A Career as an Optometric Assistant
See for Yourself - A Great Opportunity in the Health Field

This is about one of the hottest areas for employment in the healthcare field. In order to earn the credentials, you don't need to spend four years at a college either. What is it? Read on.

At one time or another we have all visited the eye doctor to have our eyes examined. A focus of preventative health is eye examinations to avoid eye problems before they occur. An Optometric Technician assists doctors with examinations, performs visual assessments, and educates patients in eye care. Optometric Technicians also help patients make choices regarding materials for frames and lenses, evaluate fit and styles of eye glasses, and make repairs on eyeglasses. They are an integral part of the eye care team.

Optometric Technicians can be found assisting patients in the offices of ophthalmologists, optometrists, and opticians as well as performing duties as optical lab technicians or salespersons in an optical company. Opthalmologists are eye surgeons, optometrists are eye care professionals, and opticians focus on frames and lenses.

A beginning salary for an Optometric Technician is estimated be $24,000-28,000. The eye care field is also advancing with new procedures such as LASIK and LADAR vision. There is a great demand for skilled paraprofessionals in this field. Doctors are now seeing the difference between skilled and unskilled employees and prefer to hire the skilled worker with knowledge of the eye.

Students in any Optometric Technician program will usually take courses in the anatomy and physiology of the eye, disorders of the eye, optics, optician practices, optometric procedures, and contact lenses. While in class, students will be figuring out a person's prescription for lenses, utilizing prisms for light refraction, looking in to the back of someone's eye to check for damage, and also learning how to use the many instruments necessary for a complete and thorough eye examination.

Students will also learn about many conditions that affect the eyes such as strabismus, astigmatism, hyperopia, myopia, convergence/divergence problems, cataracts, and glaucoma to name just a few. A hands-on education affords students the opportunity to take theoretical concepts and apply them while learning how to use the optometric instruments.

Many optometric assistant programs are 18 months in duration Employment opportunities are abundant for graduates! After gaining some work experience, there are many fields in which the Optometric Technician can specialize. The Optometric Technician can become a certified technician in many specialty areas through the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO) and the American Optometric Association (AOA). As you can see, there is great potential for employment as well as for advancement as an Optometric Technician.

Successful high school preparation for this program would include a strong background in science and math, knowledge of computers, good communications skills, and at least one general business course.

So, if you enjoy helping people, paying attention to detail, and would like to work in a healthcare field that has good pay and an extremely high rate of employment, consider entering a college program to become an Optometric Technician. It's worth a look!

Editorial provided by Janice Moore, M.Ed. Head of the Department of Allied Health, Central Pennsylvania College, Summerdale, PA.