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Ophthalmology surgical technician vs optical technician

The differences between ophthalmology surgical technicians and optical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an ophthalmology surgical technician has an average salary of $43,454, which is higher than the $36,908 average annual salary of an optical technician.

The top three skills for an ophthalmology surgical technician include patients, field testing and visual fields. The most important skills for an optical technician are patients, chrome, and dexterity.

Ophthalmology surgical technician vs optical technician overview

Ophthalmology Surgical TechnicianOptical Technician
Yearly salary$43,454$36,908
Hourly rate$20.89$17.74
Growth rate16%4%
Number of jobs33,52729,866
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 34%Associate Degree, 32%
Average age4144
Years of experience2-

Ophthalmology surgical technician vs optical technician salary

Ophthalmology surgical technicians and optical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Ophthalmology Surgical TechnicianOptical Technician
Average salary$43,454$36,908
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $63,000Between $25,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City-Hayward, CA
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-AMETEK
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between ophthalmology surgical technician and optical technician education

There are a few differences between an ophthalmology surgical technician and an optical technician in terms of educational background:

Ophthalmology Surgical TechnicianOptical Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 34%Associate Degree, 32%
Most common majorMedical Assisting ServicesBusiness
Most common college-University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Ophthalmology surgical technician vs optical technician demographics

Here are the differences between ophthalmology surgical technicians' and optical technicians' demographics:

Ophthalmology Surgical TechnicianOptical Technician
Average age4144
Gender ratioMale, 20.2% Female, 79.8%Male, 36.8% Female, 63.2%
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, 5.5% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 9.1% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage6%13%

Differences between ophthalmology surgical technician and optical technician duties and responsibilities

Ophthalmology surgical technician example responsibilities.

  • Work daily with EHR, manual keratomerty, topography, pachymetry, visual field testing, macular OCT, and CCT.
  • Perform optical examinations obtaining patients chief complaints, demographic information and medical history.
  • Document medications, record allergies.
  • Discuss IOL options with patient.
  • Provide review/grammar correction of medical chart dictations for the doctor in the ophthalmology department.
  • Assist ophthalmologists in ophthalmic surgery, observe patients under anesthesia by using various health monitoring equipment.
  • Show more

Optical technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage high-end optical for private optometry office.
  • Manage payroll to correspond with allot labor allowance.
  • Maintain coating quality using adhesion testing and spectrophotometers, and manage coating hues and reflectance adjustments.
  • Develop and dispense RX eyewear.
  • Train associates to acquire and retain ABO certificate.
  • Generate (cut) prescription RX into lens blanks.
  • Show more

Ophthalmology surgical technician vs optical technician skills

Common ophthalmology surgical technician skills
  • Patients, 31%
  • Field Testing, 7%
  • Visual Fields, 5%
  • Surgical Procedures, 5%
  • Visual Acuity, 4%
  • Diagnostic Tests, 4%
Common optical technician skills
  • Patients, 86%
  • Chrome, 9%
  • Dexterity, 1%
  • CNC, 0%
  • Math, 0%
  • Optical Components, 0%

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