How To Become A Certified Optician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a certified optician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a certified optician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $23.03 an hour? That's $47,903 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 2,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreCertified OpticianUS Average

Salary

3.7

Avg. Salary $47,903

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.4

Growth Rate 4%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.35%

Asian 9.16%

Black or African American 5.54%

Hispanic or Latino 19.01%

Unknown 3.83%

White 62.10%

Gender

female 74.96%

male 25.04%

Age - 44

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 - 44

Stress Level

6.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.7

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.4

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

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Key steps to become a certified optician

Explore certified optician education requirements

Most common certified optician degrees

Bachelor's

38.3 %

Associate

25.4 %

High School Diploma

22.4 %

Start to develop specific certified optician skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	40.79%
Customer Service	12.96%
Frame Adjustments	3.34%
Appointment Scheduling	2.73%
Insurance Claims	2.59%

Complete relevant certified optician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 2-4 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New certified opticians 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 a certified optician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real certified optician resumes.

Research certified optician duties and responsibilities

Skil administrative professional with a solid knowledge of HIPAA procedures and ability to manage high work volumes.
Fill contact lens and spectacle RX.
Work with VSP and eyem vision care.
Earn ABO certification in glasses and contacts.

Prepare your certified optician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your certified optician 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 a certified optician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Certified Optician Resume templates

Build a professional Certified Optician 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 Certified Optician resume.

Apply for certified optician jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a certified optician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do certified opticians rate their job?

-/5

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Certified Optician reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020

Pros

an optician: Working with patients. I enjoy helping them choose the right eyewear for their needs. And I enjoy the response they have when they put on their new pair of glasses and smile.

Cons

Very little. The only thing I would dislike is another employee disrespecting a patient. Other than that, I enjoy my job very much.

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019