Function

• Opticians primarily fit, dispense, repair, adjust and make eyeglasses. Opticians may also assist eye doctors by conducting vision screening tests, maintaining patient records, cleaning and setting up optometric equipment and performing basic patient triage. Basic office duties, patient scheduling, insurance billing and patient education are also the responsibility of opticians.
  
  

Types

• In most states, an optician may dispense and manufacture lenses without a license, so many opticians own or work for privately owned optical dispensaries. Ophthalmologists and optometrists also employ opticians to perform specialized medical testing, contact lens fitting and patient examinations. Many opticians work in laboratories manufacturing glasses, or in retail centers as salespersons.
  
  

Considerations

• Opticians come from a vast array of educational and training backgrounds. An optician may learn the trade on the job through an apprentice program, or they can receive formal education at a two- or four-year college. There are 22 states in the U.S. that require opticians to hold a state license. Additionally, opticians may take an examination offered by the American Board of Opticianry to demonstrate their optical knowledge and further their professional skills.
  
  

Misconceptions

• Opticians cannot independently write a prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses, but may fill prescriptions written by an ophthalmologist or optometrist. Opticians may, however, assist in the prescription determination by performing vision testing.
  
  

Potential

• Jobs in the optical industry for opticians are expected to maintain an average to above-average growth rate through 2014, according to the Department of Labor. The optical industry may experience some decline as vision correction surgery becomes less expensive and more widely available. An increase in corrective surgery is not, however, expected to be significant enough to impact the job growth rate for opticians.