What’s in a Prescription?

So you had your eyes examined. You could tell you were due by the blurry license plates on your commute; you were really beginning to think that your arms were shrinking! Your optometrist did all the usual tests - no more puffs or pokes for another year. You think you did even better at reading that chart this time, but still aren’t sure if one was really clearer than two. Nonetheless, you have a new eye wear prescription.

Getting an eye wear prescription filled is the easy part, right? There are so many cheap and convenient choices these days. You could easily pick up a pair of those pre-made magnifiers at the drug-store or order some contacts online. You won’t need any care or service - there’s no risk of harm. It’s not like there’s an eye care pharmacist or anything, is there? Dispensing eye wear isn’t rocket science…

Dispensing eye wear is not rocket science, but it is a science. Licensed Opticians study the science of optics for two years and intern for another before they are qualified to design, prepare, fit and repair optical appliances. They are eye care pharmacists. They fill eye care prescriptions with visual therapies such as eyeglasses, contact lenses and low-vision aids. Licensed Opticians are medical professionals, trained to provide council about eye health. They ensure that your eye care options are both current and safe.

Optics is the study of light. Light is meant to focus on the back of the eye, or the retina, to produce normal vision. Often, when we can’t see clearly, it is because some or all of the light is not focusing properly. Optometrist’s prescribe lenses of different curvatures that bend the light to focus on the retina. That’s what those numbers on your prescription mean! Like a pharmacist interprets a medical prescription to produce drugs, an optician interprets an optical prescription to produce eye wear. This is visual therapy.

Eye wear is not one-size-fits-all; your eyes are as unique as your DNA! Many measurements are involved in the customization of eyeglasses, contact lenses and low-vision aids that are critical to vision. Although fashion may be your biggest decision in eye wear selection, it trails far behind function. There are many decisions to be made such as size, position, material, thickness, curvature, focus, design, coating, allergy and safety – to name a few. Licensed Opticians specialize in the latest of each of these optical technologies.

Would you really trust your eyes to online contacts? Wouldn’t you rather have custom reading glasses over drug-store magnifiers? Your eye wear should be just as complete and precise as your eye examination. Vision is our most precious sense. Poorly dispensed optical appliances pose a huge risk of harm to oneself and to others. You took good care of yourself by having your eyes examined, why not let a Licensed Optician take care of your prescription?