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The differences between contact lens technicians and optometric 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 contact lens technician and an optometric technician. Additionally, an optometric technician has an average salary of $30,928, which is higher than the $29,708 average annual salary of a contact lens technician.
The top three skills for a contact lens technician include patients, customer service and appointment scheduling. The most important skills for an optometric technician are patients, customer service, and patient care.
| Contact Lens Technician | Optometric Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $29,708 | $30,928 |
| Hourly rate | $14.28 | $14.87 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 7,585 | 33,412 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 30% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Contact lens technicians and optometric technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Contact Lens Technician | Optometric Technician | |
| Average salary | $29,708 | $30,928 |
| Salary range | Between $18,000 And $48,000 | Between $24,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | - |
| Highest paying state | - | - |
| Best paying company | - | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a contact lens technician and an optometric technician in terms of educational background:
| Contact Lens Technician | Optometric Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 30% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Biology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between contact lens technicians' and optometric technicians' demographics:
| Contact Lens Technician | Optometric Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.9% Female, 87.1% | Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 21.5% Asian, 9.3% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 6% |