Dibby Bartlett is working hard to provide tools for opticians in today’s Covid-challenged world. The president of the Opticians Association of America (OAA), she is acutely aware of the key challenges they have faced during the coronavirus crisis.

“First and foremost, the most pressing difficulty opticians face is staying safe,” she says. With a job that is primarily conducted face to face, it is a big challenge to stay protected from this virus.

Additionally, she adds that the encumbrances of being an optician during a pandemic are enormous. “Gloved, masked, disinfecting, working closely with the public, taking measurements, limiting patient contact, and reformulating their environment—it’s very tough and exhausting,” she says.

And lastly, many opticians are dealing with financial difficulties from being either paused, furloughed, or unemployed. Here, Bartlett shares some of the OAA’s current critical initiatives now plus smart strategies and four tips to survive (and even thrive) today.

EB: What are some key OAA initiatives to help opticians navigate this challenging time?

DIBBY BARTLETT: We purposely made a decision to position ourselves as a resource for opticians for help—literally anything from best methods to protect yourself to what to do about continuing education and how to apply for unemployment. We have worked very hard to provide everything we imagined opticians need to know now.

In the meantime, we have continued to work on the initiatives that help opticians the most. Specifically, branding, i.e., helping the consumer understand who we are and what we do; strengthening state associations, which are the advocates and protectors of opticians locally; and a National Optician Initiative, which offers opticians of unlicensed states a designation that helps their mobility to (and raises the bar for) education and certification, which is good for everyone.

EB: What are some of the most innovative ways opticians have pivoted to survive the pandemic’s challenges?

DB: I am so incredibly proud to be part of this noble profession that has worked so hard and with so much ingenuity, particularly during this time. Opticians have completely re-engineered their dispensaries, they have dispensed eyewear in cars, delivered eyewear to homes, created their own PPE for instruments, and one even built a walk-up window in their shop.

Opticians by nature are problem solvers—that’s what we do. The same quality that helps us repair a frame when the customer is heading on vacation to a remote island in 10 minutes is the same quality that helps us be so creative about surviving and recovering during this time.

EB: What is your best advice for opticians to survive and even thrive in the times ahead?

DB: Specifically, I would say look to our newsletter for the resources we are sharing. But overall, there are four pieces of advice I would like to share:

1. Learn to adapt and change what you need to for today and tomorrow. The way we work is changing now and will continue to change. That’s the way life is. But, adapt and you will not only survive but you WILL thrive.
2. Regarding Covid 19—my mother had a great piece of advice she shared with me many times. She said, “Start from where you are instead of where you wish you were.” This is where we are, and the best thing we can do is keep our eyes looking forward.
3. Join your state association! If you care about yourself and your profession, that is the best thing you can do. We need your voice!
4. When you worry or waver, remember who you are. You are a professional, educated, experienced optician, and this world needs you.