OPTOMETRIST/ SENIOR OPTOMETRIST

ABOUT YOU 

• You delight in providing the magic of clear vision to your customers.
• You are passionate about improving the accessibility of affordable eyeglasses to earners and learners vulnerable to poverty. 
• People view you as the go-to person for everything optical. You have a wealth of knowledge and know-how about vision screening and eyeglasses.
• You are a natural teacher. You love sharing your knowledge and getting others excited about what they are going to do. You know how to include people and make them feel a part of a broader purpose.
• You are a roll-up-your-sleeves, hands-on, team player. To provide the highest-quality service to your customers, you are not above doing any task, large or small.
• You set a positive example through practices like punctuality, respect, and commitment to work.
• Humility and a willingness to constantly learn are the pillars of your existence.

ABOUT US

• VisionSpring increases lifelong earning, learning, safety, and well-being through eyeglasses for people vulnerable to poverty. We believe in the wonder of clear vision for everybody.
• We sell and deliver radically affordable optical products and services and develop markets for eyeglasses—a 700-year-old technology that has failed to reach 1 billion people in need of vision correction, most of whom live on less than $4 a day.
• We serve low-income consumers, not as beneficiaries but as customers. Our customers expect quality, affordable products and eyecare services, and will spend limited discretionary income for the immediate and tangible benefits of vision correction.
• As a social enterprise, we are purpose first. We blend philanthropic and earned revenue, draw on non-profit and business practices, and use sales and efficiency metrics and social impact measures to bring vision correction to ever more people.
• We catalyze collaborative action in an expansive, multisector partner network and use our evidence and experience to influence systems change and close the global clear vision gap.
• We believe in scaling our impact, not our organization. We are a lean team of doers.
• Our big goal: Everyone who needs eyeglasses will have them by 2050.

Job requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in optometry, awarded upon successful completion of four years of study in optometry, from a locally or internationally certified institution.
• 1-3 years’ experience working as a part-time or full-time optometrist (fresh graduates with strong motivation will also be considered).
• Strong vision screening and refraction skills, including accurate cylinder refraction with a trial lens set. Experience writing eyeglass prescriptions. Ability to diagnose and treat eye-related disorders and conditions.
• Experience counseling customers on diagnoses, vision care, and eyeglass selection. 
• Professional proficiency in verbal and written Bengali and English for internal and external communications.
• Must meet the highest standards of ethics and personal integrity, with a demonstrated capacity for maintaining confidentiality and protecting customers’ private health and personal information.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite software and other programs/applications.
• Ability to work long hours and pitch in, as needed, for the full duration of vision camps. Official time will fall between the starting and finishing times of the vision camp, excluding travel time between VisionSpring’s local office/pickup point and the camp center.
• Willingness to travel across districts in Bangladesh, with overnight stays as needed for community eye care/health care programs, awareness programs, trade programs, conferences, trainings, or for any other purpose that VisionSpring deems necessary.

Job responsibilities

Vision Screening

• Engage customers in conversation to discover what problems they are experiencing with their vision.
• Take and record customers’ medical histories to understand what may have led to eye diseases, eye injuries or disorders/abnormalities, record current and past prescription medications, and evaluate eye-related symptoms such as discharge, redness, and inflammation.
• Examine customers’ eyes using observation, instruments and equipment. Perform vision tests and analyze results to determine visual acuity and perception. Diagnose sight abnormalities and diseases such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, color blindness, cataracts, suspected glaucoma, etc.
• Identify eye health safety factors that could impact vision.
• Prescribe, supply, fit and adjust eyeglasses and other vision aids.
• Refer customers to other healthcare institutes if eye problems are beyond VisionSpring’s scope of practice or require ongoing care, such as customers who require vision therapy, low-vision rehabilitation, or treatment for strabismus/amblyopia.

Customer Education

• Promote eye health, and general health related to clear vision, by counseling customers on vision and eye care, and offering advice and reassurance about vision-related matters.
• Educate customers on good visual hygiene and eyeglass care.
• Provide excellent care and demonstrate respect and regard for the dignity of all customers to ensure customer satisfaction and foster a professional and courteous vision camp experience.
• Dispel myths and misconceptions about eyeglasses and blurry vision.
• Advise customers choosing eyeglass frames and lenses.

 
Team Training and Support

• Train new VisionSpring team members in the fundamentals of vision, eye health and optical products.
• Provide protocols and training to pre-screeners to ensure accurate pre-screening of customers.
• Consult with VisionSpring Global senior optometrists regarding customers requiring critical medical care and prepare medical cases on those instances to share with local team members and colleagues across the organization as needed.
• Share lessons learned with other VisionSpring team members by reviewing critical cases.
• Provide ongoing guidance and mentorship to Team members.
• Fill-in for absent team members or participate in job rotation for other roles (registrar, counsellor etc.) within the team as needed.

Data Collection and Report Writing

• From time to time and as directed, collect customer profile data, customer stories and survey data to help understand customer satisfaction, preferences and barriers to vision and optical care.
• Use DigitEyes platform to capture all the relevant data and delivery camp report to authorized personnel.