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Today's
Course
Success
always follows good service. Brick-and-mortar
store eyewear
purchases are down. If
you do not touch the consumer at the time Patients
deserve a pleasant experience. It's
time to end lecture-only training for education hours. Opticianry
is ultimately defined by how well the eyewear
makes Just
as a Dentist cannot practice dentistry without direct Patient contact,
the Opticians
Serve Service
PREFACE
The opinions and conclusions that follow regarding the practice of dispensing prescription eyewear in America are based first, on our (Opticians For Change) direct observations and experience, and second, on the first hand testimonials of Patients with whom we have had the opportunity of serving. And they are presented optimistically with the belief that owners and managers, whether they are private practitioners or retailers, will resonate and be inspired and motivated to make appropriate changes to their business model in order to advance the status of Opticianry as a profession while enhancing their other objectives. "Opticians
are vision experts who serve Patients with This
Serving vs Selling course, in addition to offering an educational
experience to Ophthalmic Dispensers, is intended to be a consumer
advisory and industry critique, as well as a primer and a
plea to Optical
Retailers who have failed to recognize or who have chosen
to ignore the need for a) the resurgence of Hands-on Assessment
in the design and dispensing of prescription eyewear; b) the
resurgence of the Lifestyle
Interview in the training of Opticians,
these elements being increasingly absent in today's Ophthalmic
Health and Wellness delivery system; c) the resolution
of the conflicted relationship, which has subsequently developed
between Professional Opticians
and many Retail Managers;
d) the elimination of the retail practices, including online
prescription eyeglass marketing, that have led to a steep
and steady decline in the eyewear design process, and the
delivery of custom-fitted
eyewear; and e) practical remedies, including Frame-Fitting
Workshops. See OpticianryReview.com.
See also OpticiansForThePeople.com.
Many
of the Retail Optical Execs and Managers
have no In
addition, Serving vs Selling is presented with the hope of
stimulating meaningful dialogue among ophthalmic industry
leaders, private practitioners, and retailers especially,
with the idea of providing more comprehensive and ongoing
practical
training, especially for
Managers and Opticians; training that goes beyond the
usual on-the-job, learn-as-you-go training, reviewing testimonials
and episodes of prowess in selling, or answering an array
of test questions that have more to do with sales goals and
policy issues than they do with everyday Practical Dispensing;
quality-over-quantity training that focuses on one-on-one,
Dispenser-Patient Interview exercises,
and especially the practical
application of hands-on,
in-place, on-the-face
prescription eyewear assessment, bias-free design and delivery
skills. Note: For a free consultation on ways to improve the
delivery of prescription eyewear and increase profitability
contact Opticians
For Change, or
This discourse is also meant to encourage Consumers to become more vocal in demanding higher standards of practice, and more personalized care in the delivery of prescription eyewear and services. See Guide to Optical Terms.
A) The Serving vs Selling Course is an in-depth look at what many see as the decline of the ophthalmic dispensing industry over the past few decades and the remedies. Those who are interested in examining the conflicted relationship between Service and Sales, begin here. B) The Hands-on Frame Fitting Course and 50 question Knowledge Test is more challenging. Those who wish to move on to this back-to-basics and more technical course, begin here. Welcome
to Whatever
happened to Craftsmanship and
America's Generation Gap
In an article appearing in the Orlando Sentinel, Harry Wessel reported that there's a generation gap in America's workplace that's serious enough to cause a big brain drain in coming years. According to Randstad USA, an Atlanta-based employment-services company: "U.S. businesses risk a shortage of skilled labor -- not because of the lack of manpower in the wake of retiring baby boomers, but because of the limited transfer of knowledge. According to a Harris Interactive survey, there is little interaction among the four Generations of U.S. employees. It defined the four Generations as the Mature Generation (those born before 1945), the Baby Boomer Generation (born 1945-1964), Generation X (born 1965-1980) and Generation Y (born 1981-2000). The different Generations rarely interact with one another and often do not recognize each other's skills or work ethic. Employers should help close the knowledge gap by instituting ways for each Generation to recognize the strengths and value of all colleagues."
The four Generations share the same objectives but not the same experience. Their respective perceptions have to do with diversities in background and life experience. Thus each of the Generations must simultaneously appreciate the skills, and tolerate the shortcomings of all colleagues in order to move forward successfully.
Opticianry's Generation Gap "If
you do not touch the consumer at the time "Opticianry
is ultimately defined by how well the eyewear makes It is apparent to many of today's Seniors and other industry observers that there's a big gap between the applied dispensing skills, i.e., hands-on assessment, design, frame adjustment (see example) and delivery techniques of "Mature Generation" Opticians and the practices of many of today's Retail Dispensers and Managers. See Opticians: Merchants or Health Care Professionals. Through no fault of their own and due to the absence of multi-generational connections, many of today's Dispensers, especially Retail Managers, are seen to provide and-or oversee only the most casual delivery of prescription eyewear as if it were ready-to-wear clothing or over-the-counter general merchandise, with little or no attention being given to the all-important Full Discovery Lifestyle Interview, or to the subtler frame-fitting details as practiced by their hands-on skilled predecessors. Unfortunately, their attention is now preoccupied almost entirely with quantity-over-quality issues, such as daily sales goals, sales reports and other marketing efforts to the detriment of Patient satisfaction, which of course, adversely impacts sales as well as referrals. Consequently, many Ophthalmic Retailers are chronically struggling with high rates of returns and refunds, and the loss of market share to the Internet.
"The
most perfect prescription can be compromised if the And if any frame adjustment is applied, it may amount to no more than a slight adjustment of the nosepiece and-or a sharp and short ninety-degree bend of the frame's temples at the junction of the ears. In other words, no reshaping of the temples to follow the lines of the skull occurs, in the belief that it is the temples-to-ears contact that holds the eyewear in place. Of course, it's the temples-to-skull contact, NOT THE EARS, that primarily holds the eyewear in place. See example here. In fact, eyewear merchants only require the delivered eyewear to look straight or "cool" on a flat surface, never minding that it does not fit the asymmetric facial or cranial contours of the Patient. It's as if they are fitting a one-dimensional, flat-surfaced counter top instead of a multi-dimensional, contoured human face and skull. Some unskilled Dispensers have been known to go so far as to 'fix', i.e., remove, any previously applied skull-conforming configuration, albeit much more comfortable for the Patient. "In
order to excel as a Dispensing Optician, one must first have Today's Dispensers are unaware of the decades-old decline of applied Hands-on-the-Patient fitting skills. This situation has produced at least two generations of Opticians, "Generation X" and "Generation Y," including many latter generation Board Certified Opticians, who have never witnessed a demonstration of these skills. (See example.) Furthermore, it's uncertain how many of today's Schools of Opticianry are teaching dispensing skills to this same degree. As a result, many latter day Dispensers have come to believe, after practicing a couple of years with their method of 'dispensing' eyewear, that they are sufficiently skilled and are in need of no additional training in the art and craft of Opticianry, and worse, that they have little to learn from more skilled, Mature Generation colleagues. Points To Ponder "Of
course, merchandising is an important and necessary service,
but all too often the "Many
optical outlets are 'ready-to-wear' stores where "There
is nothing wrong with people making money and More
and more eyewear is being purchased from eyewear
The
number one complaint of brick-and-mortar store patrons ... When
Opticians relate to consumers as customers, A Too Common Testimonial As an example, a consumer recently reported their experience whereby they were handed their new eyeglasses at a large retail optical store by a Dispenser (not an Optician) with some 20 years of experience, whereupon no adjustments to the frame were made and the Patient was forced to seek the appropriate service elsewhere. The Patient subsequently reported that she felt fortunate to find an Independent Optician having the skills to relieve her discomfort after spending a considerable amount of time searching. (Question: Is there a real difference anymore between buying eyewear in a brick-and-mortar store and buying eyewear online?) Another example is a recent e-mail from a long-time Patient now living in New York.
Another example is a recent e-mail from a Massachusetts friend upon visiting this Web site.
Another example is a recent e-mail from a Patient who found this Web site.
Another
example: Our reply:
Unfortunately, similar episodes have become too common throughout the retail optical industry. This leads one to wonder if board certification and-or licensing is really effective, since just about anybody can hand over a pair of eyeglasses or contact lenses and operate a cash register, as we see demonstrated in some of today's true-to-life TV ads, whereby the Patient and Dispenser never make direct contact. The Dispenser just hands the Patient their eyewear. The Patient puts the eyeglasses on, looks in the mirror, and leaves. This scenario is so commonplace today that many Patients have come to never expect to have any form-fitting adjustments applied to a frame to the point where some are shocked when it occurs. And many get their eyewear from online merchants since brick-and-mortar retailers also fail to fit their eyewear. Questions: Is it any wonder that consumers today are buying their eyewear online in droves? And when's the last time you saw or heard a retail optical store promote the custom fitting of eyewear? Can this be because they don't know how to fit eyewear? Could it be that the staff only knows how to sell glasses? See The Coming Humanization of The American Economy. Feedback From An Ohio Optician After viewing our narrative at OpticianryToday.com, an Ohio Optician wrote of her experience:
Feedback From Washington DC Opticianry Student
Independent Opticians Tend To Provide Real Health Care Service An Optical Dispensary is like a Pharmacy or Health Clinic. It is a Health Care Facility where prescription eyewear is designed, custom fitted and serviced with skill and excellence. Today's retail optical model works very well for reaching sales goals and marketing one-size-fits-all merchandise. But Opticianry is ultimately defined by how well the eyewear makes contact with the Patient, not by the number of customers served. Skilled professionals use dispensing procedures whereby they can anticipate adverse visual and frame-fitting issues with direct hands-on-the-patient eyewear design and frame fitting skills before the Patient has to endure them, thereby avoiding the necessity and inconvenience of return visits and-or possible re-do's, or worse, refunds, and the adverse notoriety that comes thereafter. When the eye care industry as a whole returns to this yesteryears practice as their dominant paradigm, consumers will return to their brick-and-mortar dispensaries for their eyewear purchases. Unfortunately, as things stand, consumers have very little reason NOT to make their eyewear purchases online, and the eye care industry as a whole has nobody to blame but themselves. Most Independent Eye Care Professionals tend to be more caring and experienced, are more flexible with their policies, and are inclined to put service ahead of sales. See Common Complaints and Causes. I Find a skilled Optician in your area. Consumers
expect Opticians to be more Health Care Professionals than Merchants.
When's
the last time you saw or heard a retail optical "Hands-on-the-patient
dispensing is a soon-to-be lost art. If the trend to Placing The Frame Directly On The Patient Is A Crucial Step
"By
placing the eyewear directly on the Patient, the Optician "Our
mission is to re-humanize the delivery of Some portion of the Opticians' Generation Gap is explicable due to the current focus on Dispenser training by way of on-the-job apprenticeship programs, some of which are devoid of adequate Full Discovery Lifestyle Interview training, and absent any Hands-on-the-Patient assessment, design and adjustment of prescription eyewear as practiced by skilled Opticians. But this gap is equally a result of today's over-zealous emphasis on the retail paradigm whereby latter generation Dispensers especially tend to become more skilled at parroting slogans, giving testimonials about sales prowess, and answering questions about company policy, sales goals and promotions from company executives, all of which afford them no experience in conducting a lifestyle interview or effectively assessing, designing, and then fitting prescription eyewear directly on the Patient. Unfortunately some aspiring Dispensers tend to become merchants, peddling ready-made, over-the-counter merchandise, not skilled Opticians, dispensing customized prescription eyewear.
"A
Surgeon must train for years in actual hands-on practice,
In the eyes of some Consumers the up close and personal aspect of dispensing eyewear has become an exotic and unfamiliar craft, and the art has devolved to such an extent that many Consumers (even many Dispensers) now actually think that a hand-fitted frame is inferior to an off-the-board frame. For example, some Patients, having never seen or experienced a hands-on-the-Patient customized frame fitting, have been known to request that the skull conforming adjustments, having been applied by a skilled Optician of the hands-on-school, be removed from temple ends because "they don't look straight, flat and normal like other people's glasses." Unfortunately, the "other people's glasses" were more than likely never customized.
American
Board of Opticianry approved and Florida
State Board accredited hours Ophthalmic Dispensing and Hands-on-the-Patient Delivery Defined "When's
the last time you saw or heard a retail optical
"Just
as a Dentist cannot practice dentistry without direct Patient
contact, the OPHTHALMIC DISPENSING is herein defined as those activities performed by a skilled Dispensing Optician, which include a) the fullest discovery and maximum consideration of the Patient's visual needs, b) the assistance and advice to the Patient regarding the appropriate choice of lens design and frame selection, c) the duplicating, measuring, inspecting, and verifying of prescription lenses, and d) any subsequent x-y-z plane alignment followed by the more personalized adjustments of the frame, including the Final Fitting. See Optical Training Resources.
HANDS-ON-THE-PATIENT DELIVERY is herein defined as those procedures, which involve eyewear adjustments performed by a skilled Dispensing Optician, which specifically include a) the visual and 'touch and feel,' Hands-on-the-Patient, tactile assessment of the frame, while it is in-place, on-the-face of the Patient, in order to determine any misalignment, and b) any subsequent multi-dimensional Hands-on-the-Patient, tactile, 'touch and feel' handcrafting that is required to refit, align, adjust, reshape, bend, stretch, twist and sculpt the components of the frame in order to personalize the eyewear for maximum visual comfort and wear-ability. See example. More Points To Ponder There
is no right or wrong way to dispense What
are the chances of today's eyewear consumers getting a Hand
crafted multi-dimensional adjustments, including tactile,
hands-on, Opticianry is an art and craft. The highest level of customized frame fitting, aligning, and sculpting, is achieved mostly with handcrafting skill and the trained eye, along with the aid of hand tools. Hand crafted multi-dimensional adjustments, including tactile, hands-on, 'touch and feel' procedures such as reshaping the temple ends to make direct and full, caressing-without-pressing contact with the mastoid area behind the ears, while simultaneously avoiding direct contact with the pressure-sensitive ears, is one of the single most important considerations for long-term comfort and wear-ability. Full contact, without pressure, on the bridge of the nose and on the skull BEHIND the ears, NOT ON THE EARS, are the two primary means of frame support and restraint. The ears act as only a 'stop' or 'last resort' means of restraint and stability. See more 'Hands-on' details here.
Common Complaints and Causes
"These are just some of the challenges that face dispensers every day on the front lines of ophthalmic dispensing. Ask yourself if you and all your dispensing staff members possess the ability to professionally and effectively “diagnose” the cause of these problems and effectively and efficiently correct them.
Furthermore, a successful multi-dimensional frame alignment and fitting can be achieved only when the Dispenser 1) visually assesses the eyewear in-place, on the face of the Patient, and 2) simultaneously uses the sense of touch to determine any anomalies between the frame's temples and the Patient's skull. In most cases, the Dispenser cannot remain seated to accomplish this. The Dispenser must get up, and get close to the face of the Patient, otherwise neither a proper evaluation or fitting can occur. In other words, the Dispenser must stand and lean over the seated Patient in order to make the required observations at different angles to the front and rear of the Patient's head. The fitting-adjustment procedure itself also requires the removal and re-placement of the eyewear directly on the Patient as many times as necessary, and the entire evaluation and fitting process requires sufficient time to execute properly. It should not be rushed. Old-Fashioned
Multi-dimensional
"Where
there's no touch, there's no hold. Every
Patient deserves a sufficiently handcrafted,
"Today's
Ophthalmic Dispensing practices are There are some industry observers who see the devolution of Ophthalmic Dispensing as the result of an over zealous retail strategy perpetrated by some industry members to eliminate any reliance on competent Opticians in order to better manage their labor costs and enhance their profits. But the Profession is mostly the victim of the perpetual tension and struggle between opposing market forces; the Company's need for control of inventory and labor costs, and the Patient's desire for choice and comfort. What many retailers don't understand is that giving the Consumer more of what they want is best for everybody. The last century's most successful entrepreneur, Sam Walton, taught that the Company must always favor the Consumer, first. Ophthalmic Dispensing, within recent decades, has become so 'retail oriented' and subsequently dehumanized to the point that some Patients have been known to express a sense of surprise, even concern, at a skilled Optician's use of 'touch' while fitting their eyewear. This has occurred to the extent that some 'old school' Opticians now feel the necessity to request a Patient's permission before proceeding with any critical and necessary Hands-on-the-Patient adjustments. See The Humanization of The American Economy and Business. Nobody
can order dentures from a mail-order source because the Physicians and Dentists do not request permission to touch a Patient since it is an obvious necessity, and a long accepted practice to use their Hands-on Skills. Sadly, Ophthalmic Dispensing has devolved for such a period of time that the Dispenser's use of touch is now no longer acceptable or even associated with the dispensing of eyewear by some Patients. Unfortunately this has subsequently led some Patients to turn to online mail-order eyewear, their experience and-or logic being that customized fitting of their prescription eyeglasses has either been insufficient or it's unavailable.
It
is how well the eyewear makes contact with the Ready-Made, Ready-To-Wear Gap
Whereas corrective eyeglasses that are assembled in an optical laboratory are, as a final step in their inspection process, inverted on a flat surface and made to fit squarely at the four points of contact, ready-to-dispense, they are NOT ready-to-wear. Instead of assuming that newly made eyeglasses all require at least some minimal adjustment and realignment, today's unskilled eyewear merchants assume and-or hope, due to lack of adequate training and tools, that they need no additional alignment. They seem to apply the logic, "Well, the Patient has chosen this frame, so it must fit them comfortably, and the lab has already made their 'four point' adjustments, so the glasses are good to go." This hands-off approach is out-of-touch with the comfort needs of almost every Patient. "The
customized fitting of eyewear involves more than just adjusting
a nose Quantum Opticianry "Opticians
must exercise multi-dimensional opticianry,
"Successful
dispensing requires the careful and thoughtful
Full Discovery and Disclosure Interview Some Refractionists, that is Optometrists and Ophthalmologists, make entries on their prescriptions such as "No-line Bifocals" or "Progressive Lenses," both of which refer to a Progressive Addition Lens or PAL. See below. Too many times this is a subjective entry on their part, which is made in the absence of any discussion with the Patient, and minus any explanation to the Patient as to why a Progressive Lens is better, or how the lens works, or what other options are available. Of course, these points are all better left to the Optician to give more complete coverage during a Lifestyle Interview, but which too often never occurs. See video.
But any suggestions on the Doctor's prescription notwithstanding, today's eyewear merchants promote No-line Bifocals without any notion of whether the Patient's visual circumstances require more practical alternatives. And many Dispensers assume that a PAL is the Patient's informed choice since the reference appears on the Doctor's Rx. This scenario all too often results in an unsatisfactory outcome for all parties, and it manifests by way of many unhappy Patients as well as high rates of unnecessary redos and-or refunds. A
Case In Point Opticians
must take their time.
In
order to adequately fulfill the needs of the Patient, Each Patient is unique, and presents different visual needs. In order for the Dispenser to recognize and fulfill these needs an adequate lifestyle interview must occur whereby the Patient discloses any pertinent details. In other words, the successful design of eyewear requires that the Dispenser fully engage the Patient in a full discovery and disclosure interview, so that all aspects of the Patient's visual habits, vocational and avocational, are disclosed. For example, a presbyopic aircraft mechanic working under an aircraft engine or a presbyopic painter working on walls and ceilings, both of which require a fixed upward view for extended durations, will appreciate a Double D Multifocal (Double Bifocal) or even a Quadrafocal lens design. On the other hand, a Progressive Addition Lens, though preferred by a majority of Patients, or a regular bifocal, is most likely to be an inadequate lens design under such working conditions. Note: A picture is worth a thousand words. Using the Patient's Rx in a Trial Frame to demonstrate their visual experience at variable working distances is extremely helpful to the Patient in determining whether to acquire any of several multifocal lens designs and extra pairs.
Only at the conclusion of a Comprehensive Lifestyle Interview, can the Optician advise the Patient of the widest range of lens designs, frame styles, and prices that most appropriately fit the Patient's needs. And this should be done without bias concerning sales quotas, profit margin or other subjective considerations. This advice should also include the consideration of multiple pairs and may include special lens types such as extra-wide streetwear or occupational bifocals, trifocals, PALs, sunwear, safety eyewear, or golfing and other athletic designs.
When a Patient goes to a Physician for medical treatment the Physician first interviews the Patient to discover all relevant issues before designing a treatment. Likewise, a Patient in need of prescription eyewear requires a 'discovery interview' to determine the design of their eyewear, especially the lenses. "The
proper and successful practice of the art and Masterful
Design and
Patients
deserve a pleasant experience. Patients deserve a fully personalized design and fitting of their eyewear. The fact that the frame lies on a flat surface squarely should never preclude fitting the frame directly on the Patient. This becomes obvious when after fitting a Patient with facial anomalies, the frame no longer fits squarely on a flat surface. Facial structure, the positioning of each eye and ear, the mastoid-contour (see photo) behind each ear, all of these differ with each person. The proper and successful practice of the art and craft of Ophthalmic Dispensing "lies in the details." For example, some Patients have one EYE positioned higher than the other. Most of these Patients are unaware of this condition. How many Dispensers are aware of this somewhat common disparity? How many Dispensers compensate for this anomaly in their multi-focal lens design by vertically offsetting the respective reading segment along with an appropriate advisory to the Patient? Multi-focal lenses are ordered today with the reading portion placed at matching heights because vertically-equal eye symmetry is assumed to be the norm and-or "it looks better" when the segments can be observed as vertically and horizontally equidistant, and because vertical eye asymmetry is not considered as a design factor, even though its consideration is important for the Patient's visual balance and comfort at the near and intermediate points. In fact, eyewear merchants don't allow for any disparate bifocal segment height or seg inset in their lens design software. "The
eyecare industry needs to strike a better A
Patient's eyewear can be considered to be successfully designed
and dispensed only after, 1) an in-depth, Full Discovery Lifestyle
Interview by the Optician occurs, 2) an in-place, on-the-face
eyewear assessment is made, i.e., a comprehensive frame and
lens design occurs without bias as to style and-or profit
margin (honesty is always the best policy) by the Optician,
3) the optical laboratory processing of the eyewear is accurately
completed, 4) all elements of the eyewear are inspected for
accuracy and validated by the Optician, and 5) all relevant
Gross
Frame Alignment and any Subtle
Frame Adjustments are applied by the Optician upon delivery
of the eyewear to the Patient using the sense
of touch. See the Final
Fitting.
A
Patient's face and head are not uniformly PERSPECTIVE
"It's
necessary to recall the past Together with the decades-long corporate expansion of retail outlets, the marriage of eyewear to fashion, the expanded marketing of multiple pairs, the proliferation of lens types, add-ons, and frame materials, the dawn of the computer age and the resultant visual issues, the unfortunate advent of mail order contact lenses and eyeglasses, the scarcity of experienced practitioner-teacher Professionals with hands-on, in-place, on-the-face skills, together with more and more Dispenser training occurring online, and state licensing boards, some of which are absent adequately trained members, a steady decline in the art of fitting eyewear with applied Hands-on-the-Patient assessment and fitting skills has occurred almost to the point of its disappearance. These skills now reside mostly in the hands of a dwindling number of skilled Opticians.
During the first half of the 20th century the American Optical Company and Bausch and Lomb, dominated and actually monopolized almost all of the Ophthalmic Manufacturing, Wholesale Laboratory, and Retail Dispensing Industry. Most dispensing skills were literally and figuratively in the hands of AO and B&L Laboratory-Dispensing Opticians. After the government anti-trust break-up of AO and B&L in the early 1960's, which separated their manufacturing and laboratory operations from any dispensing activities, the Ophthalmic Industry began to take the form we see today. Prior to their break-up, AO and B&L dispensed eyewear directly to the public in what the government ruled was a monopolistic business, which exclusively served their wholesale laboratory clients, i.e., Opticians, Optometrists, Ophthalmologists and other Dispensers. After the break-up, the retail dispensary paradigm began to shift from one of Patient care, with the focus on Health and Wellness to that of merchandising. Thus, began the devolution from Hands-on-the-Patient, 'healing' related, ophthalmic dispensing to today's highly discounted, dehumanized, over-the-counter, ready-made, hands-off merchandising. As a result, latter day Dispensers do not easily relate to the practice of hands-on dispensing nor does the retail optical industry as a whole. More Points To Ponder There's much disparity today in the quality of prescription eyewear services.
An
optical dispensary is a health and wellness facility where
Opticians
Many
optical outlets are 'ready-to-wear' stores where
"Of
the over 67,000 Opticians designing, manufacturing Ophthalmic industry's Role The ophthalmic industry itself however, accelerated the decline in quality of services. For example, in the years preceding the 1970's, frames were made in a multitude of sizes, i.e., eye sizes, bridge sizes and numerous temple length combinations, in order to satisfy the diverse anatomical needs of Patients. (Some Patients require disparate temple lengths, for instance.) Since then, Ophthalmic Manufacturers have gradually eliminated multiple sizes. This has resulted in the decline of the quality of ophthalmic services. Now, most frame styles come in one or two sizes at most. As a consequence we see many Patients with ill-fitting prescription eyewear to wit it is now even more important for Opticians to be skilled in the art of hand craftsmanship, i.e., the customized fitting of frames in order to accommodate the absence of variable sizes. Instead, each succeeding generation of Opticians is less skilled, and the downward spiral of decline appears to continue unabated. Furthermore, today's frame manufacturers, which are now based mostly overseas, produce frame materials that are inferior to the products of yesteryears when gold filled metal, for instance, was the dominant material. Many of the plastics and metals used today are too brittle and do not respond well to heat or bending. Many of today's frames are not capable of being reshaped or adjusted quickly and easily, such as changing the length of temples or applying mastoid-fitting bends. And ophthalmic lens manufacturers no longer provide experiential visual aids to Opticians such as Progressive Addition Lens Demonstrator Kits whereby a Patient can actually experience the advantages and disadvantages of advanced design PAL's as they apply to their specific needs before finalizing their choice of lenses. Another indicator of the devolution of Dispensing Opticianry due mostly to the decline in hands-on dispensing skills, is the long-term trend in the design of dispensing tables to wit Opticians can just barely reach a Patient. The design seen in most dispensaries today actually discourages Optician-Patient contact since the proximity of the Patient to the Optician is well beyond arms length. Today's Opticians are unfamiliar with the Optician-friendly tables of yesteryears, which positioned the Optician and Patient within easy reach and which affords the easier performance of custom, hands-on fitting. Today, as a result, hands-on Opticians must stretch and strain or circumvent the use of the offending table altogether in order to do their thing. Note: Optical industry sources claim today that there are approximately 148 million eyeglass wearers and 196 million sunglass wearers in the United States. Some are part-time wearers but many are all-day prescription wearers who are unable to acquire adequate sizing of frames and-or proper adjustments. And all of them deserve properly designed lenses and the customized fitting of their frames. "An
overly zealous emphasis on sales goals has Many important tools of the trade along with the knowledge of their use have disappeared due to the industry's shift away from sufficient emphasis on a lifestyle interview, relevant eyewear design, and hands-on, in-place, on-the-face dispensing-delivery skills. For instance, how many latter day Dispensers know how to lengthen or shorten and refit a plastic covered, metal temple end piece? How many have seen or even heard of numerous dispensing aids such as the distometer, hot salt or bead pots, zyl-bridge stretching or shrinking pliers, specially designed self-closing tweezers, nose pad removal pliers and Progressive Addition Lens demo kits? How many present-day Dispensing Opticians have any knowledge of, or experience with the custom designing of presbyopic golfers' glasses, which feature bifocal segments designed to the golfer's specifications, in either one or both lenses, which are placed anywhere the Patient prefers, for the purpose of avoiding interference while aiming their golf shots? How many current Dispensers are aware of the round segment bifocal, which is scarcely used anymore, but remains a first choice transitional lens design for some first-time, hard-to-fit, prospective Progressive Addition Lens wearers due to its ease of adaptation along with its cosmetic advantage of having a nearly invisible segment? (Albeit the sales leader for today's presbyopic Patient, the PAL may NOT be the first or ONLY lens of choice for these Patients.) And what about the trifocal lens, which is no longer considered an alternative to the PAL by many latter-day Dispensers because of its visible segment? Even when Patients are less concerned with the vanity aspect of the 'no-line' feature as opposed to the superior functionality that a trifocal offers over the PAL or Computer Continuum lens, in some visually challenging environments especially, the PAL is too often the only option offered to them.
The
Progressive Addition Lens (PAL)
Unfortunately, today we see too many Retail Managers who are experienced in marketing but under-skilled in the art and science of Opticianry. Many of them are too fixated on policies and procedures and-or overly zealous for sales to the point of obstructing the delivery of acceptable ophthalmic services. (Remember the AIG debacle where the overreach for profits and bonuses caused an eventual financial calamity?) For example, check out the subject of prescription wrap-around eyewear and the expertise required to fit this type of eyewear properly. Click here. "Success
always follows good service. Furthermore, the untrained optical retail Manager who obsessively pushes a Dispenser for higher production of high-dollar sales, e.g., the universal promotion of high-end and more expensive Progressive, "No-line" Lenses, regardless of their demonstrable need, thereby affords less occasions for adequate eyewear design time and full consideration of the Patient's needs. At the same time inexperienced Managers unrealistically demand that customer satisfaction be maintained and minimal redos or refunds be sustained. "Pushing
Patients into Progressive Addition Lenses without As a result of these conflicted goals, Dispensers are discouraged from conducting the appropriate Patient interviews. This results in more Patients becoming dissatisfied, while generating more returns, redos or refunds, which leads to more frustrated Managers and Dispensers. It's as if nobody can figure out that this unfortunate cycle, along with its adverse karmic impact on the bottom line, will end only when the Patient's genuine needs are considered and fulfilled. See The Humanization of The American Economy. "To
serve is to succeed. When it comes to dispensing eyewear,
Now, after several decades of dealing with this conflicted and downward spiral, with its resulting focus away from previous generations' people friendly, 'take your time,' hands-on practice of dispensing to today's ready-made, one-size-fits-all, 'get them in, and get them out' attitude, and with bottom-line sales the industries' main goal in spite of much hype to the contrary, a litany of complaints from Patients, such as the following, are being heard with ever increasing frequency. "They just handed me my glasses and asked me, "How do they feel?" "She didn't take the time to fit my glasses." "They just told me to bend down and shake my head to see if they fit okay, but they never adjusted my glasses." "I told him my new glasses looked crooked and then he asked me what I wanted him to do about it." "I was told that I needed a progressive no-line bifocal instead of a regular bifocal, but they didn't explain why, or what the difference would be. Now, at work, I have to raise my head and bend my neck way back in order to see my computer monitor. These progressive lenses don't work for me. I want my money back." Sadly, optical dispensing has declined to the point that many Patients over the years have developed an attitude whereby they no longer have any expectation that their prescription eyewear can ever be fitted comfortably. Some Patients are even heard to express a sense of dread in making an eyewear purchase. And some Patients even describe their experience as akin to buying a new or used car, i.e., getting the big sales pitch, and then paying for the promised or implied high quality of service, none of which is received.
"GLASSES FOR LESS - Busting your budget on eyeglasses? Consider buying your next pair online. Web-based opticians may offer substantial discounts over real-world shops. And some sites let you do virtual try-ons: You upload a photo of yourself, and the site simulates what you'd look like in different frames. You'll need your prescription and pupillary distance (PD) from an eye exam, plus frame size (check the inside of an old pair). Online opticians include ___________.com, ___________.com, and ___________.com."
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"Nobody adjusted my glasses. They just handed them to
me."
Having you fit my glasses to my face, ears, nose and turban
with exquisite care and attention to detail, making minute
but essential adjustments was the best experience I have ever
had of having glasses fitted to my face, during my lifetime
of wearing glasses. The first time you did my glasses and
your wife suggested to me that I also have my lenses tinted
to gently soften the lines around my eyes was a very memorable
experience. I have shared the story of the day in your Optician
Shop very often whenever I try to get ‘new’ glasses.
Most Opticians are surprised to hear the story and also amazed
that having that care and attention to detail as a part of
having glasses fit properly made such a difference in my life.
Having my glasses not hurt and having them fit properly was
an incredible blessing. Having my glasses fit gracefully and
painlessly under my turban was nothing short of a Godsend.
I can honestly say that no other Optician ever did such an
impeccable job as you did.
The glasses
do not stay in place. (Temples spread too widely; temple adjustment
behind ears is too loose or incorrect; pads spread too far;
bridge too wide; doesn’t fit nose; eyeglasses are too
heavy.) 
