Opticians help customers choose eyeglass frames and lens treatments. Quick Facts: Opticians $35,530 per year $17.08 per hour High school diploma or equivalent None Long-term on-the-job training 77,600 15% (Much faster than average) 11,600 Opticians help fit eyeglasses and contact lenses, following prescriptions from ophthalmologists and optometrists.
They also help customers decide which eyeglass frames or contact lenses to buy. About half of opticians worked in offices of optometrists or offices of physicians in 2016. Other opticians worked in stores that sell eyeglasses, contact lenses, visual aids, and other optical goods. These stores may be stand-alone businesses or parts of larger retail establishments, such as department stores. Opticians typically have a high school diploma or equivalent and some form of on-the-job training. Some opticians enter the occupation with an associate’s degree or a certificate from a community college or technical school.
About half of the states require opticians to be licensed. The median annual wage for opticians was $35,530 in May 2016. Employment of opticians is projected to grow 15 percent from 2016 to 2026, much faster than the average for all occupations.
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An aging population and increasing rates of chronic disease are expected to lead to greater demand for corrective eyewear. Explore resources for employment and wages by state and area for opticians. Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of opticians with similar occupations. Learn more about opticians by visiting additional resources, including O*NET, a source on key characteristics of workers and occupations.
Opticians advise customers on styles of eyewear that suit their needs. Opticians help fit eyeglasses and contact lenses, following prescriptions from and. They also help customers decide which eyeglass frames or contact lenses to buy. Opticians may work in retail stores that sell eyeglasses and other optical goods. Opticians held about 77,600 jobs in 2016.
The largest employers of opticians were as follows: Offices of optometrists 39% Health and personal care stores 30 General merchandise stores 16 Offices of physicians 9 Self-employed workers 3 Opticians who work as part of a group optometry or medical practice work with and to provide eye-related medical care to patients. Work Schedules Opticians who work in large 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. Opticians learn to adjust eyeglass frames during training. Opticians typically have a high school diploma or equivalent and receive some form of on-the-job training. Some opticians enter the occupation with an associate’s degree or a certificate from a community college or technical school. About half of the states require opticians to be licensed. Education and Training Opticians typically have a high school diploma or equivalent and learn job skills through on-the-job training. Training includes technical instruction in which, for example, a new optician measures a customer’s eyes or adjusts frames under the supervision of an experienced optician.
Trainees also learn sales and office management practices. Some opticians complete an apprenticeship, which typically takes at least 2 years. Other opticians complete a postsecondary education program at a community college or technical school. These programs award a 2-year associate’s degree or a 1-year certificate.
As of 2017, the accredited 19 programs in 11 states. Education programs typically include both classroom instruction and clinical experience. Coursework includes classes in optics, eye physiology, math, and business management, among other topics.
Students also do supervised clinical work that gives them hands-on experience working as opticians and learning optical math, optical physics, and the use of precision measuring instruments. Some programs have distance-learning options. The offers the Ophthalmic Career Progression Program (OCPP), a program designed for individuals who are already working in the field. The OCPP offers opticians another way to prepare for licensure exams or certifications. Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations About half of the states require opticians to be licensed. Licensure usually requires completing formal education through an approved program or completing an apprenticeship. In addition, opticians must pass one or more exams to be licensed.
The opticianry licensing board in each state can supply information on licensing requirements. Opticians may choose to become certified in eyeglass dispensing or contact lens dispensing or both. Certification requires passing exams from the. Nearly all state licensing boards use the ABO and NCLE exams as the basis for state licensing.
Some states also require opticians to pass state-specific practical exams. In most states that require licensure, opticians must renew their license every 1 to 3 years and must complete continuing education requirements. Important Qualities Business 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. Communication skills. Opticians must listen closely to what customers want.
They must clearly explain options and instructions for care in ways that customers understand. Customer-service skills. Because some opticians work in stores, they must answer questions and know about the products they sell. They interact with customers on a personal level, fitting eyeglasses or contact lenses. To succeed, they must be friendly, courteous, patient, and helpful to customers. Decisionmaking skills. Opticians must determine what adjustments need to be made to eyeglasses and contact lenses.
They must decide which materials and styles are most appropriate for each customer on the basis of their preferences and lifestyle. 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. Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics The median annual wage for opticians was $35,530 in May 2016.
The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. Cod Mw2 Zone Folder Downloader there. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $22,670, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $57,180.
In May 2016, the median annual wages for opticians in the top industries in which they worked were as follows: Offices of physicians $39,430 Health and personal care stores 36,670 General merchandise stores 34,500 Offices of optometrists 34,040 Opticians employed in retail settings may be required to work evenings and weekends. Most opticians work full time, although part-time opportunities also are available. Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program Employment of opticians is projected to grow 15 percent from 2016 to 2026, much faster than the average for all occupations. The growth in the older population is anticipated to lead to greater demand for eye care services. Because people usually have eye problems more frequently as they age, the need for opticians is likely to grow with the increase in the number of older people. Increasing rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes also may increase demand for opticianry services because some chronic diseases cause vision problems.
Additional opticians will be needed to fill prescriptions for corrective eyewear for individuals with conditions that damage their eyesight. However, employment growth is expected to be constrained by increases in productivity that will allow a given number of opticians to serve more customers. Job Prospects Having an associate’s degree from an accredited program and certifications may improve an applicant’s job prospects. Employment projections data for opticians, 2016-26 Occupational Title SOC Code Employment, 2016 Projected Employment, 2026 Change, 2016-26 Employment by Industry Percent Numeric SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program Opticians, dispensing 29-2081 77,600 89,300 15 11,600.
State & Area Data Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) The (OES) program produces employment and wage estimates annually for over 800 occupations. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. The link(s) below go to OES data maps for employment and wages by state and area. • Projections Central Occupational employment projections are developed for all states by Labor Market Information (LMI) or individual state Employment Projections offices. All state projections data are available.
Driver Android Adb. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. In addition, states may produce projections for areas; there are links to each state’s websites where these data may be retrieved. CareerOneStop CareerOneStop includes hundreds of with data available by state and metro area. There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. There is also a to search for wages by zip code. Similar Occupations This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of opticians. Occupation Job Duties ENTRY-LEVEL EDUCATION 2016 MEDIAN PAY Audiologists diagnose, manage, and treat a patient’s hearing, balance, or ear problems.
Doctoral or professional degree $75,980 Dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians construct, fit, or repair medical appliances and devices, including dentures, eyeglasses, and prosthetics. High school diploma or equivalent $34,630 Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers design, construct, adjust, repair, appraise and sell jewelry. High school diploma or equivalent $38,200 Optometrists examine the eyes and other parts of the visual system. They also diagnose and treat visual problems and manage diseases, injuries, and other disorders of the eyes. They prescribe eyeglasses or contact lenses as needed. Doctoral or professional degree $106,140 Orthotists and prosthetists design and fabricate medical supportive devices and measure and fit patients for them. These devices include artificial limbs (arms, hands, legs, and feet), braces, and other medical or surgical devices.
Master's degree $65,630. Pay The Pay tab describes typical earnings and how workers in the occupation are compensated—annual salaries, hourly wages, commissions, tips, or bonuses.
Within every occupation, earnings vary by experience, responsibility, performance, tenure, and geographic area. For most profiles, this tab has a table with wages in the major industries employing the occupation. It does not include pay for self-employed workers, agriculture workers, or workers in private households because these data are not collected by the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey, the source of BLS wage data in the OOH.