Recognition we deserve

The Federation of Ophthalmic and Dispensing Opticians states: 'Dispensing opticians interpret a patient's visual and fitting requirements and translate the prescription into specifications and instructions for the optical manufacturer.' Dispensing opticians are not sales representatives, and yet the vast majority of patients perceive them as being just that.

I am coming to the end of a three-year course at Anglia Ruskin University and soon hope to be the proud recipient of a Diploma of Credit in Ophthalmic Dispensing and a fully-fledged member of the Association of British Dispensing Opticians. What a pity that my hard work learning about anatomy, pathology, pharmacology and visual optics, as well as ophthalmic lenses, aberrations, and optical dispensing, will not give me the recognition I feel I deserve.