Eye care explained

Optician vs Optometrist: What’s the Difference?

Confused about whether you need an optician or an optometrist? This simple UK-based guide explains who does what, why deregulation matters, and why at Buchanan Optometrists your glasses are always handled by qualified professionals – not salespeople.

Quick answer: who should you see?

Optometrist – a fully qualified eye-care clinician who checks your vision and eye health, diagnoses problems and prescribes glasses or contact lenses.

Dispensing optician – a qualified professional who helps you choose, measure and fit your glasses correctly.

Important: many high-street practices now use untrained sales staff instead of qualified dispensing opticians when you choose your spectacles.

At Buchanan Optometrists you get:

• A highly qualified optometrist for your eye examination
• A qualified dispensing optician for your glasses – never a salesperson
• Award-winning, independent eye care in the South East

What is an optometrist?

An optometrist is a fully trained eye-care clinician. They do much more than check whether you can see the letters on the chart – they assess the health of your eyes in detail.

An optometrist will typically:

• Perform a full eye examination
• Check your vision and prescribe glasses or contact lenses
• Detect and monitor eye conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration
• Manage problems such as dry eye, red eye, flashes and floaters
• Use advanced imaging technology to spot issues early – often before you notice symptoms
• Provide emergency eye care and advise if you need referral to a hospital eye specialist

If you want your eyes properly checked, you should see an optometrist.

What is an optician? (And why the term is confusing)

In everyday UK language, the word optician is often used as a catch-all term for “the person at the eye place”. In reality it can mean two very different things.

1. Dispensing optician (qualified)

A dispensing optician is formally trained and registered. They specialise in:

• Helping you choose frames and lenses that suit your prescription and lifestyle
• Measuring and fitting your spectacles accurately
• Interpreting complex prescriptions
• Advising on specialist lenses, for example for driving, computer work or hobbies
• Ensuring children’s spectacles are safe and effective

They make sure your glasses work as well as they look.

2. “Optician” as a general label

Many people – and even some businesses – use the word “optician” to describe anyone in an optical shop, including:

• Retail sales staff
• Unqualified style advisors
• Customer service assistants

These staff may have little or no formal optical training, yet in many places they are the ones helping you choose and be fitted with your spectacles.

Deregulation: why many practices use salespeople instead of dispensing opticians

Most patients are unaware that optical dispensing was deregulated in the UK. This means practices are no longer required to use qualified dispensing opticians when helping you select your glasses.

As a result, in many high-street chains:

• Spectacle choice and fitting is done by unqualified sales staff
• Advice may focus on offers and upgrades rather than what is clinically best for you
• Important measurements and adjustments can be rushed or missed

What can go wrong with poor dispensing?

• Uncomfortable glasses that pinch, slip or feel uneven
• Lenses positioned incorrectly, causing eye strain or headaches
• Struggling with reading or screen work despite a new pair of glasses
• Children wearing lenses that are not properly centred or suited to their needs

Your glasses are a medical device, not just a fashion accessory. Getting them right requires training, not guesswork.

Why choosing a qualified dispensing optician really matters

A qualified dispensing optician makes sure your spectacles are both comfortable and optically accurate. That includes:

• Checking that the frame shape and size suit your prescription and facial features
• Ensuring the lenses sit at the correct height, angle and distance from your eyes
• Selecting lens designs that match how you actually live and work
• Making precise adjustments so your glasses feel “just right”

When your glasses are fitted properly, you can often forget you are wearing them. When they are not, you notice every single day.

Why Buchanan Optometrists is different

At Buchanan Optometrists & Audiologists, we believe you deserve expert care at every stage – not just for the eye test.

Advanced optometrist-led eye care

All of our eye examinations are carried out by highly qualified optometrists, using advanced, often hospital-grade technology. We allow longer appointment times so we can:

• Thoroughly check your eye health
• Detect early signs of eye disease
• Explain your results in clear, simple language
• Offer tailored advice to protect your vision long term

Qualified dispensing opticians – not salespeople

When it comes to choosing and fitting your glasses, you will always see a qualified dispensing optician, not an untrained sales assistant.

This means you benefit from:

• Accurate measurements and lens advice
• Frames chosen to suit your facial features and prescription
• Professional fitting and aftercare
• Honest recommendations based on what is best for your eyes

We are also one of the most awarded independent practices in the South East, recognised for clinical excellence, technology and patient care.

Optician vs optometrist: who should you see?

See an optometrist if you:

• Are due a routine eye examination
• Have noticed changes in your vision
• Have red, sore or uncomfortable eyes
• See flashes, floaters or other unusual symptoms
• Wear contact lenses or want to start
• Are concerned about a family history of eye disease

See a dispensing optician if you:

• Are choosing new spectacles
• Need advice on lens types or coatings
• Have a complex or high prescription
• Need children’s glasses fitted correctly
• Feel your existing glasses are uncomfortable or not quite right

Ideally, you want both: an expert optometrist for your eye health and a qualified dispensing optician for your glasses – exactly what you get at Buchanan Optometrists.

Ready for clearer, more comfortable vision?

Experience the difference of a thorough, technology-led eye examination and glasses fitted by qualified dispensing opticians – not sales staff.

Book your appointment:

• Online: Book your appointment here
• By phone: call our friendly team and we will help you choose the right appointment for your needs.