How to become a Dispensing Optician

Official title: Opticians, Dispensing

Also called: Certified Optician, Contact Lens Technician, Dispensing Optician, Licensed Dispensing Optician (LDO), Licensed Optician, Ophthalmic Dispenser, Optical Technician, Optician, Optometric Technician, Registered Optician

Design, measure, fit, and adapt lenses and frames for client according to written optical prescription or specification. Assist client with inserting, removing, and caring for contact lenses. Assist client with selecting frames. Measure customer for size of eyeglasses and coordinate frames with facial and eye measurements and optical prescription. Prepare work order for optical laboratory containing instructions for grinding and mounting lenses in frames. Verify exactness of finished lens spectacles. Adjust frame and lens position to fit client. May shape or reshape frames. Includes contact lens opticians.

Main tasks

• Measure clients' bridge and eye size, temple length, vertex distance, pupillary distance, and optical centers of eyes, using measuring devices.
• Verify that finished lenses are ground to specifications.
• Evaluate prescriptions in conjunction with clients' vocational and avocational visual requirements.
• Recommend specific lenses, lens coatings, and frames to suit client needs.
• Assist clients in selecting frames according to style and color, and ensure that frames are coordinated with facial and eye measurements and optical prescriptions.
• Maintain records of customer prescriptions, work orders, and payments.
• Heat, shape, or bend plastic or metal frames to adjust eyeglasses to fit clients, using pliers and hands.
• Show customers how to insert, remove, and care for their contact lenses.

How to become one

Opticians typically need a high school diploma or the equivalent and receive on-the-job training. Some opticians enter the occupation with an associate's degree or a certificate in ophthalmic dispensing or a related field. Some states require opticians to be licensed.

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Opthalmic Dispen Opt/Contact Lens.
• Licence: A licence is required in 21 states.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $47,260 a year The middle half earn $38,820 to $61,700.
• About 74,300 people work in this job now, and about 77,400 are projected by 2035. (+4.2%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Dispensing Optician?

Opticians typically need a high school diploma or the equivalent and receive on-the-job training. Some opticians enter the occupation with an associate's degree or a certificate in ophthalmic dispensing or a related field. Some states require opticians to be licensed.

How much does a Dispensing Optician earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $47,260 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $38,820 to $61,700.

Is a Dispensing Optician a growing career in the US?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 4% by 2035, from about 74,300 to about 77,400 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Dispensing Optician?

Usually not. Only 22% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Opthalmic Dispen Opt/Contact Lens.

Will AI change the work of a Dispensing Optician?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.