Optician to Optometrist: A Step-by-Step Guide to Success
High pay and job satisfaction make optometry an ideal career for licensed opticians looking to take their passion for healthcare to the next level.
A completed undergraduate degree is NOT REQUIRED in order to submit your application to Pacific’s School of Optometry. Explore our admissions requirements and see how you can go from optician to optometrist.
Working alongside licensed optometrists in both clinical and retail settings, opticians play a vital part in helping those with vision impairments live fulfilling lives.
While both roles allow people to turn their passion for vision care into a career, they differ greatly in training, duties, and perhaps most notably, in compensation.
On average, the salary of an optometrist is three times higher than that of someone with only an opticianry certification. For opticians who want to make more, help more, and learn more, transitioning to optometry school is more accessible than you might think.
Ready to make a change? Here’s what you need to know to go from optician to optometrist.
Optician vs Optometrist: What’s the Difference?
Opticians and optometrists are frequent collaborators, though the difference in education each role requires results in vastly different job responsibilities.
| Optician | Optometrist | |
|
Education Needed |
An opticianry certificate after an associates degree or apprenticeship |
A Doctorate of Optometry (OD) from an accredited school followed by a licensure exam |
|
Length of Education |
Generally two years |
Eight years (including undergrad) |
|
Duties |
Fitting patients for glasses, contact lenses, and other vision-correcting devices |
Preventing, diagnosing, and treating disorders of the eye that primarily impact vision |
Both careers begin with a foundational education on the visual system and broad healthcare fundamentals.
As such, opticians who satisfy the prerequisites for optometry school often find that their experience assisting optometrists is beneficial when making the move to doctoral programs.
Do Opticians Need a Bachelor’s Degree to Apply to Optometry School?
Educational requirements vary between programs, but at Pacific a completed undergraduate degree is not required to be considered for admission to optometry school.
Rather, if certain prerequisite courses are completed, optometry students at Pacific can earn a bachelor’s degree completion equivalency during their first year of the program.
This means that you can take on Pacific’s optometry school application prerequisites at your own pace — whether through night classes, distance learning, or through a community college — while still being able to keep optician hours.
Salary of an Optometrist vs Salary of an Optician
Due to the advanced education and training, optometrist salaries are much higher than that of opticians.
Optometrist salaries range from $106,000 to $128,000, with higher pay for greater experience, continuing education, and specialization.
In contrast, optician salaries range from only $36,000 to $44,000, the average of which ranks below many similar roles assisting medical professionals.
Management Opportunities for Opticians
Most opticians work in retail settings that fill prescriptions from optometrists on a daily basis.
As a result, opticians with business management experience can advance their career and earn more than their counterparts while still retaining only an opticianry certificate.
A bachelor’s degree in business can benefit those who want to stay at the optician level but still earn above a typical optician salary.
Similar benefits are also available through Pacific’s specialized Healthcare MBA for those who transition to optometry school.
Where are the Highest Optometrist Salaries Located?
Like many healthcare professions, optometrists find greater salaries in metropolitan areas where there is a high concentration of clinics and physicians.
In high population areas, licensed optometrists reported earning up to $30,000 more than those in rural geographies.
In these areas, optometrists who worked within the office of physicians reported the highest earnings, making roughly $130,000 on average.
Pacific’s close proximity to the Portland Metro area (and its many hospitals, clinics, and private practices) make it an ideal place for those who want to get the most out of their optometry doctoral degree.
Connecting with these high-paying healthcare networks is made even easier due to Pacific’s strong community outreach and emphasis on optometry residency placement.
Inquire today and speak with an expert admissions counselor about Pacific's bachelor degree completion option and learn how you can make the change from optician to optometrist.