Dispensing Opticians

Well, Winnie is back in Borneo for lunar (Chinese) New Year with her family and friends. So I am seeing my patients for full, FULL-service optometry.

Having a DO around is great. Winnie knows her stuff and has a really good eye as to what suits a patient. And because she is younger than I am, she is a little more on-trend - I do "classics"!

The hardest part of dispensing again is the advancement in lens designs in the past 3 years since she's been with me. Essilor is a very innovative company, so they release what is really a quantum leap in technology every 2-3 years, with a whole new philosphy of design, and I am having to research these. I trust Essilor that they all work, but some lenses are designed for improved near vision at the expense of arm's length (or vice versa) and that is the sort of detail that you need to know to advise a patient on lens design.

This morning I received a visit from the local Essilor rep - they have released Optifog, a new anti-fog treatment for lenses (it needs to be applied at the time of manufacture - it's not a retro-fit product) and a new lens design (well, new to me) that is great for someone who needs good near and computer distance, but not compromising their distance vision. Nikon Home and Office sounds great!

I am looking forward to Winnie's return in April with all of her traveller's tales. But in the meantime, I am re-learning the dispensing part of my profession. Dispensing opticians are our sister profession, and have an advanced skill-set in dispensing compared to most optometrists, but I am lucky that I get the fun of doing both.