Let's Get Started

 

I wanted to start writing about your eyesight and vision in general.  I believe that a lot of people out there are oblivious to the optical industry and simply do not have the basic knowledge of what to do and how to care for the only set of eyes they have.
I will endeavour to enlighten you based on my own personal experience in writing about this field. 

For starters, I wish to speak about the three O's of the optical world.

1. Opticians
2. Optometrists
3. Ophthalmologists

Generally, in our industry when speaking to a client or customer, they are not able to easily discern between the three.  I will explain what each are and what each mean.

Optician:  This is a person whom has taken a course at the college level and is comparable to a pharmacist in that an optician can 'dispense' a prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses.  Basically, an optician is a vision care specialist.  In order to legally dispense in the Province of Ontario, all opticians must be licensed if dispensing eyewear.  Seneca College offers the Ophthalmic Dispensing Program.

Optometrist:  This is a doctor of optometry (OD) and is generally the person you go see to get your vision tested.   An optometrist specializes in vision problems and can also treat various eye conditions and prescribe medications for eye diseases.

Ophthalmologist: This is a medical specialist or eye surgeon whom specializes in diagnosis and treatment of refractive, medical and surgical problems related to eye diseases and disorders.

There is a lot of buzz in today's world about laser eye surgery and about never having to wear your glasses again.  I will tackle this subject in an upcoming blog. 

What |I will leave you with is a dilemma that the eye care industry is facing.  Currently, we are facing an aging population and demographics suggest that there are a lot of people whom are all retiring in and around the same time.  They will all need health care and in particular, vision care.  The industry is currently not equipped to handle an onslaught of aging population. 

I will explore this topic on my next blog.

Noreen