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The differences between optometrist assistants and optometric technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an optometrist assistant, becoming an optometric technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an optometrist assistant has an average salary of $122,813, which is higher than the $30,928 average annual salary of an optometric technician.
The top three skills for an optometrist assistant include patients, appointment scheduling and exam rooms. The most important skills for an optometric technician are patients, customer service, and patient care.
| Optometrist Assistant | Optometric Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $122,813 | $30,928 |
| Hourly rate | $59.04 | $14.87 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 48,461 | 33,412 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 31% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 37 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
Optometrist assistants and optometric technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Optometrist Assistant | Optometric Technician | |
| Average salary | $122,813 | $30,928 |
| Salary range | Between $85,000 And $177,000 | Between $24,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | - |
| Highest paying state | - | - |
| Best paying company | - | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between an optometrist assistant and an optometric technician in terms of educational background:
| Optometrist Assistant | Optometric Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 31% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Biology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between optometrist assistants' and optometric technicians' demographics:
| Optometrist Assistant | Optometric Technician | |
| Average age | 37 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 11.8% Female, 88.2% | Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 24.7% Asian, 9.9% White, 50.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |