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

What is an optometry assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average optometry assistant salary is $32,354. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 6-12 months of experience to become an optometry assistant. Optometry assistants with a Medical Assistant certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 16% and produce 117,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreOptometry AssistantUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $32,354

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.9

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.81%

Asian 9.15%

Black or African American 9.75%

Hispanic or Latino 25.11%

Unknown 4.64%

White 50.54%

Gender

female 86.43%

male 13.57%

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 optometry assistant

Explore optometry assistant education requirements

Most common optometry assistant degrees

Bachelor's

29.9 %

Associate

26.8 %

High School Diploma

19.1 %

Start to develop specific optometry assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	29.54%
Field Testing	11.48%
Appointment Scheduling	11.11%
Data Entry	6.50%
HIPAA	5.22%

Complete relevant optometry assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New optometry 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 optometry assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real optometry assistant resumes.

Research optometry assistant duties and responsibilities

Manage telecommunications, provide patient telephone triage and documentation thereof.
Provide explanations to patients about procedures and protocols.
Administer preliminary testing to patients prior to their eye examination.
Perform venipuncture procedures and administer intramuscular vaccinations

Prepare your optometry assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your optometry 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 optometry 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 optometry assistant resume templates

Build a professional optometry 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 optometry assistant resume.