Opticians Assocation of Illinois

Vision

What is an Optician?

Opticians are highly trained vision care professionals. Other eye health practitioners diagnose what’s wrong with your vision, but it is the Optician who determines the eyewear or technology that best corrects the diagnosed problem. Custom fitting of frames and lenses are created to suit individual needs.

Eye Shapes

Human eye shapes can affect vision.

There are several different types of eyeball shapes. The most common are a normal eye, or one that's emmetropic; an elongated or myopic eyeball, which causes nearsightedness; and a shortened or hyperopic eyeball, which results in farsightedness. The cornea and lens of the eye can also be shaped differently and affect vision. Ask your Optician for more information.

Did You Know?

Vision Irregularities

According to Refractive Error Source, it is common to have some degree of imperfect vision because light does not focus correctly on most people's retinas. Most vision issues can be corrected with eyeglasses. Every eyeglass prescription has a set of numbers and abbreviations that are used to identify what is needed to correct a person's vision. The numbers tell whether the prescription is made for nearsighted, farsighted, astigmatism, bifocal or other vision corrections, also called refractive errors.

Blurred Vision?

It's time for new glasses!

If you're finding it hard to see clearly, it may be time for a pair of eyeglasses. Eyeglasses correct refractive errors, which can occur when the eye is too long or too short from the back to the front. Visiting an ophthalmologist or optometrist as soon as you notice blurred or distorted vision can help you avoid eyestrain and headaches and can help you improve your performance at work or school.

Login Form

Welcome to the OAI

Message from the President

The Opticians of Illinois are to be recognized as Professional Distributors in our communities. Our Association in Illinois works toward this goal for all.

The mission of the Opticians Association of Illinois is to provide all opticians and ophthalmic dispensers with continuing education, to promote professional recognition through legislation and to enhance consumer awareness of the optician's role in the ophthalmic community.

The strength of any association is in its numbers and as our membership continues to grow we have become stronger. The association has always been a means to receive education, help to become ABO certified and get CECs toward recertification. This is not enough as our board of directors has concluded. We are working to help the opticians in Illinois to have credentials they can present to show the strength of their accomplishments. How is this going to work, you may ask? We are taking Opticians to the next level. Registration is the answer. What do you need to get registered as an optician of Illinois? You must first be a member of the Opticians Association of Illinois. You must have your ABO certification and you must pass a practical examination and 3 years in the OAI apprenticeship program. This is what your Association is doing for the opticians of Illinois. Now it is up to you to get involved in your profession.

WE ARE THE OPTICIANS OF ILLINOIS AND WE WANT TO BE RECOGNIZED AS PROFESSIONAL DISTRUBUTORS IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

Join your Association.

Pam Lamberson, ABOC, HFOAA

President, Opticians Association of Illinois

Fall Convention

Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino

Come join us at the Par-A-Dice Hotel and Casino on November 9th.

Our OAI Fall Conference brings you 6 ABO Prep Course hours. Click HERE to view the event.

Certifications

Do you need to renew your certifications? If so, the OAI is the perfect place to receive certification hours. Our classes range from ABO Prep courses to NCLEC classes to ABOC credits.

Online Registration

You now have the option to register online for our conventions. View our Calendar to see the available events. Once you find an event that interests you, select it and you can register and pay online.