How To Become An Optical Dispenser: What It Is and Career Path

What is an optical dispenser and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an optical dispenser. For example, did you know that they make an average of $17.95 an hour? That's $37,333 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 2,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreOptical DispenserUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $37,333

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 8.85%

Black or African American 5.55%

Hispanic or Latino 19.04%

Unknown 3.84%

White 62.37%

Gender

female 57.32%

male 42.68%

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

Key steps to become an optical dispenser

Explore optical dispenser education requirements

Most common optical dispenser degrees

Associate

34.2 %

Bachelor's

26.3 %

High School Diploma

18.4 %

Start to develop specific optical dispenser skills

Skills	Percentages
American Board	47.03%
ABO	23.85%
Insurance Coverage	18.01%
Customer Service	3.71%
Scheduling Appointments	1.82%

Complete relevant optical dispenser training and internships

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

Research optical dispenser duties and responsibilities

Maintain coating quality using adhesion testing and spectrophotometers, and manage coating hues and reflectance adjustments.
Follow all IRB, FDA and HIIPA directions relate to clinical research projects.
Order glasses verify insurance order contacts make appointment follow up on RX order
Assist patients with eye wear selection, repairs and troubleshooting with Rx difficulties.

Prepare your optical dispenser resume

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

Choose From 10+ Customizable Optical Dispenser Resume templates

Build a professional Optical Dispenser 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 Optical Dispenser resume.

Apply for optical dispenser jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an optical dispenser 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 optical dispensers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Optical Dispenser 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.