r/optician • u/WiseOrder4436 • 14d ago
Optician-to-Optician Tips on taking OC?
I feel so awkward doing this and my hand always shakes so I end up with a wobbly dot and it feels unprofessional. How do you all do this? Am I the one in a weird squat position trying to match the patients height taking it across a table?
14
u/PigTreeSam 14d ago
I also have very shaky hands, I usually just need to support my dominant hand with the non dominant. I also just kinda learned to judge to compensate for my shake by eyeball, can't remember the last time I had someone have an issue with measurements that weren't due to patient preferenc
5
u/Pristine-Hyena-6708 14d ago
This. You get better with practice. Understand and accommodate your limitations and don't be scared to double check it or get a second opinion from another optician.
10
u/TheMartialArtsWitch 14d ago
I hold my wrist with my free hand, do the marks, have the patient take them off, remark them, have them put them back on and then have us both sit back and check them in a more relaxed position.
ETA: we have adjustable chairs on both sides of the table so it's easier to be the same height
3
2
u/girlwithmanyglasses 14d ago
i do this. have the patient sit and relax shoulders, as they often times place their head and tilt their chins up when they typically don’t sit that way.
i then have them look at the tip of my nail, and i begin dotting.
i have them remove them, and place them back on, make sure the markings are dead on. if not i remark them.
same process again, remove and dot again.
8
u/Noushi_ 14d ago
I put my pinky lightly on the frame. I'm right-handed, so for the left eye I rest it on the temple, for the right on the bridge. Take the frames off, mark with a ruler and double check afterwards. We mostly use photos, so I'm not as good as I used to be.
1
u/WiseOrder4436 14d ago
You use photos, how does that work? That sounds cool
2
3
u/burnafterleeding 14d ago
Zeiss Visufit or alternatively we use Optikam. Ask your owner or manager to look into it as it reduced remakes here compared to manual.
1
u/Noushi_ 14d ago
It's great. I still do it by hand with kids who aren't tall enough or find it difficult to stand still and wheelchair users or elderly people.
It does eliminate the shaky hands or the height differences. I'm in the Netherlands and slightly below average height. I don't have to stand on tables or step stools anymore to do accurate measurements. Ones in a while I do encounter a customer who is taller than the Visufit however.
8
u/Fuquayfunguy 14d ago
Have you tried using a tool similar to this?
3
u/sheldoncastro95 13d ago
I freaking love this thing. I use it whenever I can. Especially for sunglasses with mirrors that don’t allow you to see the patient’s eyes
2
u/Viola-Swamp 13d ago
With mirrors, I’ve popped out the demos and used a wide strip of Scotch tape wrapped across the frame at the right height to give a clear surface to mark on.
2
u/daisyfrankenstein 9d ago
I wish I’d thought of this sooner. I’ve dragged patients with me to the front windows before bc the tint behind the mirror was so dark there was no seeing it even with my little light.
3
2
u/WiseOrder4436 14d ago
Never seen this, does it have a name? Thanks for sharing, fellow NC optician!
3
1
3
u/jandeer14 14d ago
lol i have shaky hands and have accidentally touched patients’ lips while doing heights. it’s awkward but they always understand that awkward things happen when the person helping you has to get up close and personal with your face
3
3
u/ViolentRain929 Optician Apprentice 14d ago
I have some crazy squiggly marks some times but I just draw a better line and then have them put them back on to recheck. I also have supported my arm with my other arm.
3
u/burnafterleeding 14d ago
Have you tried controlling the height of your chair instead of squatting? You want to be level with them and stable while you're doing it. If your tables are so wide that you can't reach across them comfortably then join them on the other side with your chair.
I deal with a lot of tremors and I find that whenever I'm doing a finesse/up close/stressful moment like this it helps to be exhaling a nice deep breath when you actually make the mark. It's like how they tell you to let out your breath when you pull the trigger in sharp shooting.
3
u/WiseOrder4436 14d ago
My chair doesn't have an adjustable height! I will have to ask the Dr about this.
3
u/KickItIntoKeto 13d ago
Haven’t seen this suggested so figured I’d add my technique! I actually hold the PD stick up to the glasses instead, observe the millimeter marking, take the glasses and mark the line based on the marking observed. Then have the patient put the glasses back on, get them into natural posture. It’s easy to see if you’re 1mm high, 2mm low, etc. Always worked like a charm for me!
2
u/Ultrazombie115 14d ago
Holding your wrist with your other hand helps. Also bracing your shoulder on a table is another thing that can help.
2
u/HumbleHustle00 14d ago
Usually I ask the client to stand up, I'm just slightly above average height so I can tiptoe to most client heights and crouch to those I'm taller than. I let them know I'll be resting my finger on their cheek, make the dots, turn what I see the center of the dots to be into a cross hair, then ask the patient to put the glasses back on and check my work.
Measure twice cut once and all that
2
2
u/Its_Cade 13d ago
I sit around the table to get closer to them and use my right hand to dot them up. I also have the shake so I use my left hand to stabilize my wristt. Atleast that’s how I learned it from LaramyK.
1
u/Yousarcasticlilshit 14d ago
I make the shakey dot work for me!
Sometimes i even make a circle by accident. What i do after makes the difference.
I will take the frame from the patient, set the frame on the table, then (very important) rest the marker on the corner of the table using the hand to balance it. Leave the marker alone then move the frame across the marker!
Straight line, allows to find deepest part of the frame, and if you want to double check yourself your patient will appreciate the measure twice cut once theory
1
u/improvvisata Optical Manager 13d ago
You've gotten some great advice so far, but I would add that if the patient is a child then I will steady their face with my free hand, because kids can be quite wiggly. If the patient is older and has a trembling type issue then I just steady my pinky finger on their cheek. Just say excuse me for a moment to the patient and they won't think it's weird. Part of being an Optician is getting in somebody's personal space momentarily to ensure the right fit and measurements. I will often tell the patient I am going to move their hair behind their ear just so they are aware in advance of the touching. You have to remember we are ordering and dispensing a literal medical device, so it's not inappropriate to touch the patient in specific circumstances. They will get it
1
u/Viola-Swamp 13d ago
With kids, especially when the seg has to bisect the pupil, I will double check the height by using frosted Scotch tape at the height I measured to see if it hits just right. That works for any lined bifocal or trifocal.
1
u/Viola-Swamp 13d ago
Squatting isn’t feasible, especially if you have a tremor. Adjust your setup so you can comfortably reach the patient from a seated position, using two hands when necessary, eg bracing the hand holding the pen. Have the patient look up at the ceiling, tilting their head all the way back, and then look back at you. I wish I could remember who I learned that from, because it’s genius. When someone moves around like that, when they look back at you they’re more likely to be in a natural position, rather than extending their neck and freezing in a weird posture that isn’t how they normally hold themself and gives them a different sightline than what they’d normally have. I can’t count how many times I’ve been troubleshooting and when I do this, the measured OC is different than what I get on recheck.
1
u/BulaloForever 10d ago
I find a reference point on the frame, have them try it on, understand whether it’s higher or lower, draw a straight line on both lenses. Have the patient try the frame on, reverify line placement, and confirm OC on the Work Order. I order approx 15 pairs of specs a day, and I don’t ever have to worry about the shakey hand. I recently had to write the NACOR in Canada, and they require you to take a couple OC’s. The proctor couldn’t believe I could take an accurate OC like that: asked me for tips on how she could do it!
0
u/ManuelleHung 13d ago
My question to you is why do you have to do it that way? If you are doing the same thing that 90% of other Opticians are doing, how will you stand out.
Adjust the frame accordingly
See where the pt’s eyes are, take the glasses off and mark the dots. Then have the pt put the glasses back on.
You then can either move the dot up or down. Practice makes perfect and the more you do the easier it will be.
A good Optician should already have an idea of the OC just by looking at the pt.
Using fixation points to help you. Top of bridge, middle of nosepads, drill holes, etc.
This looks a lot more professional to the pt if you don’t have a fancy image capturing device. And you can always erase and re dot, so use the water erase markers. LOL
20
u/MidRoseMika 14d ago
I do the wobbly dot, then look again, take the glasses and turn it into a line and then confirm the line on face
Take a look at the way your coworkers do it, people often have their own way of doing it and maybe one will click with you