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Opticians, Dispensing

Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · SOC 29-2081

0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$47,260
Median Annual Salary
Bright ↗
O*NET Outlook
6,600
Proj. Annual Openings
73,530
Employment (OEWS 2025)
100/100
AI Resiliency Score

AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.

AI Exposure Analysis

AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure2.6%

Top Skills

1.Speaking
2.Active Listening
3.Reading Comprehension
4.Critical Thinking
5.Service Orientation

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

Intuit QuickBooks · hotMicrosoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Office software · hotDatabase softwareEMRlogic Systems ENTERPRISE VisionsEZ-Zone Optizone EnterpriseFirst Insight MaximEyesHealthLine Systems EyecomSpecialist Data Solutions OctoPlus

Related Occupations

Employment Projections & AI Exposure

15
Occupations Shown
2.6%
Avg AI Exposure
14
Bright Outlook

Sector Comparison

MetricThis CareerSector Average
AI Exposure0.0%2.6%
OutlookBright ↗93% Bright
Median Salary$47,260N/A
AI Resiliency100/100N/A