Opticians, Dispensing

Evaluate prescriptions in conjunction with clients' vocational and avocational visual requirements.

Recommend specific lenses, lens coatings, and frames to suit client needs.

Verify that finished lenses are ground to specifications.

Measure clients' bridge and eye size, temple length, vertex distance, pupillary distance, and optical centers of eyes, using measuring devices.

Sell goods such as contact lenses, spectacles, sunglasses, and other goods related to eyes in general.

Assist clients in selecting frames according to style and color, and ensure that frames are coordinated with facial and eye measurements and optical prescriptions.

Heat, shape, or bend plastic or metal frames to adjust eyeglasses to fit clients, using pliers and hands.

Show customers how to insert, remove, and care for their contact lenses.

Determine clients' current lens prescriptions, when necessary, using lensometers or lens analyzers and clients' eyeglasses.

Maintain records of customer prescriptions, work orders, and payments.

Fabricate lenses to meet prescription specifications.

Instruct clients in how to wear and care for eyeglasses.

Prepare work orders and instructions for grinding lenses and fabricating eyeglasses.

Assemble eyeglasses by cutting and edging lenses, and fitting the lenses into frames.

Order and purchase frames and lenses.

Obtain a customer's previous record, or verify a prescription with the examining optometrist or ophthalmologist.

Repair damaged frames.

Perform administrative duties such as tracking inventory and sales, submitting patient insurance information, and performing simple bookkeeping.

Grind lens edges, or apply coatings to lenses.

Supervise the training of student opticians.

Arrange and maintain displays of optical merchandise.