Durham Technical Community College

• 1. Prepare the participant to take the NC State Boards;
• 2. Meet the new requirements for formal training for apprentices; and
• 3. Help already good Opticians and related personnel become even better!

Some of the courses shown below require no prerequisites, and anyone interested (with a High School diploma or GED) may register. Optical Theory I requires that the participant have passed OPH 101 Math for Opticians, or MAT 101 or above at your local Community College, or any college-level Algebra course.  Ophthalmic Lab Concepts requires that the participant have passed OPH 141 Optical Theory I.  The Contact Lens course requires that the participant have passed OPH 121 Anatomy and Physiology of the Eye and OPH 141 Optical Theory I. 

Please note that all courses may not be offered every semester.  None of these courses will be available during the summer term. 

Tuition for the courses is currently $35.50 per semester hour for persons who have resided in North Carolina for one year or more, and $197.00 per semester hour for non-residents of North Carolina. Fees depend on which program the student is attending. Fees for the Internet courses are $21 per semester. Books costs range from about $50 to about $110 each.  For application and registration materials, please call Admissions at (919)686-3333. 

For more information, call Mike Szczerbiak at (919) 686-3485 or e-mail Mike at  szczerbiakm@durhamtech.edu . 

Information about the North Carolina Opticianry Board Examination is available at this location.    Please address any questions about apprenticeship, qualifications for taking the board examination, or application to sit for the board examination to:

Sue Kornegay, Administrative Director 
                    N.C. State Board of Opticians 
                    Medical Society Building 
                    P.O. Box 25336 
                    Raleigh, N.C.  27611-5336 
                    (919) 733-9321

CLASS ORIENTATION
The Opticianry program Orientation is a Blackboard course.  That means that it is a very short program that you go through on the internet, using the course software called "Blackboard".  You will be given instructions on how to get into this course after you submit a permission form to take the courses. 

• OPH 101   Math for Opticians   3 semester hours.   Currently offered Summer semester only.
  
Basic arithmetic, basic algebra, basic trigonometry. The result will be the skills you need to manipulate the optical formulas. Textbook: Christopher Introductory Technical Mathematics. This course will not transfer to the AAS Degree program.
 
• OPH 131   Optical Dispensing I    3 semester hours.       Currently offered Fall semester only.
Introduction to Opticianry, basic dispensing skills. Textbook: Brooks & Borish Systems for Ophthalmic Dispensing 2nd ed.
 
• OPH 141   Optical Theory I   3 semester hours.     Currently offered Fall semester only.
Theory of light, basic formulas through prism formulas. Textbook: Stoner & Perkins, Optical Formulas Tutorial. Prerequisite OPH 101. 
 
• OPH 121   Anatomy & Physiology of the Eye      3 semester hours.       Currently offered Spring semester only.
This course is required before you take Contact Lenses. Textbook: Remington, Clinical Anatomy of the Visual System.
 
• OPH 102   Ophthalmic Lab Concepts      2 semester hours.     Currently offered Spring semester only.
Surfacing and Finishing theory and formulas.  No laboratory component.  Textbook: Brooks Understanding Lens Surfacing. Prerequisite OPH 101, OPH 141. This course will not transfer to the AAS Degree program.
 
• OPH 260 Concepts in Contact Lens Fitting     3 semester hours.     Currently offered Summer semester only.
Designing and fitting of rigid and soft contact lenses. No laboratory component. Textbook: Contact Lens Society of America Contact Lens Manual: a Comprehensive Study and Reference Guide. Prerequisite OPH 121, OPH 141. This course will not transfer to the AAS Degree program.