Optical technician vs optical assistant

The differences between optical technicians and optical assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an optical assistant has an average salary of $39,251, which is higher than the $36,908 average annual salary of an optical technician.

The top three skills for an optical technician include patients, chrome and dexterity. The most important skills for an optical assistant are patients, HIPAA, and computer system.

Optical technician vs optical assistant overview

	Optical Technician	Optical Assistant
Yearly salary	$36,908	$39,251
Hourly rate	$17.74	$18.87
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	29,866	2,978
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Optical technician vs optical assistant salary

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

	Optical Technician	Optical Assistant
Average salary	$36,908	$39,251
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $54,000	Between $26,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City	Hayward, CA	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	AMETEK	-
Best paying industry	Technology	-

Differences between optical technician and optical assistant education

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

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

Optical technician vs optical assistant demographics

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

	Optical Technician	Optical Assistant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 36.8% Female, 63.2%	Male, 13.0% Female, 87.0%
Race ratio	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%	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 technician and optical assistant duties and responsibilities

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.

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 technician vs optical assistant skills

Common optical technician skills

Patients, 86%
Chrome, 9%
Dexterity, 1%
CNC, 0%
Math, 0%
Optical Components, 0%

Common optical assistant skills

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

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Optical Technician
Optical Technician vs Optical Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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