Optical technician vs optical dispenser

The differences between optical technicians and optical dispensers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an optical dispenser has an average salary of $37,333, 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 dispenser are american board, ABO, and insurance coverage.

Optical technician vs optical dispenser overview

	Optical Technician	Optical Dispenser
Yearly salary	$36,908	$37,333
Hourly rate	$17.74	$17.95
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	29,866	6,198
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 32%	Associate Degree, 34%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Optical technician vs optical dispenser salary

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

	Optical Technician	Optical Dispenser
Average salary	$36,908	$37,333
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $54,000	Between $11,000 And $116,000
Highest paying City	Hayward, CA	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	AMETEK	-
Best paying industry	Technology	-

Differences between optical technician and optical dispenser education

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

	Optical Technician	Optical Dispenser
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 32%	Associate Degree, 34%
Most common major	Business	Physics
Most common college	University of Minnesota - Twin Cities	Duke University

Optical technician vs optical dispenser demographics

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

	Optical Technician	Optical Dispenser
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 36.8% Female, 63.2%	Male, 42.7% Female, 57.3%
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, 5.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 8.9% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between optical technician and optical dispenser 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 dispenser example responsibilities.

Maintain coating quality using adhesion testing and spectrophotometers, and manage coating hues and reflectance adjustments.
Follow all IRB, FDA and HIIPA directions relate to clinical research projects.
Order glasses verify insurance order contacts make appointment follow up on RX order
Assist patients with eye wear selection, repairs and troubleshooting with Rx difficulties.
Work with multiple optometrists to solve patient issues including inaccurate optical measurements, lens adaptations, and overall patient satisfaction.
File insurance for orders including medicare and medicaid.

Optical technician vs optical dispenser skills

Common optical technician skills

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

Common optical dispenser skills

American Board, 47%
ABO, 24%
Insurance Coverage, 18%
Customer Service, 4%
Scheduling Appointments, 2%
Optical Lab, 2%

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Optical Technician
Optical Technician vs Optical Dispenser

Updated January 8, 2025

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