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Is Your Teen Ready for Contacts?

Who we’re looking for:

As a Receptionist/Optometric Assistant, you will be the first point of contact for our patients! We are looking for a friendly, warm face to welcome patients and offer administrative support across the practice.

This is a full time Receptionist/Optometric Assistant position. Experience in the optical or eye care industry is not required but would be an asset. Training will be provided to the successful candidate to ensure a smooth and successful start with our practice. Our office is open Monday – Friday from 9am – 5pm, closed on weekends and all statutory holidays.

Your day-to-day will include:

  • Greeting and attending patients in person and via the phone
  • Professionally assisting doctors, staff, visitors and patients
  • Answering all phone calls in a professional and courteous manner
  • Scheduling appointments between Optometrist and patients/Opticians and patients
  • Liaison between departments, specialist/ophthalmologist offices, and pharmacies with discretion and professionalism
  • Telephone triage of eye care emergencies
  • Complete accurate documentation of patient visits, maintaining patient records (electronic and paper), updating patient demographic information
  • Ensuring that stock levels are adequate and orders are timely
  • Communicate medical information and results to patients (under clinical supervision)
  • General accounting, billing to patients, billing to insurance companies
  • Ensuring the reception area is tidy
  • Receiving, sorting and distributing daily e-mails, mail and deliveries
  • Maintaining business inventory such as office supplies, eye drops, and contact lenses
  • Scheduling maintenance and repair of office equipment
  • Updating calendars and scheduling meetings
  • Performing all duties within HIPPA regulations, maintaining confidentiality of all doctor, staff and patient information

Requirements:

  • High School Diploma or GED Required
  • 1 year + reception/customer service experience is ideal
  • Experience in the optical or eye care industry is not required but would be an asset
  • Great communication and interpersonal skills
  • Ability to adapt to a fast-paced and often-changing work environment
  • Familiarity with computers and an ability to adapt to and learn new technology and software

A little bit about us:

Spectrum Eyecare & Eyewear was founded in 1976 by Dr. Peter McGuigan and we have been helping High River and surrounding area SEE for over 40 years! The practice has had locations in downtown High River before moving to its present home on 3RD Ave in January of 2019.

Dr. Tannis Shakya joined the practice as an associate in January of 2004, and became a partner in February 2006. Dr. Shakya maintains custody of Dr. McGuigan’s patient files following his retirement in April of 2022. Dr. Karlie Tweed joined the practice full-time in August 2023.

We offer a full range of eye health services to clients of all ages – from comprehensive eye health assessments, ocular disease diagnosis and treatment, post-operative care, contact lens evaluation and more – all with personalized attention and a smile.

Please forward us your resume (office@spectrumeyecare.ca) or drop by in person if you are interested in joining our team!

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Many teens who wear glasses are eager to try out contact lenses for convenience, fashion or to just provide another option for vision correction. For teens who feel self-conscious in their glasses, contact lenses can be a way to improve self-esteem. Young athletes and swimmers find that contacts are an excellent option for sports, especially as younger kids are becoming involved in travel sports and club teams outside of school. 

While contacts might appear to be the perfect solution for teens that need corrective eyewear, they are a convenience that comes with a lot of responsibility so it’s not a decision to take lightly. Improper use of contact lenses can cause severe discomfort, infections, irritation and, in the worst cases, eye damage or even permanent vision loss. 

"With Privilege Comes Responsibility"

Contact lenses are a medical device and should always be treated as such. They should never be obtained without a valid contact lens prescription from an eye doctor, and always purchased from an authorized seller. Among other issues, poor fitting contact lenses bought from illegitimate sources have been known to cause micro-abrasions to the eyes that can increase the risk of eye infection and corneal ulcers in worst case scenarios.   

Particularly when it comes to kids and teens, it is best to purchase contact lenses from an eye doctor as they possess the expertise to properly fit contact lenses based on the shape of the eye, the prescription, the lifestyle of the child and other factors that may influence the comfort, health and convenience of contact lens use. 

There is some debate over the recommended age for kids to start considering contact lenses. While some experts will say the ideal age is between 11 and 14, there are many responsible children as young as 8 or even younger who have begun to successfully use them. When children are motivated and responsible, and parents are able to ensure follow-up to the daily regimen, earlier contact lens use can be a success. A good measure of whether your child is responsible enough to use contacts is whether they are able to keep their room clean, or maintain basic hygiene like brushing teeth regularly and effectively. 

When you think your child might be ready, you should schedule an appointment with your eye doctor for a contact lens exam and fitting. The process will take a few visits to perform the exam, complete a training session on how to insert, remove and care for lenses, then to try out the lenses at home and finally reassess the comfort and fit of the contacts. You may try out a few varieties before you find the best fit. 

What Kind of Contact Lens Is Best for My Teen?

The good news is that contact lens use has become easier than ever, with safety, health and convenience being more accessible as technology improves. There are a number of options including the material used to make the lenses (soft or rigid gas permeable), the replacement schedule (if disposable, how often you replace the pair - daily, weekly, biweekly or monthly) and the wear schedule (daily or extended overnight wear). 

Single use, daily disposable lenses have become very popular, particularly with younger users, because they are easy to use, requiring no cleaning or storing, and therefore they reduce the risk of infection and misuse. You simply throw out the lenses at night and open a new one in the morning. Your eye doctor will be able to help you and your teen determine the best option.

Tips for Contact Lens Wearers

Following are some basic contact lens safety tips. If your teen is responsible enough to follow these guidelines, he or she may be ready for contact lens use:

  1. Always follow the wearing schedule prescribed by your doctor.
  2. Always wash your hands with soap before applying or removing contact lenses. 
  3. Never use any substance other than contact lens rinse or solution to clean contacts (even tap water is a no-no). 
  4. Never reuse contact lens solution
  5. Follow the eye doctor's advice about swimming or showering in your lenses
  6. Always remove your lenses if they are bothering you or causing irritation. 
  7. Never sleep in your lenses unless they are extended wear.
  8. Never use any contact lenses that were not acquired with a prescription at an authorized source. Never purchase cosmetic lenses without a prescription! 

Contact lens use is an ongoing process. As a child grows, the lens fit may change as well, so it is important to have annual contact lens assessments. Plus, new technology is always being developed to improve comfort and quality of contact lenses. 

Contact lenses are a wonderful invention but they must be used with proper care. Before you let your teen take the plunge into contact lens use, make sure you review the dangers and safety guidelines.