Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between optometric technicians and optical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an optical technician has an average salary of $36,908, 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 optical technician are patients, chrome, and dexterity.
| Optometric Technician | Optical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $30,928 | $36,908 |
| Hourly rate | $14.87 | $17.74 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 33,412 | 29,866 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Associate Degree, 32% |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
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.
Optical lab technicians, also known as ophthalmic laboratory technicians, create prescription eyeglasses and contact lenses. They work together with optometrists, opticians, and ophthalmologists. They received orders from optometrists and opticians to create prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses as per requirement. They also do the cutting, polishing, and grinding lenses as per prescription for products like microscopes, binoculars, or telescopes. They do their work by a computer program and automated tools to make the prescribed lenses before it is sent off to the customer.
Optometric technicians and optical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Optometric Technician | Optical Technician | |
| Average salary | $30,928 | $36,908 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $39,000 | Between $25,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Hayward, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | AMETEK |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between an optometric technician and an optical technician in terms of educational background:
| Optometric Technician | Optical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Associate Degree, 32% |
| Most common major | Biology | Business |
| Most common college | - | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities |
Here are the differences between optometric technicians' and optical technicians' demographics:
| Optometric Technician | Optical Technician | |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3% | Male, 36.8% Female, 63.2% |
| 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, 5.5% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 9.1% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 13% |