It is a comment we hear from time to time when we introduce a patient to a Dispensing Optician at the end of an eye examination.

The Optometrist opens the testing room door, introduces you to another member of the team, and sometimes we hear:

“So, am I being handed over to sales now?”

We understand why people might think that. The next step often involves choosing frames, discussing lenses and talking through different options.

But at Cecil Amey, there is a very good chance the person you are being introduced to is actually another qualified and registered eye care professional: a Dispensing Optician.

And they are definitely not simply there to sell you glasses.

So, what is a Dispensing Optician?

A qualified Dispensing Optician has normally completed at least three years of professional training. That may be through the FBDO qualification, a degree-level professional qualification in dispensing optics, or through a university degree route.

They are registered with the General Optical Council, the same regulator that registers Optometrists, and continue their learning through CPD, ongoing professional training.

In simple terms, they have spent years learning about spectacle lenses, frames, measurements, fitting, materials and how all of those things work with your prescription.

So when your Optometrist says, “I’ll hand you over to my colleague…”, they may actually be handing you over to the person in the practice who knows the most about turning that prescription into a really good pair of glasses.

It isn’t just about picking a frame

Of course, we want your glasses to look good. But there is much more to dispensing than choosing between two frames.

A Dispensing Optician considers:

• your prescription
• the size and shape of the frame
• how it fits your nose and ears
• where your eyes sit within the lenses
• lens type and material
• how thick or heavy the finished glasses might be
• what you actually use your glasses for

Some frames simply aren’t suitable for some prescriptions. Sometimes the best advice a Dispensing Optician can give you is: “I wouldn’t choose that one.”

That might not sound much like salesmanship, but it is often very good dispensing.

A few millimetres can matter

Modern lenses can be incredibly clever, particularly varifocals, occupational lenses, and more complex prescriptions. Accurate measurements matter.

That can include fitting height, pupil distance, and how the frame itself sits on your face. You don’t need to understand every measurement. Your Dispensing Optician does.

And then there is the fitting

Making the glasses is only part of the job. Dispensing Opticians are practically examined on fitting and adjusting spectacles during their professional training.

If your glasses slip down your nose, sit crooked, feel tight behind your ears or simply don’t feel right, a skilled adjustment can make an enormous difference.

This is also why experienced Dispensing Opticians often become the problem solvers within an optical practice. They understand frames, lenses, measurements and fit, and they know what to look for when something isn’t working as it should.

Specialist skills

Children’s dispensing forms an important part of a Dispensing Optician’s training. Children aren’t simply smaller adults. Their facial proportions are different, frames fit differently and their spectacles often have a rather harder life!

Dispensing Opticians also receive training in low vision, helping people whose vision cannot simply be corrected with ordinary glasses.

From children’s glasses to sports eyewear, sunglasses, high prescriptions and complex varifocals, the principle is the same: make the glasses work properly for the person wearing them.

Something we are proud of at Cecil Amey

We aim to have as many qualified Dispensing Opticians working within Cecil Amey as possible.

Our proportion of qualified Dispensing Opticians to non-qualified dispensing staff is extremely high, and that isn’t something you will find in every optical practice.

Our Dispensing Assistants are also a hugely valued part of our team, often bringing 10 to 20 years of experience working alongside these qualified professionals. They have built up considerable practical knowledge of frames, lenses, fitting and patient care, and we are proud of the experience and care they bring to every appointment.

Professional qualifications matter to us, and so does helping our people develop. Over the years, Cecil Amey has supported many Dispensing Assistants through the Fellowship (FBDO) qualification or a dispensing optics degree, helping them take the next step in their careers.

That combination of professional qualifications, practical experience and shared knowledge is something we value enormously. It means we have a team who can advise on frames, lenses, measurements and fitting, including those occasions when a pair of glasses just isn’t behaving as expected.

Good luck, April and Josh!

We are especially proud that April and Josh are embarking on their own professional journeys, under the mentorship and supervision of our fantastic qualified team.

Supporting the next generation of Dispensing Opticians is an important part of who we are. Good luck, April and Josh, we’re all behind you!

So, are you being handed over to sales?

Not really. You are moving from one part of your eye care to the next.

Your Optometrist has worked out your prescription. Your Dispensing Optician’s job is to turn that prescription into glasses that work properly for you.

So next time the testing room door opens and your Optometrist says, “I’ll introduce you to our Dispensing Optician…”, you aren’t simply being handed over to somebody to sell you a pair of glasses.

You’re being introduced to another eye care professional.