Nitec in Opticianry

Course Overview  |   Entry Requirements  |   Duration and Venue  |   Progression Opportunities  |   Career Prospects  |   Course Structure  

Course Overview

 

The eyes are the windows to the world. A little goes a long way when it comes to taking care of these priceless assets. 

 

Open up these windows to the world by taking up the Nitec in Opticianry course! You will learn to recommend lens and frames to clients based on clients’ styles, colours and facial shapes. You will also learn to take and record clients’ ocular measurements and perform subjective refraction.

 

Opticianry

 

 

Acquire knowledge and skills which are highly relevant to the industry

  • Take and record clients’ measurements and specifications required for optical aids.
  • Assist clients in selecting frames to co-ordinate with the style, colour, facial and eye measurements, and optical prescription.
  • Recommend specific lenses, lens coatings and frames to suit clients’ needs.
  • Perform sales of optical products such as spectacles, sunglasses and other eye related goods.
  • Prepare work orders and instructions for edging of lenses.
  • Adjust eyewear to fit clients.
  • Maintain records of clients’ prescription, work orders and payments.
  • Perform administrative duties such as tracking inventory, sales and simple bookkeeping

 

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Entry Requirements


To apply for the Nitec in Opticianry course,  you need to have:

 

Subject
Grade
GCE ‘O’ level grades in any 2 subjects
1-8
or
  
GCE ‘N’ level passes in Mathematics or Science and 2 other subjects
 A-D or 1-5


 

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Duration and Venue

 

This is a two-year course and is available at:

 

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Progression Opportunities

 

Nitec in Opticianry graduates with a GPA of 2.3 and above may also apply for progression to related Higher Nitec courses offered by ITE.

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Career Prospects

 

Nitec in Opticianry graduates are employed in variety of settings such as independent or joint practice, hospitals, eye care centres, optical laboratories or optical retail stores. 

 

Some of the job titles held by graduates include Optician, Dispensing Optician and Dispensing and Refraction Optician.

 

There are excellent opportunities for career advancement to supervisory positions and beyond. The challenge is for students to upgrade their technical skills and knowledge by taking up higher-level courses.

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Videoclip on Learning Environment


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Course Structure

To obtain the Nitec in Opticianry certification, you need to accumulate at least 73 credits.

 

Core Modules
51
Life Skills Modules
16
Elective Modules
6
Total
73


 

Core Modules (Click here to view module description)
Credits
Basic Ocular Anatomy and Instrumentation
6
Basic Optics
7
Ophthalmic Laboratory Processing I
7
Industry Attachment I
4
Opthalmic Laboratory Processing_II
7
Ophthalmic Dispensing
7
Retail Management and Customer Service
9
Industry Attachment II
4
Life Skills Modules
Credits
Life Skills for Personal Development
8
Life Skills at the Workplace
4
Sports and Wellness I
2
Sports and Wellness II
2
Electives
Course Specific Credits
Subjective Refraction
4
Physiological Optics
4
Inter-Disciplinary Credits
Professional Image and Etiquette
3
Small Business Management
3
Workplace First Aid and CPR
2
Safety Audit and Risk Management
2
Laser Show Production
2
General
Credits
Communicative English (Level 1 to 8 )
3
English Language 'O' 1 to IV
2 or 3
Mathematics (Level 1 to 10)
3
Mathematics 'O' I to IV
2 or 3
Overseas Experiential Programme
2 or 3
Overseas Institution Elective
2 or 3
Overseas Work Attachment
2 or 3

Note: The offer of electives is subject to the training schedule of respective ITE Colleges. Students are advised to check with their Class Advisors on the availability of the elective modules they intend to pursue.

 

Occupation Traits and Functional Ability Requirements
 

Nature of Work
Functional Abilities
Remarks
As Opticians, or sometimes known as Dispensing Opticians, they help their clients to see better and look good on well-fitting eyeglasses.
  
This course is less suitable for students who do not possess the functional abilities indicated.  If in doubt, please consult your school career guidance officer or visit ITE College for further academic advising.
They measure clients’ eyes, including the distance between the centres of the pupils and the distance between the ocular surface and the lens. For clients with prescriptions, dispensing opticians may use a focimeter, an optical equipment which could record eyeglass measurements, in order to check their existing prescription.  To ensure accurate measurements are taken, they need to guide clients on the proper use of their eyewear prescribed.  This includes sitting posture and positioning of the eyes. They need to also record and gather information on the client's visual needs.
hand and finger dexterity, sensory ability (sight and hearing), communication skills, physical mobility
They need to communicate with their clients to find out their preference and to recommend eyeglass frames and lenses that would improve their looks based on their facial types. They may be required to prepare work orders and key in relevant information pertaining to the client’s records of particulars and eye data on computer. They also have to attend to housekeeping activities, including counter display of glass frames. All these activities are usually done at the shop-front of the retail outlets.
interaction with strangers communication skills, physical mobility,hand and finger dexterity,sensory ability
Opticians working in lens laboratories will help to prepare the lenses based on the prescription ordered.  They are required to cut lenses to the correct frame shape, perform grinding and chamfering of lens edges, and apply tint onto lens surfaces, depending on the work orders.  The equipment, tools and materials they work on require them to possess fine motor skills. These machines if not handled properly may also compromise the user's safety. Therefore the user needs to mentally alert and aware of the work related risks.
dealing with non-routine activities physical mobility hand and finger dexterity sensory (sight & hearing)ability to react quickly


 
For more information


For general queries on the course, please email training@ite.edu.sg.

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