Optician Career Guide

What an optician does

An optician helps to fit eyeglasses and contact lenses, following prescriptions from opthamologists and optometrists. Opticians also help patients learn to wear their glasses or contact lenses properly.

As an optician, you can choose to work in a number of different settings, from a retail shop to a hospital to an optometrist’s office. Regardless of where they work, their typical duties and responsibilities include:

• Receiving a customers’ prescriptions for eyeglasses or contact lenses
• Measuring a customers’ eyes and faces, such as the distance between their pupils
• Helping customers choose eyeglass frames and lens treatments
• Creating work orders for ophthalmic laboratory technicians and providing information about the lenses needed
• Adjusting eyewear to ensure a good fit
• Repairing or replacing broken eyeglass frames
• Educating customers about eyewear
• Performing business tasks (e.g., maintaining sales records, keeping track of customers’ prescriptions, and ordering and maintaining inventory)

Why they are needed

With the help of corrective lenses, opticians can make a huge difference in the lives of those with poor vision.

Working as an optician generally does not require a particular degree, but a degree in opticianry can help prepare you for a career in the field. After completing your education, you can begin a training program to learn how to adjust the fit of a pair of glasses, take eye measurements, and more. This career is best suited for individuals who have excellent customer service skills and want to work directly with a wide population of people. Opticians can find employment in both large and small cities and earn a modest income.

If you?re interested in eye care and helping others, this career might fit your personality and aptitude perfectly. If this career sounds appealing to you, please read the real-world career profiles below for more detailed information. We?ve interviewed qualified opticians one-on-one to give you the side scoop on the daily life in this field, including career paths, salaries, and more.