Feature -- by Mark Sproxton

Illustration by Kathy Lycka

Standing behind the counter at a retail store's optical department, the optician smiles and accepts a piece of paper from a middle-aged customer. On the small, white paper are two numbers detailing the strength of a prescription for corrective lenses.

"I haven't had one of these for years," says the customer. "Laser eye surgery worked great for a long time. Guess I'm getting older."

Nodding, knowingly, the optician has heard this story many times before. "Will laser surgery make my job obsolete," says Mel, an optician for 11 years. "No. I'm still fitting glasses and contact lenses on people who have had laser surgery."

While laser eye surgery may have some impact on the number of glasses and contact wearers, opticians constantly deal with change. Opticians, charged with selling, fitting and interpreting prescriptions from doctors for glasses and/or contact lenses, work in a field that crosses between health and fashion. People will always need optical aids, but the size, style and colours constantly change. "The shelf-life of your product is short because things change so much," Mel said.

Not all opticians are licensed to distribute glasses and contacts, however, and not all opticians work in retail outlets. To first become licensed as an optician a two-year apprenticeship course is required prior to provincial testing and licensing. Some opticians will stop there and work in doctors' offices, or in small businesses selling eye wear exclusively. After completing the two-year glasses apprenticeship, other opticians, like Mel, will continue their studies and complete a similar two-year program leading to licensing for the provision of contact lenses.

For Mel, the fact the programs allowed you to work while getting training turned him on to the career. Those looking to become opticians must first be working in the field before registering for the classes. They can expect to earn about $7 to $8 per hour until licensing, when they'll receive an increase to the range of $14 an hour and then higher with the contact lens license.

"I was in construction for 10 years before this," he explained. "My body got beat up so bad I had to find a new career. I had a mortgage and was planning on kids so it wasn't really in the cards to go to school for four years. This was an apprenticeship, so that's what I did."

And that's what he continues to enjoy to this day, especially when the glasses or pair of contacts he provides helps someone "out of the dark." "You feel really good. People really appreciate it if they've never seen clearly. That's when it makes it worthwhile."

That's not to say every day is perfect. Located in a retail outlet means opticians work eight hour shifts during the store's 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week opening hours. Of course there's the odd irritable customer, or the person who wears a pair of two-week disposable contacts for six months and complains, too.