Optician vs optical dispenser

The differences between opticians and optical dispensers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an optician has an average salary of $38,412, which is higher than the $37,333 average annual salary of an optical dispenser.

The top three skills for an optician include patients, customer service and basic math. The most important skills for an optical dispenser are american board, ABO, and insurance coverage.

Optician vs optical dispenser overview

	Optician	Optical Dispenser
Yearly salary	$38,412	$37,333
Hourly rate	$18.47	$17.95
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	4,717	6,198
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Associate Degree, 34%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Optician vs optical dispenser salary

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

	Optician	Optical Dispenser
Average salary	$38,412	$37,333
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $50,000	Between $11,000 And $116,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	Horizon Laser Vision	-
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	-

Differences between optician and optical dispenser education

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

	Optician	Optical Dispenser
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Associate Degree, 34%
Most common major	Business	Physics
Most common college	University of Minnesota - Twin Cities	Duke University

Optician vs optical dispenser demographics

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

	Optician	Optical Dispenser
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 22.2% Female, 77.8%	Male, 42.7% Female, 57.3%
Race ratio	Black 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, 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 optician and optical 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.

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.

Optician vs optical dispenser skills

Common optician skills

Patients, 31%
Customer Service, 23%
Basic Math, 5%
Patient Care, 5%
Math, 3%
Work Ethic, 3%

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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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Optician
Optician vs Optical Dispenser

Updated January 8, 2025

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