Job Description - Optician
An optician is a health care professional that dispenses eyewear, such as spectacles, contact lenses and other visual aids. Opticians fill prescriptions written by eye doctors. After analyzing the prescriptions, they help patients choose the frames and lenses best suited to their needs, take measurements to insure a proper fit, and make custom adjustments to the finished eyewear upon delivery.

Opticians use an interesting variety of skills. While the technical aspects are based upon science, opticianry also encompasses health care services, fashion, sales, management and business. This diversity provides many job choices for opticians.

Employment Choices
Depending on which facet of opticianry they prefer, opticians find employment in settings such as:
retail eyewear establishments
ophthalmologic or optometric offices
health maintenance organizations (HMO's)
eye clinics
hospitals
sales representatives for optical product vendors
wholesale laboratories
teaching and training positions
management
self employment

Salary Expectations
Salaries for opticians vary according to experience, job setting, and geographic region. Our surveys show that most of our graduates earn $30,000+ when they become licensed in New Jersey. As with any profession, an individual with exceptional drive and a good education may be paid well in excess of an average salary.