Originally Posted by
chaoticneutral
Brooks and Boorish is certainly the best place to start. After studying that it helped, but, of course, working with a patient in real life in real time is a far cry from what you will learn in a text book. When selecting a frame I first ask if they have ever worn glasses before and if they have some idea of what they are looking for. Plastic or metal? Something Bold? Fun? Professional? Asking questions is the best way to determine what the customer is looking for. Do they like to have nose pads or not? Some people know exactly what they want, some have absolutely no idea. Are you working with an office professional who wants something fashion forward or a construction worker that requires something more durable and rugged?
BE AWARE of allergies the patient may or not have to materials this is important! They may come right out and tell you but ASK if they have allergies to materials. Be thorough! Nickel allergies are common, choose alternative materials like titanium, plastic, stainless steel and tr-80 and more that I cant think of because its late and im tired. There are lots of alternatives.
The science and art of frame selection is both objective and subjective respectively. Shape and size of the persons head, PD, DBL and bridge width, nose shape and ear position are all objective determining factors. Subjective factors include but are not limited to size of ego, depth of vanity, narcissism, career, age, gender (or non gender as the case may be), emotional state, habits, hobbies, hairstyle, eye color, height, skin tone, hair color, drinking habits, tax bracket, hearing aids, pets, lifestyle, intelligence (or non intelligence as the case may be), physical fitness, social rank, celebrity status, sense of humor, religious affiliation, health conditions, cognitive judgment, personality, homeopathic balance etc etc etc ad nauseum.
Personally, I try to find frame shapes that replicate the more attractive features of the face. I look for symmetry, eye position in the frame, temple length to ensure the bend sculpts to the back of the ear correctly, weight of the frame, and of course, patient satisfaction with their choice. I also try to choose shapes that are in direct opposition with the shape of the patients face. More rectangular shaped frames for round faces, round for rectangular faces. People that have “diamond” or “heart” shaped faces I look for something with a little geometry and sharper corners. If they are wearing single vision lenses ill try to guide them to something smaller in shape and size. With progressive or bi-focal I’ll look for something with a bigger B measurement but also a frame whose temples are mounted to the top of the lens as opposed to the middle so the eye sits higher in the frame.
If the patient chooses a plastic frame ensure their nose fits flush in the bridge. If there are gaps between nose and bridge the patient will end up with irritation and no one is going to be happy with that.
You must have a certain amount of empathy in order to help a person with frame choice. After all, they are going to be wearing these in public all day for long periods of time. Unless they simply do not care what they look like (which is the case sometimes) they will want something that looks good.
There was a study done (i cant remember the source or I would reference it) where people told their doctor after treatment that they felt better because they did not want to hurt the doctors feelings regardless of whether they felt better or not. You may notice after an adjustment that people will quickly say OH THAT IS SO MUCH BETTER THANK YOU, when the truth is its not much better at all but because you put work or effort into making them feel better they don't want to hurt your feelings by saying what you did was not sufficient.
You must be able to "read" the customers thoughts to determine if they are truly comfortable with the adjustment. So to must you be able to read your customer if they are TRULY satisfied with the frame choice that they are making.
A cautionary tale. Our office does not work on commission. A customer was handed off to an optician after being dilated and started looking for a frame. The optician quickly pushed the customer into a frame saying this is the one! It's perfect! The customer mentioned several times that they were dilated and really couldn't see well enough to make a decision. Several days later the customer was back and returned the glasses because she hated them and the way they looked.
In this case several mistakes were made. The patient was dilated and uncomfortable looking for a frame. Commission or not she should have been told that she could come back another time when she could see clearly for frame selection. Next, the optician told her that the frame was perfect! It is not up to the optician to decide what is perfect. it's up to the customer.
Back to empathy. Keep your finger on the patient’s temperament toward what they are trying on. Listen to what they say and more importantly how they say it. Give them time to look if they want it, you don’t have to hover. They will let you know if they want help or, with a rude or sarcastic gesture, if they do not want help. If you start bringing over frames for them to try on that are the wrong color, size, decoration, shape or semirimless after they told you already they do not want semirimless, they will loose all faith and confidence in your ability as an optician and a person. How’s the rest of that sale gonna go for you? Not well.
So, be mindfull. Be friendly. Be helpful, and know when to be helpful. Over time you’ll get a better feel of the flow and what works with what kind of person. Don’t try to sell a drill mount to the 80 year old fogey whos been in a 70 eye mens double bridge with 7/28 trifocal glass lenses for the last 56 years(we carry a special line of very handsome men’s double bridge frames just for them).
Alright, off my soap box.
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