Consumers
The NHOS is here to help consumers receive the best vision possible through the aid of eyewear. It is recommended to find an optician that understands your unique Rx and visual needs. Members of our Society have made a commitment to their profession to keep learning and educating themselves to provide their patients the best care possible. We value your vision and if for whatever reason you feel like you are unsatisfied with your eyewear, please contact the state board to lodge a complaint, or if you would like some advice please message us at nhopticians@gmail.com.
Please sign our petition if you feel that opticians in our state should be licensed.
There are many choices for lens and frame options for your glasses and it is the responsibility of your optician to understand and advise you as to the best options for your visual needs.
Locate a American Board of Opticianry Certified Optician
Here are some common terms you may hear when purchasing your new eyewear.
20/20 vision: The first number is always what you see at 20 ft. and the second number is the distance in feet that the average person can see the same object you see at 20 ft.
PD: This stands for pupillary distance and is necessary for us to determine horizontal prism in your eyewear. Without an accurate PD measurement your optician would be unable to make eyewear to your doctors specification.
Progressive Lens: There are hundreds of designs of these types of lenses that have a graduated prescription allowing you to see different distances with a single lens. These lenses have gained popularity due to the versatility they bring to our daily visual needs as well as cosmetically not having lines like traditional bifocals or trifocals. Your optician should be able to help guide you as to which design would work best with your prescription and lifestyle.
Transitions: Often confused as progressive lenses, this is a brand of photochromic lenses. This means your lenses will change with the amount of UV your lenses are exposed to. This is why these lenses do not change as well behind your car windshield. Some other brands of these lenses are Corning/Sunsensors, Zeiss/Photofusion and Hoya/Sensity.
Prism: Glasses are a combination of prisms used to bend light to correct for vision. If you have prism prescribed separately in your prescription, it is prescribed to help eye alinement. In the most severe cases you would see double if prism is not correct with your eyewear, but in most cases it is used to help with eye strain and /or headaches.
Polarized: This lens filter blocks scattered light from passing through, allowing us to see through glare caused by reflections off water, snow and windshields.