Optical manager vs optical assistant

The differences between optical managers and optical assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an optical manager has an average salary of $39,584, which is higher than the $39,251 average annual salary of an optical assistant.

The top three skills for an optical manager include patients, payroll and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for an optical assistant are patients, HIPAA, and computer system.

Optical manager vs optical assistant overview

	Optical Manager	Optical Assistant
Yearly salary	$39,584	$39,251
Hourly rate	$19.03	$18.87
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	6,274	2,978
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Optical manager vs optical assistant salary

Optical managers and optical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Optical Manager	Optical Assistant
Average salary	$39,584	$39,251
Salary range	Between $11,000 And $131,000	Between $26,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between optical manager and optical assistant education

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

	Optical Manager	Optical Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Minnesota - Twin Cities	Emory University

Optical manager vs optical assistant demographics

Here are the differences between optical managers' and optical assistants' demographics:

	Optical Manager	Optical Assistant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 32.4% Female, 67.6%	Male, 13.0% Female, 87.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 9.2% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	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%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between optical manager and optical assistant duties and responsibilities

Optical manager example responsibilities.

Manage patients vision benefits and do comparative analysis of benefits vs. promotions.
Maintain coating quality using adhesion testing and spectrophotometers, and manage coating hues and reflectance adjustments.
Install data and voice cabling, Cat6 and Cat5e.
Maintain a well HIPPA policy environment.
Submit billing for both eyem and VSP.
Authorize and bill vision insurance online for VSP and eyem.

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.

Optical manager vs optical assistant skills

Common optical manager skills

Patients, 25%
Payroll, 15%
Customer Satisfaction, 14%
Customer Complaints, 13%
Customer Service, 5%
Patient Care, 4%

Common optical assistant skills

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

Optical Manager vs. similar jobs

Optical Manager related careers

Optical Manager related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Optical Manager
Optical Manager vs Optical Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs