Opticians, Dispensing
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · SOC 29-2081
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
AI Exposure Analysis
Top Skills
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Design, measure, fit, and adapt lenses and frames for client according to written optical prescription or specification. Assist client with inserting, removing, and caring for contact lenses. Assist client with selecting frames. Measure customer for size of eyeglasses and coordinate frames with facial and eye measurements and optical prescription. Prepare work order for optical laboratory containing instructions for grinding and mounting lenses in frames. Verify exactness of finished lens spectacles. Adjust frame and lens position to fit client. May shape or reshape frames. Includes contact lens opticians.
Common titles: Certified Optician, Contact Lens Technician, Dispensing Optician, Licensed Dispensing Optician (LDO), Licensed Optician, Ophthalmic Dispenser
Representative Tasks
- •Measure clients' bridge and eye size, temple length, vertex distance, pupillary distance, and optical centers of eyes, using measuring devices.
- •Verify that finished lenses are ground to specifications.
- •Evaluate prescriptions in conjunction with clients' vocational and avocational visual requirements.
- •Recommend specific lenses, lens coatings, and frames to suit client needs.
- •Assist clients in selecting frames according to style and color, and ensure that frames are coordinated with facial and eye measurements and optical prescriptions.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Measure the physical or physiological attributes of patients.
- •Fabricate medical devices.
- •Fit eyeglasses, contact lenses, or other vision aids.
- •Recommend types of assistive devices.
- •Evaluate treatment options to guide medical decisions.
Tools & Technologies
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 2.6% |
| Outlook | Bright ↗ | 93% Bright |
| Median Salary | $47,260 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |