Optometric Assistant

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Work Tasks

• Do office jobs like scheduling appointments, keeping patient records, answering phones, filing, and bookkeeping
• Do vision screening and help customers pick glasses and contacts
• Measure patients' eyes and fill out orders for the prescribed lenses
• Fix eyeglass frames and show patients how to put in and take out contacts
• Work indoors for optometrists, ophthalmologists, health maintenance organizations, optical stores, health clinics, and the armed forces
• Work with eyeglasses, contact lenses, optometric instruments, patient records, schedules, bills, receipts, typewriters, computers, and telephones

Salary, Size & Growth

• $42,500 average per year ($20.50 per hour)
• A large occupation (523,300 workers in 2010)
• Expected to grow rapidly (3.4% per year)

Education/Training

• Minimum for Entry: On-the-job training
• Employers Prefer: A high school diploma and training in an optometric program
• Certification/Licensing: Some optometric assistants may complete a one-year certificate or diploma program offered by a few vocational-technical schools and community colleges.