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Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician

Types of Degrees Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	70
Associate’s Degree	224
Master’s Degree	58

What Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician Majors Need to Know

Programs in Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Sales and Marketing — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Production and Processing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.8 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.7 / 7
Selling or Influencing Others	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.2 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
HealthLine Systems Eyecom	Medical software	—
Diversified Ophthalmics Practice Maximus	Medical software	—
Cygnet Infotech Optifocus	Medical software	—
Inventory management systems	Inventory management software	—
Point of sale POS software	Point of sale POS software	—
First Insight MaximEyes	Medical software	—
Compulink Eyecare Advantage	Medical software	—
Insight Software My Vision Express	Medical software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Intuit QuickBooks	Accounting software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician graduates include:

• Dispensing and Measuring Optician
• Optician
• Optical Dispenser
• Optometric Technician
• Licensed Optical Dispenser
• Eyeglass Fitter
• Optical Sales Associate
• Dispensing Optician
• Optical Technician
• Licensed Dispensing Optician (LDO)
• Ophthalmic Dispenser
• Registered Optician
• Eyecare Advisor
• Contact Lens Technician
• Certified Optician

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	45.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	25%
Postsecondary certificate	25%
Some college courses	4.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 76.1% of Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	268	76.1%
Men	84	23.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	137	38.9%
Asian	24	6.8%
Hispanic or Latino	120	34.1%
Black or African American	50	14.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.3%
Two or More Races	10	2.8%
Race Unknown	5	1.4%
International Students	2	0.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$34,118
4 years	$36,016
5 years	$38,680

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $38,680 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician graduates earn a median of $36,016 four years after completion — about 5% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Ophthalmic and Optometric Support Services and Allied Professions	51.18
Ophthalmic and Optometric Support Services and Allied Professions, Other	51.1899
Ophthalmic Technician/Technologist	51.1803
Optometric Technician/Assistant	51.1802
Orthoptics/Orthoptist	51.1804

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.