EPISODE · May 26, 2026 · 30 MIN
Consumer Attitudes: What Patients Really Think About Opticians | The Vision Council
from Mission:Optician · host United Opticians Association
What do patients think an optician does? Do they assume opticians are licensed and certified? And how does that impact trust, policy, and the future of the profession? In 2025, the United Opticians Association partnered with The Vision Council to commission a national survey exploring consumer attitudes toward optician licensing and professional qualifications. In this data-driven episode of Mission:Optician, host Gwen Cooper, executive director of UOA, is joined by Bob Alexander, UOA’s director of education, and special guest Alysse Henkel, former vice president of research and inSights at The Vision Council, to unpack the findings from this consumer attitudes survey. They discuss the gaps between patient expectations and reality in opticianry and share key findings to inform lawmakers. Plus, hear what this data means for education pathways and elevating the opticianry profession — while celebrating the high satisfaction rates opticians already achieve. In this episode, you will learn: What consumers understand (and misunderstand) about opticians What patients expect from opticians in terms of certification and qualifications Why opticians earn high satisfaction ratings and how to keep building on that success How UOA and The Vision Council transformed “anec-data” into research-backed findings that can drive advocacy Explore the consumer attitudes survey results at https://www.opticians.org/consumer-attitudes Learn more about UOA and join our growing community at https://opticians.org Shape the conversation on Mission:Optician! Tell us what topics and guests you want us to feature next at https://opticians.org/podcast
What this episode covers
What do patients think an optician does? Do they assume opticians are licensed and certified? And how does that impact trust, policy, and the future of the profession? In 2025, the United Opticians Association partnered with The Vision Council to commission a national survey exploring consumer attitudes toward optician licensing and professional qualifications. In this data-driven episode of Mission:Optician, host Gwen Cooper, executive director of UOA, is joined by Bob Alexander, UOA’s director of education, and special guest Alysse Henkel, former vice president of research and inSights at The Vision Council, to unpack the findings from this consumer attitudes survey. They discuss the gaps between patient expectations and reality in opticianry and share key findings to inform lawmakers. Plus, hear what this data means for education pathways and elevating the opticianry profession — while celebrating the high satisfaction rates opticians already achieve. In this episode, you will learn: What consumers understand (and misunderstand) about opticians What patients expect from opticians in terms of certification and qualifications Why opticians earn high satisfaction ratings and how to keep building on that success How UOA and The Vision Council transformed “anec-data” into research-backed findings that can drive advocacy Explore the consumer attitudes survey results at https://www.opticians.org/consumer-attitudes Learn more about UOA and join our growing community at https://opticians.org Shape the conversation on Mission:Optician! Tell us what topics and guests you want us to feature next at https://opticians.org/podcast
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Consumer Attitudes: What Patients Really Think About Opticians | The Vision Council
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