Dispensing Opticians: Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Job description

Dispensing Opticians design, measure, fit, and adapt lenses and frames for client according to written optical prescription or specification. Assist client with inserting, removing, and caring for contact lenses. Assist client with selecting frames. Measure customer for size of eyeglasses and coordinate frames with facial and eye measurements and optical prescription. Prepare work order for optical laboratory containing instructions for grinding and mounting lenses in frames. Verify exactness of finished lens spectacles. Adjust frame and lens position to fit client. May shape or reshape frames. Includes contact lens opticians.

• Evaluate prescriptions in conjunction with clients’ vocational and avocational visual requirements.
• Recommend specific lenses, lens coatings, and frames to suit client needs.
• Verify that finished lenses are ground to specifications.
• Measure clients’ bridge and eye size, temple length, vertex distance, pupillary distance, and optical centers of eyes, using measuring devices.

Salary

Dispensing Opticians with little to no experience tend to make between $24670 and $29190 while the more experienced ones can earn over $48160 per year.

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Dispensing Optician is to move to a higher paying state like MA. Right now, the highest paying states for Dispensing Opticians are MA, NJ, NY, CT and VA.

However, a higher pay at MA doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at MA might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Dispensing Optician is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.

Requirements

We asked other Dispensing Opticians what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had an Associate’s Degree followed by a Post-Secondary Certificate.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Dispensing Optician.

What is the job like

72% of Dispensing Opticians said they were satisfied with their job and 72% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.

Is this right for me

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like starting up and carrying out projects. They like leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business..

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

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