A new donation of eyeglass frames is enabling Opticianry students at Seneca to set their sights on the future.
With 1,330 frames from Mood Eyewear, nearly triple their gift from last year, first-year students in Seneca’s Opticianry diploma program have been able to use a variety of frames and obtain hands-on experience for working in their chosen field.
Access to frames is essential to Opticianry students, allowing them to practise how to accurately measure and fit lenses for patients. In one year, Opticianry students can easily work through more than 500 sets of frames.
“Our professor gave us each four frames to take home, and we work on these on our own time as well as in class,” said first-year student Nicole Gage. “It’s really good to practise. Part of what we’re learning is not only picking the right frame for a patient’s prescription, but we are trying to find the right frame that matches their face, style and taste. We also get to practise adjustments and fitting the frame to a person’s face.”
Without the frames, she said, the students would be missing a lot of learning that is key to becoming opticians.
Another first-year student, Tae (yeun) Kim, said the frames are giving her the practical experience she needs. “We analyze them and look at the different parts of the frame so that we can adjust them,” she said.
Ms. Kim came to Canada six years ago and recently started studying in the Opticianry program to launch a new career path. She hopes to one day work with an organization of opticians who travel to developing countries to help people around the world correct their vision, while Ms. Gage plans to use her skills in supporting patients in a large store in Canada with an in-house optician.
Through the program and the hands-on learning that donors like Mood Eyewear support, the students are confident they will be prepared to work in the field.