Optical assistant vs bench optician

The differences between optical assistants and bench opticians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a bench optician has an average salary of $45,915, which is higher than the $39,251 average annual salary of an optical assistant.

Optical assistant vs bench optician overview

	Optical Assistant	Bench Optician
Yearly salary	$39,251	$45,915
Hourly rate	$18.87	$22.07
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	2,978	4,723
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	High School Diploma, 50%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Optical assistant vs bench optician salary

Optical assistants and bench opticians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Optical Assistant	Bench Optician
Average salary	$39,251	$45,915
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $57,000	Between $18,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between optical assistant and bench optician education

There are a few differences between an optical assistant and a bench optician in terms of educational background:

	Optical Assistant	Bench Optician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	High School Diploma, 50%
Most common major	Business	Medical Technician
Most common college	Emory University	Duke University

Optical assistant vs bench optician demographics

Here are the differences between optical assistants' and bench opticians' demographics:

	Optical Assistant	Bench Optician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 13.0% Female, 87.0%	Male, 42.9% Female, 57.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 9.1% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 8.1% White, 69.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between optical assistant and bench optician duties and responsibilities

Optical assistant example responsibilities.

Maintain coating quality using adhesion testing and spectrophotometers, and manage coating hues and reflectance adjustments.
Book appointments when the Dr's office is closed.
Take measurements before turning frames and Rx over to the lab to have glasses make.
Acquire, comply with and obtain a thorough knowledge and understanding of HIPPA and OSHA practices.
Verify and confirm Rx's from the lab, work with computers and fax machines daily.
Order new frames from leading suppliers, reconcile statements from vendors and process VSP and eyem claims.

Bench optician example responsibilities.

Manage appointments and appointment reminders, checking in/out patients, check insurance eligibility.
Work with multiple optometrists to solve patient issues including inaccurate optical measurements, lens adaptations, and overall patient satisfaction.
Determine clients' current lens prescriptions, when necessary, using lensometers or lens analyzers and clients' eyeglasses.

Optical assistant vs bench optician skills

Common optical assistant skills

Patients, 15%
HIPAA, 15%
Computer System, 14%
Data Entry, 13%
Customer Satisfaction, 12%
Telephone Inquiries, 11%

Common bench optician skills

Optical Assistant vs. similar jobs

Optical Assistant related careers

Optical Assistant related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Optical Assistant
Optical Assistant vs Bench Optician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs