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In the late 1960s and early 1970s, there was growing concern too many young people were not prepared to enter the labor market. Ohio responded by creating vocational school districts, which ensured that young people would have a broad range of career options.

By 1970, 22 school districts joined together to form the Hamilton County Joint Vocational School District.

Initially, there were to be two campuses, one on the east side and one on the west, but in 1971 all that changed when Great Oaks acquired the old Army depot in Sharonville. Additionally, 13 more school districts joined the vocational school district. In 1972, the school changed its name to Great Oaks and added a fourth campus with the addition of the Clinton County Air Force Base.

NEW! Vision Care Technology

Diamond Oaks to offer Vision Care Technology program for fall 2022

Three out of four people in the U.S. wear glasses or contacts to correct their vision, according to the Vision Impact Institute. The World Health Organization calls vision health a global priority.

At the same time, an aging population is expected to increase the demand for opticians, lab technicians, and other professionals in the vision care field.

That’s why Great Oaks Career Campuses will begin high school courses in Vision Care Technology at the Diamond Oaks Career Campus in Dent starting in August 2022.  The program was originally slated to begin in 2021, but was delayed.

Great Oaks Director of Teaching and Learning Joel King said that the program provides new options for high school students.  “It’s a field that offers good jobs and opportunities for growth,” he said.  “This will give students who are interested in health care the chance to learn valuable skills, work with the same equipment that professionals use, and finish high school with knowledge and preparation that gives them an advantage in their career field.”

“Great Oaks’ role is to find career needs and create programs that start students on the path to success,” said Great Oaks President/CEO Harry Snyder.  “Vision Care Technology serves our community by training the next generation of health care and laboratory professionals.”

Students will learn about common eye disorders; how to test for visual acuity, depth perception, and color blindness; proper use of optical instruments; and prescription analysis and fitting technologies.

The program will cover:

  • The anatomy and physiology of the eye
  • Basics of ocular surgery
  • Use of ophthalmic equipment
  • Identification and treatment of eye injuries
  • Local vision screening
  • Ethics and scope of practice
  • Medical terminology

The program is open to students entering their junior year of high school in fall 2022.  Applications will be accepted starting November 15.  For more information, go to greatoaks.com/visioncare or contact Laura Domet at Diamond Oaks Career Campus, [email protected] or 513.612.7006.

Here’s how studying vision care can lead to a great career

When she visited her local career center as a high school sophomore, Aly Pollock wasn’t sure what she wanted to study.  “I was interested in health care, but not in the typical careers.”  Then she saw the Vision Care program.  “I fell in love with it.  It was a health care field I hadn’t considered before.”

“Over the next two years,” she said, “I learned about every aspect of the optical world.”  That included testing eyesight, working in an optical lab, fitting and dispensing glasses, and even some more advanced skills.  “We learned lensometry—using a lensometer to determine the prescription of a pair of glasses.  After graduation, I worked in places where experienced employees didn’t know how to do that.”

But her interest wasn’t just in eye health.  “I saw the chance to make more money than anybody I knew at that age.  That’s pretty exciting when you’re 16, 17, or 18.”

After her junior year, she did a summer internship at a private practice.  “It was a foot in the door,” she said. “I did stuff I’d never otherwise do as a high school student.”

She continued working in a private practice after high school, and said her education gave her an advantage.  “The knowledge I had put me five steps ahead in the game,” she said. 

Pollock became a licensed optician, and spent time working at Lenscrafters before taking time to work with students at Medina County Career Center, where she got her start.  Now, just 10 years after finishing high school, she’s managing two locations of a larger optical practice in northern Ohio.

“One thing I love about the optical field is that it’s always changing.  That keeps it exciting.”  For instance, she said that bionic eyes and implants along with digital technology have revolutionized the field in just the past several years.  “Retinal imaging lets us take a picture of the back of the eye.  We can see more, and keep the photos to look for changes over time.  That’s very different from just dilating and observing the eye as we did just a few years ago.” 

Health conditions change, too.  Pollock said that the pandemic has caused many people to spend more time in front of electronic screens, which leads to eye strain.  “We’re seeing more and more patients who need blue light-blocking lenses.”

She was pleased to hear that Great Oaks Career Campuses is beginning a Vision Care Technology program in southwestern Ohio.  “This is a great career field with a high demand for new professionals.  I love it, and I look forward to seeing new colleagues graduating and starting their careers.”

The Vision Care Technology program at the Diamond Oaks Career Campus begins for incoming high school juniors in fall 2022.  Applications for the program will be available on November 15.