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Ophthalmic assistant vs ocular care technician

The differences between ophthalmic assistants and ocular care technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an ophthalmic assistant and an ocular care technician. Additionally, an ophthalmic assistant has an average salary of $43,217, which is higher than the $34,992 average annual salary of an ocular care technician.

The top three skills for an ophthalmic assistant include patients, patient care and ophthalmology. The most important skills for an ocular care technician are medical history, , and .

Ophthalmic assistant vs ocular care technician overview

Ophthalmic AssistantOcular Care Technician
Yearly salary$43,217$34,992
Hourly rate$20.78$16.82
Growth rate16%-
Number of jobs21,55977,716
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 35%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age4141
Years of experience22

Ophthalmic assistant vs ocular care technician salary

Ophthalmic assistants and ocular care technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Ophthalmic AssistantOcular Care Technician
Average salary$43,217$34,992
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $62,000Between $27,000 And $45,000
Highest paying CityVancouver, WA-
Highest paying stateHawaii-
Best paying companyEye Consultants of Atlanta-
Best paying industryTransportation-

Differences between ophthalmic assistant and ocular care technician education

There are a few differences between an ophthalmic assistant and an ocular care technician in terms of educational background:

Ophthalmic AssistantOcular Care Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 35%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common majorMedical Assisting ServicesBiology
Most common college--

Ophthalmic assistant vs ocular care technician demographics

Here are the differences between ophthalmic assistants' and ocular care technicians' demographics:

Ophthalmic AssistantOcular Care Technician
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 13.1% Female, 86.9%Male, 51.2% Female, 48.8%
Race ratioBlack 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, 14.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between ophthalmic assistant and ocular care technician duties and responsibilities

Ophthalmic assistant example responsibilities.

  • Experience with IOP, using Tonopen, knowledge of eye drops, emails prescription and refills to pharmacy, for patients.
  • Obtain patient history to include chief complaint, past ocular history medication and allergies.
  • Check intraocular pressure by application and tonopen.
  • Perform OCT, HVF, FA/FP tests.
  • Order labs, MRI, ect as necessary.
  • Perform OCT scans, and Fluorescein Angiograms.
  • Show more

Ocular care technician example responsibilities.

  • Reduce patient wait time and obtain medical histories, vision acuity and intraocular measurements (tonopen).
  • Perform clinic work-ups/manifest refraction utilizing EMR, program and maintain laser equipment, clinical photography, and assist physicians during surgeries.
  • Greet patients and ensure accurate demographic and insurance information into their electronic chart following HiPPA compliance in a paperless practice.

Ophthalmic assistant vs ocular care technician skills

Common ophthalmic assistant skills
  • Patients, 20%
  • Patient Care, 7%
  • Ophthalmology, 6%
  • Customer Service, 5%
  • Color Vision, 5%
  • Triage, 4%
Common ocular care technician skills
  • Medical History, 100%

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