August 17, 2026 · 4 min read
Optician, optometrist, ophthalmologist: who does what
Three professions, three jobs, and a confusion that wastes a lot of people's time. Which one to see, and in what order.
The three words start the same and end differently, which helps nobody. The distinction is simple enough, though, and knowing it saves you a wasted trip.
The optometrist: the exam and the prescription
This is the person who examines your eyes. They measure your sight, check the health of the eye, screen for what needs screening, and they are the one who writes the prescription. If your question starts with "has my sight changed", the optometrist is where that gets answered.
The ophthalmologist: the doctor
A medical doctor who specializes in the eye. Surgery, disease, treatment: cataracts, glaucoma, retina. You usually get there by referral, often from the optometrist who saw something during the exam.
The optician: the frame, the lenses, the fit
This is my part. I take the prescription somebody else wrote and turn it into a pair of glasses that works on your face. That means interpreting the prescription, taking the measurements, advising on the frame and the lens type, having the lenses cut, then fitting the whole thing — and refitting it afterwards, for as long as you wear them, whenever I am next through.
What I do not do is the exam. I do not write prescriptions and I do not diagnose. The profession is regulated in New Brunswick by the Opticians Association of New Brunswick, which sets out what an optician may and may not do.
The order to do it in
Exam first, glasses second. They are two separate appointments with two different people, and you are not obliged to buy your glasses where your eyes were examined. A lot of people do not realize this and buy in the same place out of habit rather than choice.
Why the confusion sticks
Because in a lot of shops all three happen under one roof: you go in for an exam and come out with a bill for glasses. That is not a bad thing in itself, it is simply convenient. But it makes the whole thing look like one service, and it makes it surprising that an optician would come to your house with no examination equipment in the trunk.
If you are not sure which one you need, call me and I will tell you, even when the answer is that it is not me.