Pet peeve

[optilady1]

So not everyone one we work with will have the same skill sets that we have. It's something that I've learn to accept. While I may consider myself a great dispenser, I certainly lack in the sales arena. However, I can not stand, listening to an associate dispense a pair of glasses, and instead of inspecting them for fit, they simply ask, "how do they feel? Do they need to be adjusted?" Argh! Of course the patient thinks they feel good, they're a new pair of glasses! And three days later, they will be back because they are hanging off the end of their nose.

Ok end rant. Happy Monday everyone!

[becc971]

i will say, when i can tell that someone has that engineering picky personality, i always ask them for fit first BECAUSE anything i do just of my own accord will not be right until they feel around their ears and move them all over their face just to tell me they're loose (which i usually already know ) it makes it an interactive experience for them plus they feel "in charge" which is usually what they're looking for, and a million less steps for me. they tell me what they think should happen, i do what i know needs to happen because lets face it, i do this 40+ hours a week so i probably know better, and everyone leaves happy.

[Mick]

I feel your pain, a dispenser should fit the glasses, checking for fit behind the ear(s), but sometimes the customer snatches the glasses from your hands and puts them on themselves, denying the dispenser the opportunity to assess the fit. In those cases we ask permission to check the fit, but they at times will deny that and all you can do is ask. Maybe they just feel we are invading their territory. But yes, the dispenser should be in charge of the fit, short of the customer slapping your hand to get them away from them. Then there are the hairspray issues some have that make them say "let me do it".

[optilady1]

yeah, if a patient tells you that they are fine who are you to argue? But a good 80% of the time, they look at you like a deer in headlights. Heck, most of them are just coming out of an old pair that fit them like crap. Some people just shouldn't be allowed to dispense without proper training. What's difficult is when that decision is not up to you, but someone who has even less experience than the bad dispenser. Ah, such is the life the lowly optician.

[cocoisland58]

I always tell the newbs, "If you are afraid to look behind their ears you won't get a good fit" yet time and time again I see 90 degree angles on temples which tells me they aren't looking just bending. Recently had a gentleman remark "You are the best "fitter" here". Probably I am and only because I don't bum rush them out the door "Feel good? Can you see? Ok buh bye".

[optilady1]

90 degree angles on temples ".

this. Drives. Me. Crazy.

[mdeimler]

I pull them down, to show that they slide easily, and then ask if they would like them to not slide down.

[Jubilee]

I will usually ask how they feel when I have them put them on. That along with acuity. However, I will also tell them either way, to turn their heads so I can check behind the ears, and have them tilt their head down to see if they slide, etc. I use it more to engage the customer and as becc was saying, let it be more interactive.

[Pogu]

people just shouldn't be allowed to dispense without proper training.

ftfy

[SeaU2020]

I always tell the newbs, "If you are afraid to look behind their ears you won't get a good fit" yet time and time again I see 90 degree angles on temples which tells me they aren't looking just bending. Recently had a gentleman remark "You are the best "fitter" here". Probably I am and only because I don't bum rush them out the door "Feel good? Can you see? Ok buh bye".

I call that "killer-bends". If you don't want to TRY to do a good job, please get out of the business, lazy opticians make me crazy!

[CCGREEN]

First of all someone who is good at adjusting will NEVER ASK, "how do they feel"
Someone who is good will take it upon themselves to look behind the ear and that does not mean bending the ear way forward and adjusting the temple. When you do it will return to position and the temple will be to tight. Move it ever so little.
Second. If the temple is blanching color out of the skin its to tight. May feel OK now but in thirty minutes they will be back for you to loosen them.
Third. Very few people have a square head. Bow those temples out and around the shape of the skull.
Do it right people. It reflects on you, the place you work and the profession.

OK steping down off my stump now.

[9520g]

This is all very true, I tell my co-workers not to ask patients how it feels because they do not know what a good fit is. It is our responsibility as dispensers to make sure of how its suppose to fit. I hate when I'm in the office busy with something else and someone is picking up and they just hand them the glassses.....why???

[pseudonym]

I stick them right on their face now, but didn't used to because I was afraid of shoving a pad up someone's nose. Before they have a chance to assess their vision, I say "Obviously they're too tight now because they haven't been adjusted for you yet" Or too loose as the case may be. Sometimes I can see them visibly relax. They know you're paying attention to the fit and you've already made an accurate observation about it.

Question: We are supposed to check the seg ht in the as worn position. How do you all do this without leaving the laser dot marks on the lens? I leave the marks on, then check by holding the pd stick up. But sometimes the people start pointing out the dots on the lens immediately, as if I had planned to leave them there.

[drk]

Good for you all.

I adjust glasses. I take charge, baby! I put them on, and adjust them the way I like to. When they're to my standards, I say "How do they feel?" If they want a little of this or that, then we can talk.

If someone interrupts me, I tell them "I will adjust them to the standard position and we can go from there." Of course, 99% of the time it's correct when I'm done.

Take charge!

(We leave the dots on, too, and we have to tell patients in advance that they're for proper adjustment and will be removed when we're finished.)

[9520g]

I save the cling on progressive stickers from the lab, I stick them on to verify measurements then peel it right off as this method saves a lot of time.

[pseudonym]

I save the cling on progressive stickers from the lab, I stick them on to verify measurements then peel it right off as this method saves a lot of time.

What luxury! Our glasses come in with the dots inked on. Half the time they are inked in the wrong place or the dot is so large as to be useless. I clean the lab's marks off and redo them before verification.

[cocoisland58]

You know what amuses me? The customer who after I adjust to perfection say's "Let me see if they are going to stay on" and then proceeds to lower their head and shake it like a milkshake. And I'm thinking "In what situation does one move their head like this? Mosh pit dancing?"

[optical24/7]

Coco, that reminds me of a lady that came in on a busy Saturday. I had about 7 or 8 other clients in the shop. She announces in a loud voice " My glasses slip when I do this" she then bends over with her head around her knees and shakes her head like a dog with water on his back.

I paused a moment and asked her..." And.. you do this often?" She gets this blank look on her face and says, " Well...No..." Every single person in there started laughing. And all had a comment after she left.

[Hollybabette]

I had a gentleman that always wanted cable temples or 160 mm temples to wrap around his ear. No matter what, the glasses fell down. Plus, he had a flat bridge on his nose and the lenses were heavy. For a year he came in and wanted adjustments. Every time, I explained that his temples were too long and the lenses were too heavy. Finally, he got a new refraction and purchased eyeglasses from me. I put him in a Silhouette 7534 and measured his temple length. He needed 135 mm. I explained the cable temples and/or 160 mm temples wrapped around his ears weren't doing him any good, because he was in fact a 135mm, with a 45 degree bend. He disagreed and kept asking for cable temples. That's when I put my foot down and said, "No sir, you are a 135mm. Please trust me on this. If you are unsatisfied you may come back and we will change them out for longer temples if necessary." He finally agreed. Guess what? He called me a few weeks later, and as I cringed on the phone, he happily told me that these were the best pair of glasses he has EVER had. No slip, lightest lenses (1.67) and comfortable. Niener, Niener!! I win!!

[BradB]

Completely agree with you Optilady! Ever see anyone tell them to bend forward and shake their head? Makes me MeNtAL to see that!!. BTW, didn't you know gas is cheap, people have time to kill now-a-days? They can just buzz on by ANY Ol' Time! I Feel your pain!!

[optilady1]

My dispensing routine usually starts with, "lets try these on, so I can see how they fit" if there are any markings I tell them the dots are there so I can check the fit of the progressive. I do my thing, and then I do ask them how they feel, because some want them so tight and others don't. I do ask them to look down and shake, because I've found most people like the question. It makes them know that the glasses are snug enough and that I care. I tell kids to headbang, which they always get a kick out of.

I have had people go into mock convulsions to display that while in downward dog or rushing a quarterback their glasses are indeed falling off. I simply adjust and then make fun of them in the lab when they leave. A girls gotta have some fun!