Optician
Optician
Career Overview
Opticians are eye-care professionals who turn a prescription into properly fitted eyewear. They help clients choose frames and lenses, take precise measurements, prepare or order lenses, adjust and repair glasses, and teach clients how to use and care for contact lenses. Modern opticians also work with computerized measurement and lens technologies.
Education
Training varies by location. A common pathway is a college or technical program in ophthalmic dispensing or optical sciences, combined with supervised practical training. In Canada, a two- or three-year college program is required and optician licensing is required in all provinces. Other pathways, including apprenticeships and on-the-job training, are available in some jurisdictions.
Future Outlook
The outlook is positive and steady. Continued demand for vision care and corrective eyewear should support opportunities for opticians, while advances in digital measurements, lens technology, customized eyewear, and online optical services continue to change the profession. Employment prospects can vary by location.
Work Environment
Opticians work in optical stores, optometry practices, clinics, and other eyewear settings. The job combines hands-on precision work, customer service, technology, and product knowledge. Opticians may use digital measuring equipment, lens analyzers, specialized tools, and optical laboratory systems. Full-time and part-time positions are available, with some evening and weekend work.
Recommended High School Courses
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Math
- Computer Science
- Business
- Physics
- Communication
- Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
- Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
- Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
- Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
- Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
- Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Visual Color Discrimination - The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Fabricate medical devices.
- Recommend types of assistive devices.
- Measure the physical or physiological attributes of patients.
- Merchandise healthcare products or services.
- Fit eyeglasses, contact lenses, or other vision aids.
- Instruct patients in the use of assistive equipment.
- Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment.
- Record patient medical histories.
- Perform clerical work in medical settings.
- Gather medical information from patient histories.
- Order medical supplies or equipment.
- Verify accuracy of patient information.
- Process medical billing information.
- Train medical providers.
Schools
Durham Technical Communit...
Georgia Piedmont Technica...
Hillsborough Community Co...
Indiana University-bloomi...
Roane State Community Col...
Bc College Of Optics
Douglas College- Coqui...
Georgian College- Barr...
Oulton College- Main C...
Sait - Southern Albert...
Seneca College- Newnha...
Potential Scholarships
Aqha Region 1 Quarter Hor...
Aqha Joan Cain Florida Qu...
Aqha Indiana Quarter Hors...
- Haywood | Hunt & Associ...
Approx Salary Expectation
Low End:
$53,000.00 /yr
Avg/Med:
$69,000.00 /yr
High End:
$77,000.00 /yr
References
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.