Career: Opticians, Dispensing
Dispensing opticians fill orders for contacts and glasses prescribed by ophthalmologists and optometrists. They measure and fit eyewear to the exact dimensions of clients’ faces, including the distance between the centers of their pupils.
If you become a dispensing optician, you’ll need to be equal parts salesperson and craftsperson. You’ll need to get a sense of your clients’ personalities and help them choose the right eyewear, based on size, style, and cost. If you’re a good communicator, understanding their needs will be a lot easier.
Dispensing opticians interpret eye doctors' prescriptions and prepare accurate work orders for the ophthalmic labs where lenses are created.
Did You Know?
- Dispensing opticians may specialize in fitting contacts lenses, artificial eyes, or cosmetic shells, which cover blind and disfigured eyes.
Are You Ready To...?
- Help clients in stores or the offices of eye doctors
- Fit glasses
- Repair glasses
- Chat with clients
- Recommend and explain extras such as contact lens tinting and antiglare coatings
- Work odd hours including evenings and weekends
It Helps to Be...
A tactful, skilled communicator and good with your hands. Fitting eyewear requires a sense of style and an ability to think mathematically. You’ll need to measure the distance between an eye and a lens, and help clients choose the frames that are best for them.
Make High School Count
- Make the most of your math and science courses -- especially physics, biology, algebra, and geometry.
- Build communication skills through English, drama, and speech classes.
- Study a foreign language to better communicate with people from diverse communities.
- Sign up for mechanical drawing.
Did You Know?
- Many experienced dispensing opticians open their own optical stores. Others may represent manufacturers of eyeglasses or lenses.
Outlook
Government economists expect jobs for dispensing opticians to grow as fast as the average for all careers through 2016.
Laser surgery may limit opportunities, but the high interest in trendy frames should lead to job growth. And as the country’s population ages, more Americans will need glasses or contacts.
Compensation
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that dispensing opticians earned an average of yearly salary of $33,480 in 2007.
