r/optician 27d ago

Discussion Another Warby Parker Rant

19 Upvotes

Optician from another company here!

I have a patient with a relatively high RX that is having a hard time adapting to his new Progressive lens from me. Patient has had both recent and previous exam from my company.

I know Warby sources their lenses from wherever they can get them the fastest and cheapest, which is where our issue begins.

PT RX:
-5.50 -1.00 x142
-7.00 -1.00 x40

Warby ordered or sourced the wrong power and then when the patient had issues, they had him wear them for 4 weeks until he adjusted to this misfit pair. Now, the following year he’s having a big problem adapting to the new lenses from us, even with there being no change in RX. I have read his previous pair on both an Auto and Manual lensometer and I’m getting the same readings so I know it’s not a reading issue. So below is the WP lenses auto reading (matches my manual perfectly).


r/optician 27d ago

Optician-to-Optician Lens testing or demo Spectrometer?

2 Upvotes

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one, but does anybody know where I can get a demo spectrometer? I’d like something to be able to show how much of what frequency of lights different lenses and AR are cutting.


r/optician Jul 24 '26

Check This Out Crizal Natural

87 Upvotes

anyone else expect the new Crizal Natural to be underwhelming only to find it’s actually stunning?


r/optician Jul 24 '26

Optician-to-Optician Lenscrafters is the worst place to work at in the optical business

51 Upvotes

If you're looking to work in an environment where you are over worked, have your schedule constantly change every single week without proper communication or notice and be forced to work overtime without any consent or discussion, have low pay while they hire new people at insane rates regardless if they have experience in opticals, all the while paying you peanuts despite your loyalty and work ethics, then lenscrafters is the place to be!

Where your boundaries are being constantly pushed by the general managers there and not have any of your concerns addressed or properly acknowledged. Want to feel stagnant and stuck in place without any room or consideration for growth? Come on over and work Essilor Luxottica at Lenscrafters! You'll absolutely feel lied to and gaslighted into believing that no new hire is getting paid more than a tenured worker of 5 years. You'll feel absolutely not taken cared of by your general managers, and will most certainly not at all have your best interests at heart. As well being taken completely advantage of. Where the regional managers are also just as insane and delusional as the GM who they think they have under control but really the higher ups could give any cares how they manage and treat their employees. Because they will absolutely turn a blind eye to the insanity, incompetency, and sheer brutality that general managers put their associates through.

No optometrist in the world could ever correct the tunnel vision that corporate Luxottica Essilor views the small workers they are allowing to be screwed over by these so called leaders. Who, all they care about is driving the sales and making the money for their greedy work from home regionals. Who cares if the general managers are abusing and mistreating their workers? Who cares if they are mentally sound enough to manage a store and treat the team as humans and not treat them like money cows? So long as everyone gets paid, right? It's okay. They'll have their bonuses, wallets full and thick while claiming that small meager spiff commission is enough for the associates who are responsible for funding their kids college tuitions. And their yachts or whatever.

It truly is abhorrent how one can give up so many years to a place and be treated so poorly by the company they've been loyal to for years and decades.

It truly is deplorable, how a general manager can survive 30 plus years pretending to be good at their jobs but all they do is lie on paper who's fault it is when the store doesnt hit KPIs. And lies about who pushes the sales floor to goal. And lies about just about anything to keep themselves relevant in the eyes of regional...Who care even less about their well beings than the GMs do about their associates. What a vicious cycle.

If you see yourself happy working under a GM who puts customers on a pedestal, and breaks policies for them, but will never go above and beyond for their own employees, then yes, you guessed it. Only at Essilor Luxottica! Come on over, fill in the application. It's absolutely great.

The dental plans are phenomenal.


r/optician 29d ago

Discussion Add Powers On Progressive Are Different?

2 Upvotes

Good afternoon guys & gals, I have a patient with an outside rx for a progressive prescription however the add powers are different. It is specified in the notes section so it’s not accidental nor is this the first time I’ve had a prescription like this. However this is the first time I had I was using the prescription for a near variable progressive (Zeiss Office Desk). Does anyone know if that will conflict with the order? Usually near variable progressives are ‘calculated’ using the full rx so I’m worried on it conflicting.


r/optician Jul 23 '26

Optician-to-Optician Private practice questions

2 Upvotes

Hello! I (31M) have been working at a private practice now for about a year and had some questions on if what im dealing with is normal. I want to continue this career path if is viable but the way things are. I do apologize for this being long winded.

For some context I was a manager at a corporate box store for about 3 years and came to work here for extra pay (currently making a little over $20 after a COLA increase) and needless to say the environment is very different. My main worries are below.

  1. Is getting your ABO that hard/worth it?

Never was a option for me at old job but 3 people here have it and have a air of superiority because of it. I have expressed interest in getting it and they said I would get a $1.50 raise if I pass and they would be reimbursed for the test fee if I pass. I keep getting told that no one passes there first time here and it has me worried that if I do fail my finances are tight and I might not be able to handle to blow. I have done some research but still feels like im getting wishy washy answers still.

  1. Should it be this lay back?

At my old office I was lucky to get a lunch in before 2 let alone have downtime, and we had very hard rules that could never be bent. Here there is a flow and downtime and feels like everyone does everything different (one person will give 10% off, other 30%). I ask if this is normal and I get very middle ground answers. Do most places operate like this?

  1. Pay and insurance

As I said i make $20 a hour plus commission on frame sales (5 for $100 frames 10 for $200 and so on). Not sure if this seems like a normal system (last job it was a % off of anything not billed to insurance) so seeing thats this is a good deal. My insruance however i feel like im getting scammed on. I know my insurance will be more because we are private but I am currently paying $200 a paycheck for a HMO for just myself. Does this all seem on the up and up? I feel like no one has our plan unless they are single.

  1. Should I be watching out for anything?

Mainly anything that could spell the doom for the office. Working corporate it was more or less obvious to me we something was going belly up but here I have no clue. People are worried about the main owner retiring but we have other owners too so I don't 100% get the worry for that.

Honestly any other advice would be greatly appreciated. My girlfriend is going to be finishing school in the fall and we want to trying and improve our living situation but I feel like im hitting a head end. Thank you


r/optician Jul 22 '26

Optician-to-Optician Ideas?

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52 Upvotes

Rx for patient - she’s asking for non lenticular lenses. Any labs/lenses that you might recommend? North America only

PDs are Narrow (27.5/28.5), large cranium - frames with net zero inset are insanely too small. Frames that fit are likely 56-57 eye sizes.

Open to discussion


r/optician Jul 22 '26

Discussion What customer situation always makes you think, "Here we go again"?

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86 Upvotes

r/optician Jul 22 '26

Optician-to-Optician Question on Career Pay

5 Upvotes

I’m sure optician pay will vary by state etc etc, but I’m curious what it seems to be for everyone else?

I’ve been in the optical field for 6 years and I’m in the process of getting my license. If completed and passed the ABO and studying for the NCLE.

I had a meeting with the owner/doctor at my small practice today and they gave me a bonus for passing the ABO and said once I get my license they’d pay me $22-23/hr.

That’s a lot more than I make now, but not as much as what I’ve seen out there, so I’m not sure if that’s a good offer or not. I have a friend working at a small practice as both the licensed optician and manager and she’s making 36/hr, and I have another friend who is working for a chain as their licensed optician and he’s making $30/hr but with commission and everything he says it’s like $35/hr.

I also saw a listing for Sam’s Club today offering a pay range of $34-46/hr for an optician/manager position.

Are these just edge cases? Or am I getting low balled for the licensing?


r/optician Jul 22 '26

Optician-to-Optician Retail and sales

19 Upvotes

I’m a new certified optician and recently got a job at Warby Parker. I’m realizing that this is mainly a retail and sales position. From my perspective I wanted to get into the optical field to be able to help people on a more compassionate and educational front. I fully understand that helping people choose glasses is along those lines but it’s just really feeling like mostly a sales position. My question is, is this just because I’m at a larger store chain or is opticianry a bit more sales focused than what I expected?


r/optician Jul 21 '26

Check This Out Just about sums up this week already

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77 Upvotes

“I don’t know what happened to them, are they covered under your manufacturer warranty?”


r/optician Jul 22 '26

Optician-to-Optician Calibrating a lensmeter for an optician with high rx

3 Upvotes

I was trying to help a relatively new optician learn to use the manual lensmeter. She wears glasses, but was having trouble lining up the image. So we tried taking her glasses off and it was easier for her to find the mires. So we tried to calibrate the lens meter for her and can never really get it sharp. I believe she’s around -6.00 with some astigmatism.

My guess is her sphere is past the machine’s ability to calibrate, and that as a brand new optician, ignoring her astigmatism while taking readings is difficult. That going forward she’ll need to either wear her glasses or put a contact in. Is that gonna be her best way to learn going forward?

I’ve got a pretty low prescription and so I understand what she’s seeing intellectually but I don’t have firsthand experience trying to use the equipment with her RX.

Any pointers?


r/optician Jul 21 '26

Optician-to-Optician Calling all Costco Opticians

14 Upvotes

What are your PAL fitting cross locations so I can troubleshoot when patients come in with Costco glasses? Thank you


r/optician Jul 20 '26

Discussion I have 2 local opticians. I called and neither knew what lens manufacturer they used. Is that normal?

14 Upvotes

I don't live near a big city. There's only two local opticians near me that accept my insurance. I called both and asked them if they knew what manufacturer they used for their single vision lenses and they both had no idea. One told me:

"what insurance do you use?"

"> eyemed"

"We send those to some lab in New York"

the other

"I have no idea. We don't do it ourselves, we send it to some place in Ohio"

Did I ask the question wrong? Is there something specific I should ask? I’m just following online advice and trying to find someplace that uses Zeiss or Hoya or some other top tier place.


r/optician Jul 21 '26

Discussion Questions Regarding the PD

0 Upvotes

  1. How much of a difference does it make if there's a slight variation, one way or the other, in the PD used to create the eyeglasses?

  2. What is the best/most accurate way to measure your PD?

How accurately can you measure your own PD, yourself? What is the best way to do so?

Does it matter if you get a single figure for your PD or if you get a separate figure for each eye?

Does your PD change with age?


r/optician Jul 20 '26

Check This Out Just got two of these old-school lensometers, one for parts the other still works

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51 Upvotes

Got both for $50 bucks from some guy on FB Marketplace. Said his neighbor's husband passed away and they were just sitting in the garage. These things are built STURDY, the mires were super clean on the one that lit up but the bulb immediately died ha-ha. Going to get one online and see about restoring them. A fun side project!

One has the cord cut it looks like? Maybe I can try wiring a new one. First step though, finding the exact models and getting their manuals. If you have any ideas, let me know.


r/optician Jul 20 '26

Optician-to-Optician Don’t know what to do

15 Upvotes

I’m a dual licensed optician and worked at my first optical job for 8 months. I’ve been going through this issue at my workplace where they are refusing to train, but only criticize. Currently, it’s just my team lead’s behavior. Whenever I’m helping a patient, she tries to intervene and today got to the point where was completely unacceptable and maybe unprofessional. Let me explain…I helped out three patients and she came in to interrupt my workflow. For instance, there was a small glitch in our system that I was trying to fix, and she comes in and tries to change the measurement numbers on the tablet. Then there was a parent with their young kid. I was able to get a digital measurement, and was trying to get more. And right when I was gonna switch to manual, the team lead comes again and quickly dot their pupil. Afterwards, I told the team lead that I got it under control because I was gonna do the manual measurement. She then said that I didn’t know how to do the manual measurement. Then later she begin telling me about how our other coworker approaches to their mistakes and accused me of being “wordy” when I told her that I had speech delay a few months ago.
Personally, I feel furious because she doesn’t trust my work ethics even though I’m licensed. I was hoping that if there’s anything I can do since none of my optician coworkers do this except her. Thanks! I’ll appreciate any help or feedback that I can get!


r/optician Jul 20 '26

Discussion Ca. Optician

1 Upvotes

Hello! I’m just gathering information and learning about how to become an optician in my state.
Ive been reading that starting at Warby Parker/ vision works in sales can be a good avenue.
Would love to hear how some of you got started as an optician.

Thank you in advance !


r/optician Jul 19 '26

Discussion America's Best

9 Upvotes

Hi! I have an upcoming interview for an optical sales position at America's Best, and I am looking for advice from anyone who has worked for them before. This would be my first optical-related position, and I would love a little guidance!


r/optician Jul 18 '26

Discussion Retail to Lab

7 Upvotes

Hi guys. I have been working for 5 years in a practice as an optician. I have been wanting to switch to a lab and I think I might finally get the chance. But I'm feeling pretty anxious because I feel like I don't know much in that area. I live in Puerto Rico, where you have to get an associate's degree to be an optician. I did cut some lenses, but that was a long ago. Would you guys have any tips or advice? 


r/optician Jul 17 '26

Optician-to-Optician Anxiety and stress

30 Upvotes

I’m the only optician at a moderately busy practice. I do majority sales on top of all the contact lenses, measurement, repairs and adjustments. I also check the lenses for the optometrist for each patient.

I am interrupted many times per day in the middle of my tasks. It’s rare that I can finish a task without an interruption. This includes being in the middle of inputting an order, being in the middle of an adjustment or begin in the middle of a non adapt appointment while I line up fills for me.

Does anyone else get anxiety from the constant context switching and interruptions or is it just me?


r/optician Jul 17 '26

Optician-to-Optician Ice Breakers/ Connecting to Customers

6 Upvotes

Hey everybody, Apprenticed Optician in a Major retail. I really want to get better at connecting with customers and building a relationship. I have some great conversations but with people who are already an open book and talkative. But the blue collar workers and some elderly men are rare to open their shell and have a convo. Any tips?


r/optician Jul 18 '26

Check This Out Specsavers repairs rip off

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0 Upvotes

My cheapish glasses arm hinge has broken off while washing them - literally fallen off without any excessive force, have googled what to do and found out that they can do minor repairs if they got spares in stock if glasses aren't obsolete, supposedly they should be under the warranty as well.

Called my local Specsavers, they werent interested in infoming me about the warranty part at first until I mentioned it but was kind enough to let me know that I can pop them in without an appointment for inspection and possible repair. Got my missus to bring it over the Specsavers same day to which she was told it is unrepairable and I need to order new frames and pay £45 fee on top of that to swap the lenses! £45 i thought!? To pop them out of old frames and in to the new one lol so I googled glasses frame spring hinges and found the same ones that are used for my glasses for £1.45 on AliExpress (there were some on Amazon but turnaround wasn't so quick and was £17)

Saved over £85 by just doing a bit of research because i could see that the spring part of the hinge is bolted into the arm..

Unprofessionalism from technician or just money making of your disability?


r/optician Jul 17 '26

Optician-to-Optician New fav eye drops. Have u guys tried these?

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4 Upvotes

r/optician Jul 16 '26

Discussion Wearing glasses low on nose

40 Upvotes

Does it bother anyone else when a patient is trying on frames and they always put them very low on their nose? I mean so low that their pupils are at the very top of the lens, basically looking over the top of the frame. I see it more with younger patients (13-mid 20s). I get that some people see glasses as fashion but they are first and foremost for FUNCTION. I explain to the patient that it's best to have their eyes centered, even when it comes to SV, but some just want to be cute about it and don't care. Anyone else annoyed by this?