Dispensing Optician

Classes for both years offered 3 days per week (excluding summer practicum).

If you want to work with people, providing technical expertise while helping them look their best, a career as a Dispensing Optician is an excellent choice for you.

As a Dispensing Optician, you'll work with other Opticians, Optometrists and Ophthalmologists as part of a vision-care team. You'll fill eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions and ensure a proper fit by measuring patient's eyes and facial contours.

To work in this field, you must complete training at an approved institution as well as licensing requirements set by the College of Opticians of BC.

Douglas College offers British Columbia's finest instructional facilities in the field, and it's the only public college in BC that offers a Dispensing Optician Program.

Licensed Opticians Council of Canada

Please refer to the following website to view Licensed Optician Television Advertisement:

www.licensedoptician.ca

Cutting-edge facilities

At Douglas College, we're proud our Dispensing Optician students train using the industry's best-equipped learning lab in BC. Before you choose a Dispensing Optician program, ensure you visit our cutting-edge facilities at the David Lam Campus. Contact us to arrange a visit.

Training to move up

If you want the foundation for dynamic jobs in industry-level sales and administration or to start your own eyewear retail business, the Dispensing Optician Program at Douglas College is the right choice. Our comprehensive training includes business and marketing- and work-site placements- that you won't find anywhere else in BC. This training has helped enable many of our graduates to attain higher-level careers in the eyewear sector.

Serving students across Canada

Douglas College serves Dispensing Optician students from across Canada. As we are accredited by the national accrediting body, we welcome applicants from all Canadian provinces and territories.

Based in the College's modern Vision Centre, you'll gain clinical experience and service skills working with real customers.

Douglas College is a respected public institution that has been around since 1970 and the Dispensing Optician Program has been running for over a decade. With an employment rate close to 100 percent, the Program has a strong track record with the optical industry. It's flexible, so students can work part-time in the field during their second year of the program.

Your choices:

• One-year Certificate (eyeglasses)
• Two-year Diploma (Advanced Opticianry, Contact Lenses and Refraction Technologies)

To work in this field, you must complete training at an approved institution as well as licensing requirements administered by the College of Opticians of BC. Douglas College offers British Columbia's finest instructional facilities in the field, and it's the only public college in BC that offers a Dispensing Optician Program. The two-year diploma will give you the strongest employment tool with the contact lens skills most employers demand.

Both of these programs prepare you to meet British Columbia licensing requirements. For more information visit the College Calendar.

With high industry demand for contact lens fitting, the two-year diploma is the best option.

If you are already a licensed Dispensing Optician, and want to gain contact lens fitting qualifications, you may be eligible for Direct Entry into the second year of the program.

Delivery options:

• Year 1 Eyeglass Studies

On Campus Delivery

• Year 2 Advanced Opticianry, Contact Lenses and Refraction Technologies

Distance delivery (attendance at the college required 5 days per semester). Suitable for students outside the lower mainland.

or

Distance delivery/mixed mode (primarily on campus)

*For more information on these options please contact the department at 604.777.6360