Contact Lens Technician

Contact Lens Technician

Responsible for ordering, fitting and dispensing contacts, maintaining contact lens trials or contact lens inventory, ordering and dispensing eyeglasses, and following prescriptions written by ophthalmologists or optometrists.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Reviews written prescriptions to determine the specifications for contact lenses.
• Recommends appropriate contacts lenses after considering the prescription and the patient’s lifestyle needs.
• Measures patients’ eyes, for pupil diameter, corneal curvature, segment height for multifocal lenses and the vertex distance.
• Prepares work orders, including prescriptions for contact lenses and information on their size, material, color, and style that give ophthalmic laboratory technician the information needed to grind and/or order lenses material.
• Verifies information in the fitting of contacts by using a lensometer, slit lamp, keratometer and or radius scope to order’s specification(s). May obtain patient’s previous record in order to re-make contacts or may verify prescription with the examining optometrist or ophthalmologist.
• Instructs patients about adapting to, wearing, and caring for contact lenses.
• Documents patient care and treatment. Follows safety, infection control, and quality assurance protocols.

Education and/or Experience Required:

• High school diploma, some college or postsecondary optical training preferred. On-the-job training or two- to four-year apprenticeships often provided.
• Minimum three years of clinical experience, preferably in optical laboratory or department. Company is willing to train and/or supply training material.

Certificates, Licenses and/or Registrations Preferred:

• Certification exam offered by the National Contact Lenses Examiners. The Company is willing to supply training material to obtaining certification. The company is also willing to reimburse for testing upon receipt of certification.

Performance Requirements:

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of basic physics, basic anatomy, some algebra, and some trigonometry.
• Knowledge of contact lens equipment and instruments.
• Knowledge of safety, infection control, documentation, and quality improvement protocols.
• Knowledge of new products through and the ability to explain or demonstrate the benefits.

Skills:

• Skill in using computers for contact lens mathematics and contact lens physics.
• Skill in using precision measuring instruments and other contact lens machinery and tools.
• Skill in adjusting contact lenses to best fit patients.

Abilities:

• Ability to follow prescriptions and patient information to develop accurate work orders for ophthalmic lab technicians to make contact lenses.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with optical clinical team.
• Ability to demonstrate eye–hand coordination, manual/finger dexterity, agility, and color vision and depth perception with visual acuity correctable to 20/25 while fitting eyeglasses and contacts.

Equipment Operated: Variety of contact lens equipment and instruments including but not limited to lensometers, slip lamp, keratometer, radius scope and computer hardware/software.

Work Environment: Medical office, exam and laboratory setting. Well-lighted and well-ventilated surroundings. May be exposed to communicable diseases and other conditions related to clinic setting.

Mental/Physical Requirements: Combination of standing, sitting, walking, stooping, bending, and reaching. Occasionally must lift/carry up to 50 pounds.