Licensed Opticians in 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.

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 In Nova Scotia, our regulatory body is the Nova Scotia College of Dispensing Opticians.