What Eye Dr's DON'T do..

[pseudonym]

Even to the point of the patient asking for just the Rx so they can get there eyeware somewhere else, we gladly and with a smile give them there Rx and guess what, their next appoitment for an exam they will almost always get a new pair of glasses from us and tell us what a bad experience they had the last time they got their glasses from somewhere else.

I work in one of those places where they bring their Rx, and you should hear what they say about the docs, the outrageous prices, the opticians, the techs, the receptionists in their own doctor's offices. They are the same ones who try to draw you into a discussion of how rotten the other optician is who works with you.

[chip anderson]

Robert:

Patient should have Rx in hand before they ever see a dispenser. You shouldn't have drowned
Natalie Wood either. But the patient is legally supposed to hand you the Rx not you to him.

Chip

[Robert_S]

Robert, I think your approach is the perfect one.

[EyeManFla]

Yeah, and that reverse mortgage he sold me was crap too.......

Robert:

Patient should have Rx in hand before they ever see a dispenser. You shouldn't have drowned
Natalie Wood either. But the patient is legally supposed to hand you the Rx not you to him.

Chip

[FVCCHRIS]

I go back to a statement about how the Dr sends the patient to you and has them say, "The Dr says I need a bigger frame...". The first patient care rule should be a proper transition from the Dr to the optician with the patient at the center of the conversation. The Dr should share the Rx, some info they found out about the patients visual needs and any recco's or considerations they believe the patient should learn more about from the optician. If the Dr thinks a larger frame should be considered, then they can mention it to the optician with the patient there. Ego's asside, patient care 1st... When the Dr spends a bit more time with the handoff's, you may also find that they have less time to talk about how to fix or adjust a frame...

That is exactly how the "hand off" in our office occurs and how it ought to be. Anything that somehow reflects poorly on the Dr's staff should be avoided. If the Dr feels so inclined to have full control in the patient's spectacle fitting then by all means- come out and complete the process and answer the phones and do the insurance paperwork and order the finished work or better yet get in the lab and........... Sorry, simple recommendations at the hand off are all that is needed. Dr's time should be spent doing Dr's "things".

[Eye glass lady]

I do want to make mention that its not an ' I ' issue here. I 'AM the only optician, the others are opthomology techs and they have their own duties. I have a good relationship with these folks and really have no issues except with this dr. I have worked with other opticians in previous postions and I like this much better.... The competiton and jealous attitutes over spiffs & hrs. was a pain .. :(
But....Recently I'm told to NOT rock the boat, to just put up with this particular docs attitude and not say anything about his unnessary comments on the pts orders, and the verbal orders he sends to me with the pt. I just feel that the job I was hired to do is not the job the dr. was hired to do. Maybe he should just come down to my office, fit the pt, measure and explain all thats neccesary to the pt and I can go home. No, the clinic doesn't want to go there anymore, thats why they hired me. Its just that when the dr. tells the pt to tell me what HE said to choose or not as in frames, no ar, no trans.. etc... and they come to the shop, and that very thing doesn't work ..then boom the pt has no faith in ME to fit them properly because of what the dr. said to them. They are SET on what the doc said. There is a process and it really needs to be followed for things to really run smoothly where I'm at. I'am NOT even In the clinic , I'm down the hall . I'm hired to BE THE optician and do what an optician does. If the dr. wants to help, then he needs to let me help him..... lol...... Well, whatever.... It usually works fine and I have no issues like I said. I just feel everyone has a particular job to do and should stick to it..

[Eye glass lady]

This dr. is really the first one who is more hands on then any of the others. He HAS started to come see me alittle more often as of late because he realizes that that roles we play within our postions are such that the rules that in are place have to be adhered to and sometimes his requests for the pt is not within the rules for which the pt is qualified to receive. So, therefore changes have to be made to follow rules set in place for the vets.

[manoj_verma]

In this part of World ,Interestingily OPTICIAN Dose NOT EXIST !
Either we have OPTOMETRIST, Who do EYE EXAM & Make Suggestion for Frame Selection and Lens Selection,Sell Sunglasses ,Take Orders for Eyeglasses and Contact Lenses and on some places Doing all the things what THE ORIGINAL POSTER's Doctor is doing ( Like Me ).
And other is Salesman / Saleswoman........Who Simply Sells the Sunglasses or Frames Based of Customers Choice / Optometrist's Advice( which is very rare ).Lens Selction too is in hand of Salesman/Saleswoman mostly (untill my kind of Guy is Interupting while taking the Order ).
In My Case ,I do Love Doing all the Things(Optical Related ) which makes My Customer/Patient Happiest......No Matter if it is PD Measure of Even Adjusting The Frame Pento.

[mjacob]

The Dr seems very unprofessional. The Drs at my work, usually put recommendations like AR/ Poly/ larger frame etc but they dont actually get in btw our job duties. I work in a hospital setting where there are different speciality Drs.

[SeaU2020]

Looks like you are working with an optician-turned-Dr. or a complete control freak. That's such a fine line you are walking, either way. Personally, I might feel a wee bit offended if my Dr. did not have faith in my pd abilities. One of my pet peeves is older Dr.s who still tell pts to ask for a large B measurement frames...I have progressives fit as low as 13 and I see fabulous. Lucky I am working for a "hands-off' Dr. now.
Good luck with that. Try to remember, it pobably doesn't speak to your capabilities, it is most likely the Dr.s peronality...if he treats everyone like that then you know it's not YOU.

[Jamelina]

@lind2020 - A/R +1

I find it very interesting that no optician seems to be able to recommend working with the doctor as a team on this subject. Getting a "I" vibe from this thread. The word "Team" seems to escape the vocabulary. hmmm........ Seems to be a doc-vs optician mentality. That is sad.

I've found that the hand-off option works very well. As long as the doctors are making reasonable suggestions, that is. I worked for an office that would call an optician into the exam room to briefly meet with the patient and discuss any changes as well as recommendations. Not only did that help the patient feel more comfortable, I felt like I was viewed less like a sales person and more like a professional. I've worked with doctors who don't seem to have any experience/interest/appreciation in what an optician does which has really made me appreciate working with doctors who include me in the process, are knowledgeable with current lens options etc, and treat me like I know what I'm doing.

[davidxuonline]

As optician, we only do things relevant, like prescription glasses, contacts. We don't treat AIDS or cancers.

[chad724]

Our doctors may give suggestions to the patients such as that new digital lens, AR, or sunglasses; however they always end the sentence with consult with our opticians as they are the experts when it comes to your eyewear. This helps seperate them from selling and really gives our patients reassurance with the opticians.