Optician Training Essentials: Achieving Certification and Professional Growth

More than 250 million people worldwide have mild vision impairment, and almost 300 million people have moderate or severe vision impairment. These statistics show the huge need for opticians, especially as the aging population grows.

Opticians help people find eyeglasses and contact lenses. Before they can do this, though, they must learn about human eyes through optician training.

Discover more about what opticians do and which optician certification training requirements they face below.

What Is an Optician?

Over 75,000 opticians work throughout the U.S. An optician aims to fill prescriptions for eyewear and helps customers fit glasses and contact lenses by taking time to adjust frames. They do it for an average salary of about $50,000.

Definition and General Role

Opticians have many job duties. An optician is in charge of assisting people prescribed eyeglasses or contact lenses to pick out the appropriate frames and lenses. They are often responsible for the following tasks:

• Securing eyeglasses and contact lenses after optometrists or ophthalmologists assess vision and assign prescriptions
• Taking measurements of people’s ocular areas for vision correction
• Ensuring eyewear fits people properly to correct optical problems
• Showing people how to care for eyewear
• Adjusting and repairing eyewear for people
• Managing eyewear inventory by monitoring new eyewear styles
• Handling vision insurance claims

An optician is often the last person patients work with while visiting optometry or ophthalmology practices. They must know how to enhance the human eye care experience, and it all begins with the proper optician training.

Pathways to Becoming an Optician

Does your optometry or ophthalmology practice advise potential opticians on pursuing this career path? After receiving a high school diploma, they can take several pathways to work as opticians.

Apprenticeships

Landing an apprenticeship is an excellent way for potential opticians to earn on-the-job training. They can spend two years learning about their roles from an optometrist or ophthalmologist. They can see the procedures opticians perform with ophthalmic equipment to evaluate corrective options through a step-by-step methodology.

Real-world optician certification training is beneficial because it allows people to see how their jobs work daily and discover the newest corrective eye care solutions.

Certificate Programs

Certificate programs are available to those wishing to become opticians. They allow people to obtain an American Board of Opticianry (ABO) certification and/or a National Contact Lens Examiners (NCLE) certification. They also help people learn about ocular anatomy, ophthalmic science, and contact lens technology.

Associate Degrees

People can sign up for two-year associate degree programs through community colleges with opticianry accreditation. They can take courses that provide foundational knowledge of ophthalmic dispensing, a phrase that describes dispensing procedures for eyeglasses and contact lenses.

When people obtain associate degrees in ophthalmic dispensing, they’ll learn about more than just how to find the right eyeglasses and contact lenses for people. They’ll also learn about the laws that govern opticians and ethics.

Optician Certification and Licensing

Opticians won’t need to secure certifications or licenses in more than half of U.S. states, as there isn’t a nationally recognized standard. But even in states where they aren’t required, many people still obtain them to increase their chances of landing optician jobs.

Certification Through the American Board of Opticianry (ABO) Certification Exam

Those wishing to get certified to work as opticians should consider getting an American Board of Opticianry (ABO) certification and/or a National Contact Lens Examiners (NCLE) certification. People can earn optician certification by taking the ABO certification exam and/or the CLRE certification exam.

The American Board of Opticianry (ABO) & National Contact Lens Examiners (NCLE) created a useful optician training manual to help those who wish to take the ABO or CLRE exam. Only opticians with an optician certification will stand out in their field since those who take an exam will have more attractive optician’s qualifications.

State Licensing Requirements

People will need to take at least one exam in the following states to become licensed:

• Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington

They’ll also need to take seven exams to become opticians in Nevada. Opticians in these states must keep up with renewing their licenses after they begin working.

Essential Skills and Competencies

People dreaming about becoming opticians need to work on developing certain skills. Without them, they’ll struggle to succeed in their new positions.

Technical Skills With Eyeglasses and Contact Lenses

Throughout an optician training program, people can learn technical skills they’ll use every day. They’ll find out how to:

• Fit and adjust eyewear
• Use precision instruments
• Interpret eyewear prescriptions

Opticians must also stay current within their field by keeping up with the latest emerging technologies.

Customer Service and Communication

Since opticians spend so much time working with people, they must know how to deliver the best customer experience. No matter what opticians score on exams, they won’t succeed if they don’t understand the importance of interpersonal skills, like active listening. It’ll ensure customers develop trust in opticians as patients learn about topics like multifocal lens considerations.

Career Opportunities and Advancement

Launching a career as an optician can provide a person with many future career opportunities. It’s one reason why the US Bureau of Labor Statistics expects job growth for those becoming opticians.

Types of Employers

With the right optician certification training, people can work in many different settings and earn a good optician salary, including:

• Retail stores
• Private practices or optical businesses
• Medical clinics

Career Growth and Specialization

After earning experience, opticians can grow into advanced roles, such as business administration and management positions within a private practice. Many future opticians can also take advantage of continuous education to improve their job outlook. Opticians can even contribute to professional journals and consulting firm opportunities.

Enhancing Optician Services With Weave

Those with their own eye care practices and who hire opticians can benefit from working with Weave. See the top benefits of calling on Weave below.

Streamlined Communication Tools

With Weave’s assistance, opticians can interact more effectively with patients. They can communicate better with patients by phone, email, and even text messages.

Efficient Practice Management

Weave’s products can help optometry and ophthalmology practices behind the scenes. They can deliver digital forms to make billing practices more efficient. They can also enhance patient experiences with tools for managing reviews and email marketing.

Weave Can Help Your Practice Provide More Than Just Corrective Eye Care Solutions

Optician training can be obtained through apprenticeships, certificate programs, or associate degrees. After taking the right steps, people can begin working for optometry and ophthalmology practices.

Get a demo of Weave’s solutions to support and enhance optician services and practice management.