Have a look at the European ways of doing it
Even that I am now into manufacturing I got actually born into optical retail.
First step:
Optical apprentiship. 4 years of working in lab, learning all steps from hand edging (no automatic edger allowed for the first few month) to repairing solderimg and everything else.
2 full days of theoretical schooling per week
Make final exam and you are a full fledged optician knowing the technical aspects inside out.
Second step:
Learn the ropes of selling, adjusting glasses and customer relation in the store.
Third step:
Take the Master Opticians course, another 3 years of learning. You also learn refracting.
Pass the exams and you become a Master Optician that now has the right to refract. Also gives the right to manage an optical store.
Obviously for an optician to refract should take some serious education and not just a chair, a set of trial lenses and a phoroptor.
If you take it from the other side and look at optometric schools and courses there are also some questionable practises.
Optometrists have a full and complete eductaion on refracting and detecting eye problems. Nearly all optometric schooling is missing out on teaching optometric students the practical optical side of the profession.
Looks like on side would like to do the job of the other side but there seems to be nobody getting together and set some standards. You have standards on the technical side (ANSI) but there seems to be no standards in handling the retail end.
So many good and bad points made here
Good ones relating very much to care of the patient/consumer whatever YOU call them. The bad ones relating to economics. Trust me: I've been around a long time and some of the people here as proponents of Opticians refracting, have made many are anti Optometry dispensing statements. Really gang, can't go both ways!:hammer:
I truley feel all three O's have a contribution to make and will be happy to relay them to anyone interested. We all, also, have many cross over skills, but really, vitallogy among others: I don't want an RX written by me and I don't want lenses fabricated by you. (and yes, I have a comprehensive awareness of what's taught in Optometry). This is just one example, so truly I don't mean to single out or pick on anyone. The point being: Many changes need to happen before changing Status Quo.