Half Term and Why?

The joys that half term brings is all the lovely children coming into the practice.  Parents that want their child to have their specs before they go back to school, then moaning when you can't.  I ask why wait until Saturday to get things sorted.

The joys of dispensing to children is the satisfaction of ensuring that you are doing all that you can for that child.  If the frame does not fit correctly you can deform the child's features and possibly cause long term damage.  Reassuring parents that they have not been a bad parent because they have missed the fact that their child is unable to see as well as they could have been.  Explaining to children why the must wear their specs and when to use them.

The thing that gets me is hospital prescription.  The last 10 or so hospital prescriptions of over a combined power of 5 diopters without a BVD is outrageous and when i phone to get it I get the standard please fax the prescription to us and we will then get the information you need.  Its British standards to write the BVD on all prescriptions over 5 diopters do they feel that as they are hospital prescribers they do not need to comply to this rule.

Why visit a optical practice

Why do so many people use Internet sights for their eye care needs?  The answer I have come up with is lack of professional advice in most optical practices, where are the Dispensing Opticians - in meeting as the practice manager in most cases.  I have been a practice manager and from personal experience the two roles are so different you cant always put the patient first as the manager as your sales hat goes on, as a dispensing optician you can have the patient interests at heart and if that means letting the patient leave without a purchase then that's fine. 

I feel that if all patients are given the correct advise for them and only them the loyalty will continue and the patient will see eye care as a health profession and not a sales area.  The uptake of eye examinations will increase and the frequency will also increase as people wont leave a visit to the optometrist until there is a problem.  This will also reduce the high level of undiagnosed eye conditions in England and wales - Scotland has NHS tests for all patients when that was introduced a 5% increase in referral's to hospital for major eye conditions such as glaucoma.

So in conclusion we need to be stating the importance of regular eye examinations to all, not tests examinations as I strongly believe that a test suggests sales and a examination implies heath care.

The role of a dispensing optician is very important yet under valued and not understood by most of the general public. This make me think that the role needs to be promoted and publicised to the importance of having qualified professionals dispensing spectacles to patients, not just the at risk groups but to all.

I say dispensing not selling, patients not customers. A dispensing optician does not sell they recommend on experience and academic knowledge, they ask questions regarding lifestyle and occupation to ensure that the best optical solutions are presented, fully explained and then allows the patient to make an informed decision on the best solution for them, that fits their budget and their life. A good dispensing optician will always provide the truth and be honest and put the patients needs first.

This is what I stand for.