Contact Lens Technician

A Contact Lens Technician works under the supervision of an Ophthalmologist, performing various clinical duties involving contact lenses and patient care. Contact Lens Technicians may work in an ophthalmology clinic or an eye care center, helping patients and the Physicians as needed.

Your daily duties as a Contact Lens Technician involve a lot of patient contact, so having a warm, friendly personality and a helpful attitude is a must. You should also be good with difficult or impatient people, the elderly, and youths.

Evaluations and fittings comprise a large part of your job. To perform an evaluation on a patient, you take them through various eye tests. Then based on the results, you order custom prescription lenses. Not only do you handle the initial ordering of the lenses, but you’re also there to teach the patient how to order subsequent lenses, and help them over the phone with any questions they may have.

You’re also on hand to guide patients on the proper care and maintenance of their lenses, as many will require thorough instructions. You provide that through a calm, step-by-step orientation, covering everything from insertion to removal to cleaning.

You let them try the lenses out in front of you, making sure that they fit properly and that the prescription is correct. You also go over the care and maintenance of the lenses, including the use of proper cleaning materials and correct disposal. When you’re not dealing with patients, you may be in charge of stocking lenses, maintaining inventory, taking phone calls, and filing patient records.