“The way I see it is that our students are going to be our coworkers in a year.” — Rebecca Soto, Goodwin College Ophthalmic Science faculty member and practicum coordinator.

The Goodwin College optician program is the only optician school of its kind in the Capitol Region, combining the best practices in hands-on technical work, caring customer service, and patient interaction skills. As part of this amazing program, Goodwin launched a state-of-the-art optical fabrication laboratory, contact lenses laboratory, and Optical Training Store all at 403 Main St., East Hartford.

Under the direct supervision of a clinical instructor, optician program students assist with and fit eyewear for individuals at the store, which models the setting of a traditional optical practice. The store operates to patients presenting prescriptions less than a year old, and allows students the opportunity to get live, hands-on experience in the field under a controlled environment.

Opticians are responsible for analyzing and interpreting prescriptions to determine lenses that are best suited for a patient’s lifestyle and visual needs, as well as ensuring the best fit and visual acuity of contact lenses. With 65% of Americans wearing some type of vision corrective device, the demand for eye care professionals continues to rise. Students of Goodwin’s Ophthalmic Science program have access to this brand new optician training facility.

The state-of-the-art Training Store presents the full experience of helping patients and customers to choose and fit a variety of styles of frames:

And the Optical Fabrication Laboratory gives students a hands-on opportunity to learn the skills needed to make eyeglasses:

And the Contact Lenses Laboratory helps students learn how to design, fit, and dispense contact lenses:

These brand new facilities offer students opportunities found nowhere else in the Capitol Region. Take a video tour of the training store, and laboratory facility.

Interested in learning more about Goodwin College’s Ophthalmic Science program?  Want to check out our facilities? Learn more today by calling 800-889-3282 or visiting us at our website. You can also check out all of our programs to see why we’re a leading healthcare school in CT! You can also interact with us on Facebook or Twitter!