How To Become An Optometric Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is an optometric assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Eve Leija AAS, NCMA

An optometric assistant helps optometrists by performing clinical, clerical, and customer service duties. Optometric assistants work in vision care centers. They welcome customers, answer questions, and collect patient information. Their administrative duties include keeping records, scheduling appointments, filing insurance claims, overseeing bookkeeping, and keeping inventory. They prepare patients for vision examinations by giving eye drops and seating patients at eye-testing machines. Additionally, optometric assistants assist with performing depth and color perception tests and taking visual acuity measurements. They help patients with vision therapy and educate them on the proper eye and contact lens care.

Most optometric assistants hold a high school diploma or its equivalent. Having an associate's degree in medical assisting is a plus, and relevant certifications are an added advantage. Applicants must possess organization, interpersonal, attention to detail, multitasking, and communication skills. Optometric assistants make an average salary of $32,177 yearly. This is between $21,000 and $48,000.

What general advice would you give to an optometric assistant?

Eve Leija AAS, NCMA

Medical Assistant Program Director, Website

To maximize salary for a medical assistant obtaining certification from one of the credentialing organizations such as American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) can make a new hire more competitive. Continuing educations along with developing any specialized skills such as phlebotomy. Demonstrating professionalism initiative and reliability, along with gaining a strong reference from previous employers.

ScoreOptometric AssistantUS Average

Salary

7.6

Avg. Salary $98,734

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.9

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.82%

Asian 9.76%

Black or African American 9.25%

Hispanic or Latino 21.99%

Unknown 4.74%

White 53.44%

Gender

female 90.35%

male 9.65%

Age - 35

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 35

Stress level

7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.4

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.6

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an optometric assistant

Explore optometric assistant education requirements

Most common optometric assistant degrees

Bachelor's

38.4 %

High School Diploma

22.1 %

Associate

20.8 %

Start to develop specific optometric assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	36.28%
Appointment Scheduling	4.98%
Customer Service	3.73%
Patient Care	3.59%
Visual Acuity	3.46%

Complete relevant optometric assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New optometric assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an optometric assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real optometric assistant resumes.

Gain additional optometric assistant certifications

Optometric assistant certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific optometric assistant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for optometric assistants include Medical Assistant and Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA).

More About Certifications

Research optometric assistant duties and responsibilities

Manage telecommunications, provide patient telephone triage and documentation thereof.
Utilize organization skills in managing business operation keeping Dr. Rivera on schedule.
Maintain medical records in accordance with HIPAA.
Administer vaccines, EKG and Spirometry testing.

Prepare your optometric assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your optometric assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an optometric assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable optometric assistant resume templates

Build a professional optometric assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your optometric assistant resume.