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The differences between optometric technicians and anesthesia technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an optometric technician, becoming an anesthesia technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an anesthesia technician has an average salary of $39,640, which is higher than the $30,928 average annual salary of an optometric technician.
The top three skills for an optometric technician include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for an anesthesia technician are patients, patient care, and BLS.
| Optometric Technician | Anesthesia Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $30,928 | $39,640 |
| Hourly rate | $14.87 | $19.06 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 33,412 | 78,132 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
An optometric technician is responsible for performing administrative and clerical tasks to assist patients with their vision problems and needs. Optometric technicians work in the laboratory, constructing glasses and lenses according to the ophthalmologist's advice. They clean and inspect vision equipment and ensure that the facility is well-maintained. An optometric technician must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns, manage information on the database, and release customers' orders.
Anesthesia technicians are healthcare professionals who oversee activities related to anesthetics. They administer anesthesia to patients and assist doctors in related activities. They also monitor the patient after the anesthesia is administered to ensure that no harmful side effects occurred. Anesthesia technicians are expected to know how to test for anesthetic allergies and to spot signs of such allergies. They should be familiar with the different techniques, solutions, and equipment used for anesthetic procedures. Aside from those, anesthesia technicians are also expected to manage the inventory of anesthetic solutions and to trigger purchase requests for new stocks.
Optometric technicians and anesthesia technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Optometric Technician | Anesthesia Technician | |
| Average salary | $30,928 | $39,640 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $39,000 | Between $30,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Children's Hospital Los Angeles |
| Best paying industry | - | Education |
There are a few differences between an optometric technician and an anesthesia technician in terms of educational background:
| Optometric Technician | Anesthesia Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Biology | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between optometric technicians' and anesthesia technicians' demographics:
| Optometric Technician | Anesthesia Technician | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3% | Male, 50.5% Female, 49.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 14.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 4.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 13% |