I have lived in both Canada and the UK, and in both of these countries you have three levels of eye care.

An optician is someone who sets up your glasses, and they do not have the right to make new prescriptions or perform eye exams. Their certification is a diploma. They can work in standalone shops, or in the cabinet of an optometrist or ophthalmologist. They generally have quite a lot of knowledge, but are limited in terms of being able to carry out any medical intervention.

An optometrist is a certified eye doctor who has completed a bachelor's degree and them completed a four-year eye doctor training. They are referred to as "Dr." and perform the majority of eye care. They perform complete eye exams, make prescriptions for glasses, and depending on the jurisdiction they can also prescribe meds for things such as glaucoma, and they refer people to an ophthalmologist if it is medically necessary.

An ophthalmologist is a qualified medical doctor who has done a specialization in eye care. They perform surgeries and treat the most complicated eye problems. They have normally completed at least 10 years of training. You tend to only be referred to one for major problems.

So in Canada if I want my eyes checked the procedure is:

1. visit optometrist for eye exam
2. optometrists often have their own cabinet where they sell spectacles, so you generally have the choice of purchasing eyeglasses from them, or you can visit an independent optician, which is generally cheaper
3. if there is a problem the optometrist can't treat you are referred to an ophthalmologist

To me it seems in CH they don't have optometrists, so I am wondering how eye care works here. Do opticians have some training to do basic eye exams, and they refer you to an ophthalmologist if necessary? Or must one always visit an ophthalmologist?

I am in my 40s now and both my spouse and I are definitely starting to feel as though we need longer arms, so I guess we actually need spectacles . Am not sure if we visit an optician or an ophthalmologist? I already have generic +1.00 reading glasses, but think an eye exam might be in order.

(And I know this post is unnecessarily long, but I thought it could be useful to have this info archived in EF...)

I went to opticians for eye tests and to get glasses. They did not check for glaucoma or other eye conditions.

When I suspected there were problems other than needing a new prescription, I went to an eye doctor and ended up having lens replacement surgery for cataracts.

Opticians also do eye exams for the driving licenses.

I have important eye challenges (T1D releated) so see an ophthalmologist every 3-6 months.

Go into Landi and look at the reading glasses they have on display. Usually +1 up to +3 in 0.5 increments. Pick the ones best suited for your reading. Normal cost CHF3'90. I've got a few pairs lying around the house.

Totally different to the UK, where we get our tests done every year. Field vision, back of the eye/fundus screening, retina, glaucoma, the full works. In Switzerland you have to go to an ophtalmologist for this. Optician only checked which lenses are best for you.

What is the role of "optician" in CH?


Sell you over priced glasses basically !!

Someone's jealous of local optician's car

Opticians here can just do the basic eye exams to check your vision, if you need checks for glaucoma etc you have to go to the ophthalmologist.

You also find the assistant opticians who can only do the glasses and not the actual eye test.

In the UK the optometrist can do eye exams and do the checks for glaucoma etc but they can’t prescribe medication as far as I know. They refer you in to the ophthalmologist for treatment. They are also not referred to as ‘Dr’.

For young people without any problems it’s fine to just go to the optician for the eye check and to get new glasses but I would also recommend going to an ophthalmologist from time to time for a thorough check of the eyes themselves.

This is mostly correct. An optometrist in the UK completes a 3 year (in England) or 4 year (in Scotland) bachelor's degree. Then completes a pre-registration period before they are fully qualified and a member of the college of optometrists.

They can do an additional independent prescribing course but in Scotland can also prescribe some medications without this.

Generally if you have a complaint concerning your eyes in the UK, the optician would be the first port of call who would then, if required, refer you on to an ophthalmologist.

In Switzerland the function of an optician is an Augenoptiker/in, see here:
https://www.berufsberatung.ch/dyn/show/1900?id=3246
https://www.optikschweiz.ch/infos-berufsbildung/

In a large company such as Fielmann, there seem to be two different types of 'Augenoptiker/in', one who seems to be a generalist, helping you select frames, measuring you for vision points with multifocals, advising on the types of lens materials in your individual case, just as an optician does in the US. There also seems to be a sort of specialist Augenoptiker who does the vision testing and advises on more complicated issues.

This person seems to also be called an Augenoptiker. I wonder if there is a specialization within that title, with additional skill/education? Does anyone know? But that person as far as I know does not hold a degree similar to a doctor of optometry.


I've only had tests for glaucoma and other eye diseases done by the ophthalmologist. However, the Augenoptiker was the person who first saw 'something' in the course of a vision test and recommended that I see an opthalmologist.

Just like in the US/Canada, an opthalmologist (Augenarzt) is a doctor of medicine with a specialization in eye diseases. Some opthalmologists also do surgery, some restrict their practice and would refer you to an eye surgeon.

---

Just back from the ophthalmologist, checking on an issue raised by the 'specialist' Augenoptiker, after discussion with the generalist Augenoptiker...

And none of the three seems to know why I'm having so much trouble reading!

Ophthalmologist is a licensed physician specialized on the eye. A doctor degree is no longer mandatory, but we still call them Doctor. Obviously they can not only make lens prescription but also drug prescription.

French - German

Optometrist in Switzerland is a 3 year BSc degree on FH/HES level, and regulated profession. They can make lens prescriptions.

General descripton:
French - German

Description as by the law:
French - German

Optician is a profession which can be learned in a 3 years apprenticeship. Which leads to the Federal Vocational Education and Training Diploma.

They cannot make lens prescription. They are foremost sales and service persons.

French - German

__________________
On Strike - ChatGPT knows more than I, so use it (or doesn't it?)

I knew it had changed slightly since my friend did it. At that time it was actually called ophthalmic optician as opposed to dispensing optician who could only do the glasses part (so basically a glorified sakes assistant).

She was actually the one who diagnosed my hubby’s rare form of colour blindness and used him as a case study for her part of her final year coursework.

They have dispensing opticians in the UK still too! I think it's a shorter degree than a full optometrist. But yeh it's a glorified sales assistant role. I think from talking to the other half that for child glasses these need to be signed off by either the dispensing optician or optom before being dispensed.

I think a lot of DOs use the opportunity to move into the full optom degree program after getting a few years of experience.

We go to VisionExpress when in the UK. You have to book in advance if you want the full tests. You then see the specialist first who has all the machines to do all the tests, then they check for eye sight and lenses, and give you a prescription for the lenses, and then you see the staff in shop to pick glasses if you want/need some. And they keep your results long-term, so they can check any progression/deterioration and your history.

Fixed that.