Certified ophthalmic technician vs technician

The differences between certified ophthalmic technicians and technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a certified ophthalmic technician and a technician. Additionally, a certified ophthalmic technician has an average salary of $43,658, which is higher than the $38,045 average annual salary of a technician.

The top three skills for a certified ophthalmic technician include patients, ophthalmology and color vision. The most important skills for a technician are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Certified ophthalmic technician vs technician overview

	Certified Ophthalmic Technician	Technician
Yearly salary	$43,658	$38,045
Hourly rate	$20.99	$18.29
Growth rate	16%	1%
Number of jobs	49,836	596,842
Job satisfaction	-	2
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	41	40
Years of experience	2	2

Certified ophthalmic technician vs technician salary

Certified ophthalmic technicians and technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Certified Ophthalmic Technician	Technician
Average salary	$43,658	$38,045
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $62,000	Between $24,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City	-	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Microsoft
Best paying industry	-	Telecommunication

Differences between certified ophthalmic technician and technician education

There are a few differences between a certified ophthalmic technician and a technician in terms of educational background:

	Certified Ophthalmic Technician	Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Biology	Business
Most common college	-	-

Certified ophthalmic technician vs technician demographics

Here are the differences between certified ophthalmic technicians' and technicians' demographics:

	Certified Ophthalmic Technician	Technician
Average age	41	40
Gender ratio	Male, 15.9% Female, 84.1%	Male, 75.2% Female, 24.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 4.9% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	2%

Differences between certified ophthalmic technician and technician duties and responsibilities

Certified ophthalmic technician example responsibilities.

Assess patients and document medical history.
Have used the goldmann, tonopen and the Perkins hand hold tonometer.
Perform examinations and interviews with patients.
Obtain intraocular pressure by applanation tonomentry or tonopen.
Perform clinic work-ups/manifest refraction utilizing EMR, program and maintain laser equipment, clinical photography, and assist physicians during surgeries.
Comply with all HIPAA regulations regarding patient information.

Technician example responsibilities.

Achieve multiple ASE certifications within first year of employment.
Implement and manage UHF radio base stations, repeaters, and command network, effectively linking all regional headquarters.
Manage telecommunications installation and repair for hospital Nortel network.
Maintain numerous automate scripts to assist in managing Linux systems.
Manage, troubleshot and repair multiple wireless technologies including fiber optic transmission switches.
Install peripherals including printers, fax machines, scanners, and smartphones.

Certified ophthalmic technician vs technician skills

Common certified ophthalmic technician skills

Patients, 18%
Ophthalmology, 7%
Color Vision, 6%
Visual Acuity, 5%
Visual Fields, 5%
Allergies, 5%

Common technician skills

Patients, 16%
Customer Service, 14%
Patient Care, 8%
Hand Tools, 6%
Diagnosis, 5%
Preventative Maintenance, 4%

Certified Ophthalmic Technician vs. similar jobs

Certified Ophthalmic Technician related careers

Certified Ophthalmic Technician related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Certified Ophthalmic Technician
Certified Ophthalmic Technician vs Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs