NSSDO (Nova Scotia Society of Dispensing Opticians)

Welcome to Nova Scotia Society of Dispensing Opticians

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Eyecare opticians

An optician is an eye care professional who provides lenses for the correction of vision defects. The lenses may be contact lenses, or held in a frame in front of the eye, rarely as a monocle or most frequently as a pair of glasses, also known as spectacles or eyeglasses. An optician specifies the optical properties of corrective lenses based on a refraction prescription supplied by a person qualified to measure visual defects and write an appropriate corrective prescription. The licensing and nomenclature of such persons varies from country to country.

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Canada

The Registered (or licensed) Optician is part of Canada’s health-care industry and its members have expertise, training, and formal education in determining a patient’s ophthalmic needs. Simply, an optician is to the optical industry as a pharmacist is to the medical field — opticians make recommendations, offer advice, problem solve where needed, and in general consult with the patient regarding their visual requirements. Spectacle or contact lens dispensing may be based on:

a new prescription generated by an optometrist or ophthalmologist, a ‘sight-test’ performed by a qualified individual, or through duplication of the patient’s current eyewear prescription. Analyzing the needs and making appropriate recommendations to fulfill the public’s eyewear and contact lens requirements are perhaps the most important functions of an optician. In Canada, spectacles or contact lenses must be fitted and dispensed by an optician, optometrist or ophthalmologist; internet sales of such products are illegal.

An occupational profile is found at: *Alberta Opticians Profile

Canadian optical organizations

Provincial regulatory organizations

Each Canadian province has its own regulatory College or Board that provides registration or licensure to its Opticians. The Regulatory body (often known as a ‘College’ but separate from, and not to be confused with, an educational institute) has a government mandate to protect the public. This includes enforcement of provincial statutes (Opticians Act) and public awareness campaigns.

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