating patients not just in the value of proper eye care, but the merits and responsibilities of those claiming to practice as "Opticians" .A large amount of blame for Opticians not having gained the same respect as Dentists, Doctors etc is the fact we have allowed shop and even "supermarket" style of practice. Not unnaturally this tends to focus public attention on prices rather than the value of eye care.

FIRST THINGS FIRST
You can legally call yourself an Optician so long as you do not claim you are QUALIFIED!! Also, anyone can use the term Contact Lens Centre or Clinic to suggest they specialise. It is illegal to fit Contact Lenses if not a registered Optician, although even today not all Opticians have passed an examination in contact Lens fitting, so who do you consult and what qualifications should you seek?

QUALIFIED PRACTITIONERS WHO CAN LEGALLY FIT CONTACT LENSES

THE OPTOMETRIST (or OPHTHALMIC OPTICIAN) has "A" level entrance and University degree training and is qualified to examine the eye for normality and carry out Sight Testing and the fitting of Contact Lenses. If he or she wishes to fit Contact Lenses as a specialisation he should, although often does not take, a further specialist Diploma examination in Contact Lens fitting. The Optometrist's qualification to look for are B.Sc., FCOptom. or MCOptom. as well as D.C.L.P. (Some Optometrists of the older school are self taught). Geoff Wilson actually qualified to D.C.L.P. standards in his finals with an Honours degree when the D.C.L.P. course was in it's infancy.

THE DISPENSING OPTICIAN after taking GCSE's qualifies either by postal, or college course and when qualified can advise on spectacle lens, low vision aids and frames - BUT not Contact Lenses. If he wishes to fit Contact Lenses he has to under take a further course to gain the qualification, CL (Tech), and after this can fit Contact Lenses in association with an OPTOMETRIST. Some older dispensers have not had to pass an exam.

THE OPHTHALMOLOGIST is a medical Doctor to whom the G.P. or Optometrist refers to in the event of there being any ocular abnormality, disease etc. They do not usually fit Contact Lenses.

YOUR CONTACT LENS PRESCRIPTION - Measuring lenses in the practice.
If your lenses cannot be measured by an Optician on their premises they cannot be
properly equipped to fit Contact Lenses.