O P T I C I A N S
About Us...
A top priority at Eyeballs is "educating the customer."
Independent opticians have access to every possible lens style and material available on the market today. Optical chains have a very limited selection.
Independents sell over 600 different progressive lenses. One style of progressive lens is not for everyone. When your friend says they couldn't get use to progressive lenses...they were just put in the wrong style. Why do you think there are so many different styles?
Eyeballs does not retain an eye doctor on staff to do eye exams. We are old fashion opticians that believe that the doctor that examines your eyes should not be the person who makes your eyeglasses. We consider this a conflict of interest.
When you have an eye examination your doctor is required to give you your prescription. It is up to you where you go to get that prescription filled. While some eye doctors have a selection of frames and lenses they use, their selections pale in comparison to the selection you will find in an independent optical shop.
Should you be looking for a new eye doctor, we will be happy to refer you to a number of outstanding doctors in our area.
Meet Lyn K. Verna, AAS, LDO, ABO
Lyn is a highly respected, professional optician with over 25 years’ of training and experience. She is the Founder and CEO of Eyeballs USA Opticians, an independent optical finishing and dispensing shop as well as an optical lenses selection consulting practice in Damascus Maryland. Eyeballs is recognized within segments of the Maryland and Virginia Ophthalmologist community for its work in helping a broad variety of special needs patients and assisting doctors with structuring optical solutions for challenging patients.
Lyn has worked as a trusted advisor to many Ophthalmologists and Optometrists helping them evaluate and develop optical solutions for the most medically difficult and/or demanding patients. Lyn has worked successfully with many individuals with “other than normal” visual needs that other optical service providers have referred to Eyeballs including: pilots, IT professionals, musicians, artists, plumbers, mechanics, watchmakers, hobbyists, sportsmen and electricians.
Lyn began her optical training with Louis Ricarrdi Opticians of Philadelphia, renowned within the Physicians’ community for its skills in resolving the most challenging optical problems. Apprenticing with Lou, Lyn studied medical needs, facial structure, optical lens limitations, lens selection, optical fitting as well as contact lens technology.
Following her work with Lou, Lyn joined Yardley Optical in Bucks County Pennsylvania; continuing her apprenticeship under Ely Dreyfus, a highly experienced optician trained and licensed in Germany. Highly skilled at dealing with the most medically challenging patients, Ely trained Lyn rigorously in the design and fabrication of custom, “individualized” lenses along with the fitting of the disabled and special needs children.
While apprenticing, Lyn studied optical sciences, dispensing and lens fabrication at Camden College in Blackwood New Jersey
where she earned her A.A.S. with Honors in 1985. Upon graduation, Lyn successfully passed, the rigorous, three day New Jersey State Licensed Dispensing Optician (LDO) examination.
Moving to Ithaca, New York, another rigorously licensed State, Lyn continued her work and training with Cornell Optical. Working with Roger Bellhumor, a former Bausch & Lomb optical engineer trained in Toronto, Lyn specialized in helping senior citizens with their complex visual needs.
After Cornell Optical, Lyn moved to the Washington DC area and became the Manager of Dispensing for LensCrafters in Montgomery County, Maryland. Her work included setting-up a new optical practice and consulting with area eye Physicians as well as having day-to-day responsibilities for dispensing, lab work, staff training and vendor relationships.
In 2001, Lyn founded Eyeballs USA Opticians in Damascus Maryland.
Lyn works with a host of regular and specialty labs across the country as well as labs in Canada and Germany. Her most significant work is with special needs children and as such she is the first optician to enter into a working relationship with the founder of Erin’s World; a frame manufacturer who designs eyeglass frames that fit the unique facial structure of the Down syndrome child. Lyn has successfully fit babies with eyeglasses as old as 4 months of age and adults as young as 105.
Lyn holds an AAS in Applied Optical Sciences from Camden College in Blackwood, New Jersey. She is a member of the Opticians Association of American (OAA), American Board of Opticianary (ABO), Fellow National Academy of Opticians (FNAO) as well as a Licensed Dispensing Optician (LDO) in the State of New Jersey, one of the most rigorously licensed states in the Nation.