Healthcare Career News
& Information

Email To A Friend RSS Feed Share/Bookmark

Optical Dispensing Specialists: Focused on Healthcare

Optical Dispensing program at our Los Angeles campus

Have an eye for fashion and an interest in healthcare? Consider a career in Optical Dispensing.

Graduates of American Career College's Optical Dispensing Program have a plethora of career options, such as working directly with patients as a Dispensing Optician or a Contact Lens Technician, or behind the scenes as an Ophthalmic Lab Technician or a Sales Representative for frame distributors. 

"We are the pharmacy technicians of the eye, and we tend to play a lot of roles in the industry," says Antonio Alaniz, Optical Dispensing Program Director at the Ontario Campus of American Career College.

American Career College's Optical Dispensing Program provides advanced optic knowledge, which is crucial for any related career path. Its primary focus is on the physics and technology behind the body's lens - the eye. Also covered during the program's seven modules are light theory and trajectory, and how the way light passes through a lens translates to particular treatments and lens options; multi-focal lenses; frames and lens materials; rigid contact lenses; anatomy, physiology and prisms; and optical office procedures. Upon completion of the program, students are placed in a 160-hour externship at sites like clinics, laboratories or ophthalmologist and optometrist offices.

In addition, the Optical Dispensing Program prepares students for the National Opticianry Exam and Contact Lens Registry Exam administered by the American Board of Opticianry and National Contact Lens Examiners. Although certification is not a requirement for employment in the field in California, it does place graduates in a better position for obtaining a job, explains Mr. Alaniz.*

The U.S. Department of Labor expects employment in the Optical Dispensing field to rise 9 percent from 2006 to 2016 due to the United States' aging population, as more opticians will be needed to serve the increased number of older Americans. In addition, awareness is increasing of the importance of regular eye exams across all age groups.**

Everyday duties in the Optical Dispensing field vary according to the position. Dispensing Opticians recommend lenses, frames and lens coatings, as well as take patient measurements, fit eyeglasses and repair frames. Ophthalmic Lab Technicians cut, edge, tint and insert lenses into frames, and check the quality of the final product. Contact Lens Technicians measure eye shape and size, teach patients about lens care and use, and ensure lenses fit properly.

Mr. Alaniz sees the rise in laser vision correction as having little impact on the Optical Dispensing industry. Not only are American Career College graduates employed at laser eye centers, certain people will continue to need glasses or contacts.

"Not everybody's a candidate for laser eye surgery," he says. "And even if they are a candidate, it just means that we're going to see them a few years later." 

Ideal candidates for the Optical Dispensing Program are healthcare-oriented yet fashion forward, with almost a sixth sense about a person's style by just seeing them or talking with them briefly. 

"I like to tell students, 'We're in the business of having people look good while seeing well,'" says Mr. Alaniz.

*American Career College cannot guarantee employment. **Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Opticians, Dispensing, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos098.htm (visited 3/31/09).