Keeping up with Changing Times – OAC

As Opticians we work at a unique juncture of health, fashion, and innovative technology, all which are constantly changing and evolving faster than we think. The demand is driven by people of all ages, with different needs, and who follow different trends that meets their life styles. Our profession must be able to adapt and meet our clients’ needs through a business model that has the capability to constantly pivot alongside industry shifts, market fluctuations and changing technology. This is the core of business agility. Agility is a sign of responsiveness and openness that attests to the ability of a business – and its team – to meet the specific needs of its clients. It also means the ability to see future trends and innovate.

Agility leads your business to set itself apart and seize beneficial opportunities in an economic climate in which competition is fierce and the landscape is changing rapidly.

Is agility considered in your current business model?

First, it is important to break away from the assumption of sustainable competitive advantage and embrace adaptable differentiation, i.e., develop an agility advantage.

Consider the following principles for moving forward with greater agility:

Define your niche and cater to the community in which your business resides – Focus on your market. Determine who are your clients – “hipsters” or senior citizens? What are they looking for? How can you take advantage of this niche’s unique characteristics?

Leverage from your strengths and expertise on demand –What new and unique products and experience can you provide your clients in anticipation to their needs? Will your business demographics demand more multifocal lenses in the upcoming years? How will you prepare for that? And who are the stake holders in your network with whom you should start strategizing in preparation.

Have the right people and attitudes as part of your team – Having the right technology and the right products is not enough. Focus on a well-trained team who has the right aptitude and the right attitude. Adaptable and open minded eye care professionals have become a gold mine for organizations seeing to stay competitive in our industry.

Empower your employees – Creating an adaptable workforce demands empowered employees, and empowerment commands inclusion and buy-in. When team members feel attuned to the company culture and consider themselves true ambassadors of your brand, positive outcomes result.

Survey customers and your team – what are their needs? Are you currently able to meet these? Use your survey results to respond effectively to changes and demand. The power of brain storming is quite amazing! Bring your team together for round table discussion to better understand the gravity of your business and use those learnings to differentiate and innovate.

Keep your inventory up to date while setting it up for easy browsing – Make sure returning clients have a reason to come back and see you. Refresh your inventory at least once per calendar quarter. Remember, looking for glasses can be an overwhelming experience, make sure to merchandize your inventory in a clean and easy to browse layout.

Efficiency leads to effectiveness – in order to effectively reach out to your clients it is important to have efficient systems in place that will assure you are delivering products and services in the shortest time frame possible. Once you have an efficient system in place through your operational processes you will be able to effectively anticipate and meet the demands of your clients.

Stay up to date with trends, innovation and competitor’s activities. This will provide you with a leading edge as you strategize to set your business up for success.

By applying agility to your business model, it will allow you to seize new opportunities, retain your market share, respond to uncertainty and instability, and adapt your behavior, products and services to your clients’ needs.

It is important to keep in mind the human factor, and to give priority to interactions among individuals rather than tools and processes; collaboration with customers rather than contractual negotiations; and acceptance of changing needs and responsiveness rather than rigid planning.

Embrace change and start a new chapter!

Written by Claudia Rojas, OAC – BC Chapter Director

Keeping up with Changing Times

Vision Kelowna Launches Master Program

April 27, 2017April 27, 2017

On Sunday April 23^rd 2017 the OAC – BC chapter hosted the Vision Kelowna Spring Educational Event, a full day of learning, brainstorming and networking that brought together a great number of Opticians who made the event a success! It was a great pleasure for the OAC – BC to have the opportunity to bring education and support closer to Opticians residing in the interior regions of BC.

During the event the OAC launched the Ophthalmic Dispensing Master Program, the next level of education for Opticians, designed to further our knowledge and skills, 'raising the bar' of professionalism across the country. Professor Ed August, a world-renowned educator and presenter, thought the first four courses of the Ophthalmic Dispensing Master Program, including History & Vision Care Technology, Lens Cross, Power of Cylinder Away From Axis, and Curves. The response to the program was tremendous, as we had both newly licensed Opticians and long term Opticians share their feedback and express that it was good to be challenged during the sessions, felt that by the end they had great learnings, and further expressing their desire to partake in the full program. Vision Kelowna also set stage for Jonathon Smith, who presented – “From Design to Production”, as well as for Dr. Andrea Lasby, who presented – “Addressing the Consequences of our Connected World: Digital Eye Fatigue”. Both fantastic topics that captured the attention of the audiences, providing with learning opportunities that will assist Opticians meet the needs of consumers while providing highest quality of eye care. The College of Opticians of British Columbia was also one of the key presenter at our event, as they introduced the new continuing competency program that will be launching in January 2018. This program will further elevate Opticianry in our province, assuring the quality of the practice of the profession and promoting continuing competence among Licensed Opticians. Our event was also supported by exhibitors such as Optik K&R, Cooper Vision and CNIB, who granted the opportunity for our members to learn about their products and services. It was wonderful to see among the attendees, Opticians of various areas of expertise, and a variety of experience levels networking during the event, as their shared their knowledge and experiences. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors: OAC, Marcolin, PPG, Optik K&R, Luxottica, and Cooper Vision, for making Visions Kelowna come to life. With gratitude, Claudia Rojas OAC Director, British Columbia Licensed Optician

Unregulated

January 14, 2015January 14, 2015

The Risks Of Internet Dispensing Purchasing Eyewear on the Internet Online purchasing has made its way into virtually every aspect of life. In many cases, shopping on the Internet is easy and convenient and provides a quality, reliable service. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. The attraction of buying prescription eyewear over the Internet is that it may be faster or cheaper than visiting an optical store. But at what cost? Buying prescription eyewear is not like shopping for books or clothes. In British Columbia, Licensed Opticians are regulated and guaranteed to be highly trained, follow a standard of care, ethical and accountable. Only registered contact lens fitters are legally permitted to fit contact lenses and automated refracting opticians are legally permitted to assess visual acuity. The information provided refers only to those circumstances where prescription eyewear is purchased over the Internet from someone who is not authorized to dispense – that is, from someone who is not a Licensed Optician, Optometrist of Ophthalmologist. Purchasing prescription eyeglasses and contact lenses from someone you do not know brings with it a range of risks. Some of these risks relate to the health of the eye (e.g. improperly fitted contact lenses can cause injury to the cornea) and some relate to the effectiveness of the eyewear (e.g. eyeglasses with lenses that do not match a patient’s eye measurements can impair vision). Improperly fitted eyewear can interfere with your ability to see, causing impaired depth perception, blurred vision, falls and other accidents, and worsened near or far-sightedness. The following is just a partial list of the risks and problems posed by Internet dispensing:

You have no guarantee that you are dealing with a Licensed Optician, Optometrist or Ophthalmologist. Vision care via the internet may be and sometimes is provided by inexperienced people who are not members of one of the regulated health professions.

Internet sellers may not be professionally responsible, leaving a Licensed Optician, Optometrist or Ophthalmologist to deal with the cleanup - upkeep, maintenance and troubleshooting - of online eyewear purchases. Licensed Opticians have the ability to recognize health issues dealing with the cornea and to refer a patient to another health professional before any serious harm can come to the eye. Licensed Opticians are also trained to take proper anatomical measurements, make appropriate initial and ongoing adjustments to eyewear, and to perform thorough pre and post-assessment of contact lenses to ensure vision health and safety, comfort, peak performance and clear accurate vision. You cannot get this kind of care over the Internet.

Eyeglasses and contact lenses need to be fitted to each individual patient based on measurements of the eye and face. This also cannot be done over the Internet.

Improperly fitted eyeglasses and contact lenses can cause headaches, dizziness, and nausea. These side effects can also prove dangerous if you are in a situation such as driving, carrying glass or hot beverages, handling machinery and so on.

Contact lenses are “medical devices” regulated by Health Canada. When you purchase contact lenses over the Internet, you may get a product that does not meet Health Canada’s requirements for safety, effectiveness and quality.

You may get a product that has been recalled due to safety concerns.

You may get a counterfeit product (e.g. a lower-quality product that is falsely labeled as being a higher-quality brand).

You may receive a product that has not been stored properly. Contact lenses need to be protected from freezing and heat. When you order contacts over the Internet, you do not know where the product has been stored or for how long.

You may receive a product that has expired. Contact lenses have an expiry date, after which it is not necessarily safe to use the product.

Internet dispensers may not be professionally accountable

Prescription eyewear is not “one size fits all”, Licensed Opticians are front line, regulated health care professionals who serve as public educators on eye care issues including disease prevention and detection and are trained to answer patients’ questions on a broad range of eye care issues, from dry eyes to corrective surgery. Licensed Opticians determine what kinds of lenses and frames are required based on a patient’s prescription, needs and individual circumstances. Licensed Opticians also receive training in eye health problems and may recognize an issue that should be treated by an Optometrist or Ophthalmologist.WHEN YOU PURCHASE PRESCRIPTION EYEGLASSES OR CONTACT LENSES, YOU ARE MORE THAN A CONSUMER – YOU ARE A PATIENT.Of the five senses - sight, sound, smell, touch and taste - the brain relies first and foremost on sight to provide essential information. The ability of the brain to assess and evaluate situations, determine courses of action and debate the risks associated with specific courses of action are determined, in part, by its ability to understand the images transferred from the eye. Only Licensed Opticians, Optometrists and Ophthalmologists have the necessary knowledge, skill, judgment, and accountability to dispense eyewear safely and competently. Beyond any doubt, poorly dispensed eyewear can be detrimental to your vision. It is critical that patients deal only with regulated eye care professionals who will ensure that their eyes, and their vision, remain healthy and protected.

Eyewear Incident Report