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Optician vs ophthalmic dispenser

The differences between opticians and ophthalmic dispensers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an ophthalmic dispenser has an average salary of $63,550, which is higher than the $38,412 average annual salary of an optician.

Optician vs ophthalmic dispenser overview

OpticianOphthalmic Dispenser
Yearly salary$38,412$63,550
Hourly rate$18.47$30.55
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs4,7173,326
Job satisfaction4-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 31%Associate Degree, 50%
Average age4444
Years of experience--

Optician vs ophthalmic dispenser salary

Opticians and ophthalmic dispensers have different pay scales, as shown below.

OpticianOphthalmic Dispenser
Average salary$38,412$63,550
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $50,000Between $33,000 And $120,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CA-
Highest paying stateNew York-
Best paying companyHorizon Laser Vision-
Best paying industryManufacturing-

Differences between optician and ophthalmic dispenser education

There are a few differences between an optician and an ophthalmic dispenser in terms of educational background:

OpticianOphthalmic Dispenser
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 31%Associate Degree, 50%
Most common majorBusinessOphthalmic And Optometric Support Services
Most common collegeUniversity of Minnesota - Twin CitiesDuke University

Optician vs ophthalmic dispenser demographics

Here are the differences between opticians' and ophthalmic dispensers' demographics:

OpticianOphthalmic Dispenser
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 22.2% Female, 77.8%Male, 48.6% Female, 51.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 9.2% White, 61.7% 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 Percentage13%13%

Differences between optician and ophthalmic dispenser duties and responsibilities

Optician example responsibilities.

  • Manage appointments and appointment reminders, checking in/out patients, check insurance eligibility.
  • Maintain coating quality using adhesion testing and spectrophotometers, and manage coating hues and reflectance adjustments.
  • Show manual dexterity, hand eye coordination and precision to work with different types of lenses and tools.
  • Assist patients with frame selections and lenses that are best suit for their lifestyle, Rx and price needs.
  • Produce forms for the authorization of insurance benefits and eligibility for incoming patients.
  • Prepare work orders and instructions for fabricating patients prescriptions and verify Rx are finished to specifications.
    • Show more

Ophthalmic dispenser example responsibilities.

  • Work with multiple optometrists to solve patient issues including inaccurate optical measurements, lens adaptations, and overall patient satisfaction.
  • Check insurance and submit claims (eyem and VSP).

Optician vs ophthalmic dispenser skills

Common optician skills
  • Patients, 31%
  • Customer Service, 23%
  • Basic Math, 5%
  • Patient Care, 5%
  • Math, 3%
  • Work Ethic, 3%
Common ophthalmic dispenser skills

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    Updated January 8, 2025

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