Optician Training Schools
Optician training can put you on a clearer path toward achieving a stable career.
This educational option is designed to teach you truly useful skills in a fast-growing area of the healthcare sector. Just visualize what you might do after optician school: Your days could be full of enjoyable interactions with people who need help choosing and getting fitted for the right pair of eyeglasses or contact lenses. And you may get to educate appreciative customers about how to take care of their eyewear or even repair their stylish frames should they become damaged. In short, optical training often leads to fun and interesting work.
So match your helpful personality to a career that lets it shine. Check out the optician schools featured on this page, or type in your zip code to locate one close to you!
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5 Facts Worth Knowing as You Consider Optician Training
Vision problems are very common, especially conditions like nearsightedness and farsightedness. National Institutes of Health reports that over 14 million Americans aged 12 and up experience some visual impairment. Of these, about 11 million people could improve their sight with corrective eyewear such as glasses or contact lenses.
As a result, people within the field of prescription eyewear dispensing are needed almost everywhere. They are part of an occupation that can be very social and satisfying. But here are five other interesting and beneficial aspects of this field:
1. Opticians Play a Special Role in Vision Care
The exciting thing about being an optician is that it's one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to help people improve their vision and personal confidence. But some people get confused by all of the different job titles used within the broad sector of eye care. So it's important to understand the terminology. That way, you know for sure what you're getting into.
Here's how roles within the vision care industry break down:
- Opticians—They are sometimes called dispensing opticians, optical technicians, or ophthalmic dispensing technicians. The key thing to remember is that they assist customers with selecting the most appropriate eyewear. As part of that role, they often need to measure the distance between their customers' pupils and ensure that orders for custom lenses are matched up with the correct prescriptions.
- Ophthalmic laboratory technicians—These workers, sometimes called manufacturing opticians, specialize in actually making the eyeglass or contact lenses that are ordered. Frequently, they use equipment that automates a lot of the process.
- Optometrists—These professionals perform most of the primary care within this field, such as conducting eye exams, diagnosing and treating certain visual disorders, and prescribing corrective eyewear or medications if necessary. They typically need a Doctor of Optometry degree. But they are not considered medical doctors (MDs).
- Ophthalmologists—These physicians are specialized medical doctors who diagnose and treat diseases of the eye. They can perform a full range of examinations and treatments, including complex surgeries. Most of their patients come to them via referrals by optometrists.
2. The Demand Is Growing
Opticians are essential contributors to the well-being of millions of people throughout the country. And they're becoming even more necessary as certain trends in America increase in prominence. For example, some diseases that cause eye problems—such as diabetes—are on the rise. And the nation's population of older people is also increasing, which adds to the rising number of people who need prescription lenses.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook says that employment of opticians in the U.S. is projected to grow by three percent from 2022 to 2032.* More and more opportunities are expected to open up within the offices of optometrists as well as in general and specialized retail stores that sell corrective eyewear.
3. It Doesn't Take Very Long to Become an Optician
Optician training tends to be relatively quick. In fact, most people in the field have earned an associate degree, certificate, or diploma that only took two years or less of school. Many programs can even be completed in less than one year.
Just keep in mind that many states also require you to become licensed to engage in the dispensing of eyeglasses or contact lenses. In most cases, that means you simply need to pass certifying exams that are administered by the American Board of Opticianry and National Contact Lens Examiners.
Once you're officially an optician, all kinds of possibilities open up. People in this field even have their own professional organization—the Opticians Association of America.
4. Opticians' Pay Can Be Compelling
Considering the small amount of training they need, opticians often earn good wages. That's particularly true if they work in a state with licensure or certification requirements. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the median annual pay for an optician in the U.S. was $39,610 in 2022.* And the highest-earning opticians made over $64,000 a year.
Plus, an optician's salary can go even higher if he or she advances to a position such as manager of an optometry clinic or eyewear store.
5. Optician Job Duties Are Fulfilling
Helping people see the world with renewed clarity can feel highly satisfying. That's why a lot of the specific tasks that opticians perform along the way are so meaningful. For example, an optician job description can include important tasks such as:
- Obtaining the measurements and other specs that are necessary for producing eyeglasses or contact lenses based on the prescriptions of optometrists or ophthalmologists
- Helping people choose eyeglass frames that meet their needs
- Arranging for the production of eyeglass lenses or contact lenses
- Fitting newly ground, polished, cut, and edged lenses into frames
- Making adjustments to eyeglasses so that they fit better on the people who wear them
- Tracking sales and product inventory
- Maintaining detailed client records
In addition, some opticians specialize in a particular area of the field such as the grinding and polishing of lenses, the dispensing of low-vision aids, or the fitting of contact lenses, cosmetic shells, or artificial eyes.
Start With Just One Easy Action
Your education in vision care can begin very soon. So put your current zip code into the following search tool to discover an optician training school that is right for you.
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* Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook (visited March 26, 2024).