Opticians, Dispensing

Summary

Opticians advise customers on styles of eyewear that suit their needs.

Quick Facts: Dispensing Opticians
2010 Median Pay	$32,940 per year $15.84 per hour
Entry-Level Education	High school diploma or equivalent
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	Long-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs, 2010	62,600
Job Outlook, 2010-20	29% (Much faster than average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	18,100

What Dispensing Opticians Do

Dispensing opticians help fit eyeglasses and contact lenses, following prescriptions from ophthalmologists and optometrists. They also help customers decide which eyeglass frames or type of contact lenses to buy.

Work Environment

Some opticians work in stores that sell glasses, contact lenses, and other optical goods. These stores may be stand-alone businesses or parts of larger retail establishments, such as department stores. Other opticians work as part of a group optometry or medical practice.

How to Become a Dispensing Optician

Opticians typically have a high school diploma or equivalent and some form of on-the-job training. Some states require opticians to be licensed.

Pay

The median annual wage of opticians was $32,940 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment of opticians is expected to grow by 29 percent from 2010 to 2020, much faster than the average for all occupations. An aging population is expected to lead to greater demand for eye care services.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of dispensing opticians with similar occupations.

O*NET

O*NET provides comprehensive information on key characteristics of workers and occupations.

Contacts for More Information

Learn more about dispensing opticians by contacting these additional resources.

What Dispensing Opticians Do About this section

Opticians help customers choose eyeglass frames and lens treatments.

Dispensing opticians help fit eyeglasses and contact lenses, following prescriptions from ophthalmologists and optometrists. They also help customers decide which eyeglass frames or type of contact lenses to buy.

Duties

Opticians typically do the following:

• Receive customers’ prescriptions, which ophthalmologists and optometrists have written, for eyeglasses or contact lenses
• Take measurements of customers’ eyes, such as the width or thickness of their corneas
• Help customers choose eyeglass frames and lens treatments, such as tints or nonreflective coatings, based on their vision needs and style preferences
• Create work orders for ophthalmic laboratory technicians, providing information about the lenses needed
• Make adjustments to finished eyeglasses to ensure a good fit
• Repair or refit broken eyeglass frames
• Educate customers about eyewear—for example, showing them how to care for their contact lenses
• Do business tasks, such as maintaining sales records, keeping track of customers’ prescriptions, and ordering inventory

Opticians who work in small shops or prepare custom orders may grind lenses and insert them into frames themselves, tasks usually performed by ophthalmic laboratory technicians. For more information, see the profile on ophthalmic laboratory technicians.

Work Environment About this section

Many opticians work in retail stores, and some own their place of work.

Dispensing opticians held about 62,600 jobs in 2010. The industries employing the largest numbers of dispensing opticians in 2010 were as follows:

Some opticians work in stores that sell glasses, contact lenses, and other optical goods. These stores may be stand-alone businesses or parts of larger retail establishments, such as department stores.

Other opticians work as part of a group optometry or medical practice, where optometrists and ophthalmologists provide eye-related medical care to patients. For more information, see the profiles on optometrists and on physicians and surgeons.

Work Schedules

Opticians who work in larger retail establishments, such as department stores, may have to work evenings and weekends. Most opticians work full time, although part-time opportunities also are available.

How to Become a Dispensing Optician About this section

Opticians typically have a high school diploma or equivalent and some form of on-the-job training. Licensure also is required in some states.

Education and Training

Most opticians have at least a high school diploma. Opticians typically learn job skills through formal on-the-job programs. This training includes technical instruction in which, for example, new opticians measure a customer’s eyes or adjust frames under the supervision of an experienced optician. Trainees also learn sales and office management practices.

A number of community colleges and technical schools offer formal education in opticianry. Some award an associate’s degree, which takes two years. Others offer a certificate, which takes one year. As of 2010, the Commission on Opticianry Accreditation accredited 21 associate's degree programs in 14 states.

Coursework includes classes in optics, eye physiology, and business management, among others. Also, students do supervised clinical work that gives them hands-on experience working as opticians and learning optical mathematics, optical physics, and the use of precision measuring instruments. Some programs have distance-learning options.

Courses in physics, basic anatomy, algebra, and trigonometry are particularly valuable. 

Licenses

Twenty-three states require opticians to be licensed. Licensure usually requires completing formal education through an approved program or completing an apprenticeship. In addition to being licensed, states require opticians to pass one or more of the following (depending on the state): a state written exam, a state practical exam, or certification exams, described in the certification section.

In most states, opticians must renew their licenses periodically, and they must take continuing education.

Certification

Opticians may choose to become certified in eyeglass dispensing or contact lens dispensing or both. Certification requires passing exams from the American Board of Opticianry (ABO) and National Contact Lens Examiners (NCLE). Nearly all state licensing boards use the ABO and NCLE exams as the basis for state licensing.

Important Qualities

Communication skills. Opticians must be able to listen closely to what customers want. They must be able to explain options and instructions for care in ways that customers understand.

Customer service skills. Because most opticians work in stores, they must answer questions and know about the products they sell. They interact with customers on a very personal level, fitting eyeglasses or contact lenses. To succeed, they must be friendly, courteous, patient, and helpful to customers.

Management skills. Opticians are often responsible for the business aspects of running an optical store. They should be comfortable making decisions and have some knowledge of sales and inventory management.

Manual dexterity. Opticians frequently use special tools to make final adjustments and repairs to eyeglasses. They must have good hand-eye coordination to do that work quickly and accurately.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage of opticians was $32,940 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $21,070, and the top 10 percent earned more than $50,780.

Median annual wages in the industries employing the largest number of dispensing opticians in May 2010 were as follows:

Opticians employed in department stores or other retail settings may be required to work evenings and weekends. Most opticians work full time, although part-time opportunities also are available.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of opticians is expected to grow by 29 percent from 2010 to 2020, much faster than the average for all occupations.

An aging population is anticipated to lead to greater demand for eye care services. People usually have eye problems in greater frequency when they reach middle age, so the need for opticians is expected to grow with the increase in the number of older people.

Awareness of the importance of eye exams is increasing across all age groups. Also, fashion influences demand for frames and contact lenses.

In addition, more opticians are finding employment in group medical practices. Optometrists and ophthalmologists are increasingly offering glasses and contact lenses to their patients as a way to expand their businesses, leading to a greater need for opticians in those settings.

However, employment growth is expected to be constrained by increases in productivity that will allow a given number of opticians to serve more customers.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For more information about dispensing opticians, including voluntary certification for opticians and a list of state licensing boards for opticians, visit

American Board of Opticianry and National Contact Lens Examiners

For a list of associate’s degree programs accredited by the Commission on Opticianry Accreditation, visit

National Federation of Opticianry Schools

For more information about optician education, visit

National Academy of Opticianry