optician
Americannoun
-
a person who makes or sells eyeglasses and, usually, contact lenses, for remedying defects of vision in accordance with the prescriptions of ophthalmologists and optometrists.
-
a maker or seller of optical glass and instruments.
noun
Synonym Usage
See eye doctor.
Etymology
Origin of optician
1670–80; from French opticien, from Medieval Latin optic(a) ( see optics) + French -ien -ian
Explanation
The person who makes your eye glasses is an optician. They work in the back room of the glasses shop, or at a factory, fabricating the lenses and attaching them to the frames. While an optician can determine whether you are nearsighted or farsighted, if you have a medical eye problem, you probably want to visit an optometrist or an ophthalmologist. Both of these are eye doctors, but the latter has completed full medical training and has chosen eye health as a specialty.
Vocabulary lists containing optician
Common Senses: Op, Ops, Opt ("Sight")
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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UCPS 6th Grade Roots List #11
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Following an eye test in May, Katie was called by the optician who told her to take her daughter straight to A&E at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
In Florstadt, automated procedures coexist with manual handling at fixed workstations, such as preparing a single contact lens ordered by an optician for a specific patient for further shipping.
From Barron's ● Apr. 5, 2026
After visiting an optician who identified a problem with his optic nerve and referred him to a neurologist, George received an MRI and lumbar puncture which confirmed his MS diagnosis in March 2022.
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026
When Jane Kingsbury, 80, last had her eyes tested, she says her optician told her that her eyesight was OK.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
Mrs. Anderson’s own doctor ran his practice on Main Street, above the optician.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
