- Receive customers’ prescriptions, which ophthalmologists and optometrists have written, for eyeglasses or contact lenses
- Take measurements of customers’ eyes, such as the width or thickness of their corneas
- Help customers choose eyeglass frames and lens treatments, such as tints or nonreflective coatings, based on their vision needs and style preferences
- Create work orders for ophthalmic laboratory technicians, providing information about the lenses needed
- Make adjustments to finished eyeglasses to ensure a good fit
- Repair or refit broken eyeglass frames
- Educate customers about eyewear—for example, showing them how to care for their contact lenses
- Do business tasks, such as maintaining sales records, keeping track of customers’ prescriptions, and ordering inventory
This topic continues below:
Opticians who work in small shops or prepare custom orders may grind lenses and insert them into frames themselves, tasks usually performed by ophthalmic laboratory technicians.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition
