Opticians fit eyeglasses or contact lenses from a prescription from an optometrist or ophthalmologist. Generally they run businesses. In some countries they may be paid by health services or health insurers.
The earliest known opticians are in the thirteenth century in Italy.[1]
In the British National Health Service about 5 million pairs of spectacles were provided each year in the 1950s.[2]
See also: Optics