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This last six weeks or so has been rough. I have been very busy at work plus I am trying to write a couple of continuing education courses. I have had 5 patients pass away; the bottom fell out of my 401K and my wife just informed me that the only thing higher than gas is milk! Have you ever found yourself hovering over your kids, making sure they haven't wasted too much milk on their cereal? I have and I hate it. Do you remember the good old days when you could count on pasta as an inexpensive side dish to fix? Now I'm sounding like a grandpa. I'll give you two guesses where this month's article is going. That's right boys and girls, daddy is going to grumble!

I have been following a couple of threads on my favorite optical website, www.optiboard.com. If you haven't done so yet, check it out. The first one has to deal with the fine series that Dr. Warren McDonald has been doing for EyeCare Professional, "The American Optician." The thread is very complimentary, but that being said, there seems to be an underling feeling of "where do we go from here" or "only if we had the power to make changes." Guess what people; NO one is going to help you. You have to help yourself. You want the power, take it. The rest of the optical world (OD's, MD's) pay as much attention to you and what you think as I do an ant! We (Opticians) have been rolling around on the floor saying "oh woe is me" for so long that we can't be heard any longer. As an example of what I'm talking about, a poster named Angela wrote this on the website: 

You are right. We should be able to progress to the next level. However, we do not have funding needed to progress any further.

This was only an excerpt of her post. The following was my short reply. 

Not having the money is a fine excuse, but that is all it is. The vast majority of us are far too comfortable in our role as sales clerk to do anything meaningful. All of us have to ask ourselves when was the last time we did anything but whine about our lot? Are you a member of you state Optician's association? What about the national (OAA, NAO, CLSA)? It cost less than $0.50 to write and send a letter, and even less to send an email. DO SOMETHING, even if it is wrong. At least you have done something. Angela, this is not directed at you, but at us all.

My point is this, far too many of us are more that willing to just sit back and hope someone will get us out of this corner that we have backed ourselves into. I have heard many of the "leaders" in the optical industry say that "we must educate before we can legislate." What they are referring to is that we as Opticians must strive for some higher form of education or at least some sort of minimum training standards prior to seeking help in getting all states licensed. In my opinion, the person that we need to educate is the patient or consumer, if you wish to use that term. If Sally Sue and Bobby Joe understand that in most states anyone can fit and dispense eyewear, they will contact their state legislators. Then and only then will our lot change. 

An example of this is in a post on Optiboard entitled "Michigan Consumer Pushing for Licensing." The post by Dick Baker refers to a newspaper article where a 68 year old grandmother had made numerous trips to get her glasses fixed correctly. Fourteen trips in all! When she found out that Michigan has no licensing of Opticians, she went berserk. She held a meeting at her local seniors' center and is holding more across the state. She is doing this to inform her fellow seniors' about the need for trained, licensed, Opticians. This lady has gone as far as to contact her state representative and her state senator in hope of bringing this issue to the forefront. 

Actions like this should be cheered. I would go one step further in saying that her actions should be duplicated. If you are in an unlicensed state you should, in cooperation with your state association, start visiting senior centers, like VFW's, ELK's, KOC, etc. Do this to inform these good people of the need for quality, trained, certified or licensed Opticians. Let them know that in their state, the government feels it necessary for a nail tech to have a license, to undergo continuing education, and to maintain a professional standard, thus eyes must not be as important as fingernails.

We cannot go head to head against the lobbyists for the large retailers, or the OD's. Just as Angela said, we Opticians just don't have the money. We cannot change the game, but we can change the field on which it is played. Don't just think outside the box, act out of the box. Refuse to be the industry's whipping boy by educating yourself and informing others of the skills that only trained, certified or licensed Opticians have. Having the certifications hanging from your wall may not mean anything to you, but to your patients I believe it means a lot. To quote Dr. Warren McDonald, "A license provides evidence of SOME learning and achievement. Without it you have only your word."

If some of what I said steps on your toes, then good, you most likely deserve it. I want you all to get up off your collective butts and do something, make some noise, buy the lady in Michigan a tank of gas for trying to expand your profession. 

My rant is over for this month, thanks for listening. Take care of your patients and send the customers to the other guys.

Paul R. King, ABOC/NCLEC LDO is an independent consultant specializing retail optical laboratory
and sales training and also works as an opti­cian for Tri-State Vision in Cincinnati, Ohio  asktheking@ECPmag.com