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Opticians, Dispensing

Also called: Dispensing Optician, Licensed Dispensing Optician (LDO), Licensed Optician, 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.

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Median pay BLS, 2025$47,260
Openings a year BLS, 2025–355,600
Typical education to start BLSHigh school diploma or equivalent
AI exposure BLS, Aug 2026 Moderate
Projected job growth BLS, 2025–35 +4.2%

What the data says: AI could halve the time on 7 of its 21 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 4.2% by 2035. How to think about this →

About this projection

BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”

It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”

On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”

Recent conditions

  • In 2024, 2.7% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
  • From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 54% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.

How to read these

Pay compared with all occupations BLS median wages Pays more than 25% of 825 occupations
lowest-paidhighest-paid

Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates

$36k$75knot published

Median pay in every state
StateMedianMiddle half earnJobs
Alabama$36,880$34,370 to $41,490880
Alaska$58,250$40,450 to $74,88090
Arizona$48,210$44,640 to $58,6701,400
Arkansas$42,880$35,800 to $59,240690
California$57,990$47,050 to $77,4607,840
Colorado$47,310$44,160 to $58,5401,520
Connecticut$75,300$56,010 to $81,300610
Delaware$46,220$37,850 to $49,300270
District of Columbia$61,310$48,040 to $65,68080
Florida$58,850$45,400 to $66,9605,080
Georgia$48,010$41,880 to $64,6202,290
Hawaii$75,300$58,310 to $76,940110
Idaho$43,950$37,940 to $52,030530
Illinois$43,960$38,190 to $47,8503,250
Indiana$39,370$36,750 to $45,0002,010
Iowa$44,480$38,570 to $46,570920
Kansas$40,140$37,110 to $46,260630
Kentucky$44,290$36,770 to $59,340950
Louisiana$36,360$32,110 to $41,150720
Maine$47,220$40,740 to $50,850350
Maryland$48,700$42,070 to $59,8201,060
Massachusetts$67,210$54,290 to $79,6701,360
Michigan$41,180$37,490 to $45,8503,080
Minnesota$48,020$42,310 to $56,4201,490
Mississippi$36,680$30,670 to $42,880560
Missouri$38,750$36,050 to $46,6801,600
Montana$47,050$40,330 to $54,560330
Nebraska$39,830$36,810 to $47,570870
Nevada$46,910$46,010 to $79,140960
New Hampshire$51,980$46,710 to $59,370440
New Jersey$72,460$62,760 to $80,7202,010
New Mexico$39,090$36,050 to $47,400340
New York$63,880$50,500 to $73,5803,520
North Carolina$50,190$38,620 to $73,0802,020
North Dakota$45,230$38,240 to $48,270230
Ohio$50,500$40,620 to $60,4302,960
Oklahoma$37,940$33,700 to $46,070730
Oregon$49,210$45,740 to $59,0601,000
Pennsylvania$45,450$38,460 to $49,6202,230
Puerto Rico$28,980$23,490 to $34,6601,380
Rhode Island$47,400$45,700 to $60,780350
South Carolina$48,000$39,320 to $61,360890
South Dakota$43,400$36,640 to $46,190430
Tennessee$49,840$37,620 to $63,1001,530
Texas$38,720$35,290 to $47,8406,700
Utah$41,780$36,850 to $51,670700
Vermont$57,350$46,550 to $68,08070
Virginia$55,820$43,730 to $63,9501,860
Washington$49,220$46,240 to $60,2502,100
West Virginia$38,120$33,340 to $46,630350
Wisconsin$44,820$38,090 to $48,8801,430
Wyoming$39,100$34,190 to $45,010130

Nationally: $47,260. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this

How AI touches the work

What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.

AI could halve the time on 7 of its 21 tasks

3 · AI alone could halve the time 4 · AI + software built on it could 14 · Not much
AI ratingIts main tasks Share of Claude conversations
May 2026
Not much Measure clients' bridge and eye size, temple length, vertex distance, pupillary distance, and optical centers of eyes, using measuring devices. Not published
Not much Verify that finished lenses are ground to specifications. Not published
AI alone Recommend specific lenses, lens coatings, and frames to suit client needs. Not published
Not much Assist clients in selecting frames according to style and color, and ensure that frames are coordinated with facial and eye measurements and optical prescriptions. Not published
Not much Heat, shape, or bend plastic or metal frames to adjust eyeglasses to fit clients, using pliers and hands. Not published
Not much Determine clients' current lens prescriptions, when necessary, using lensometers or lens analyzers and clients' eyeglasses. Not published
See all 21 tasks
AI + software Prepare work orders and instructions for grinding lenses and fabricating eyeglasses. Not published
Not much Evaluate prescriptions in conjunction with clients' vocational and avocational visual requirements. Not published
AI alone Obtain a customer's previous record, or verify a prescription with the examining optometrist or ophthalmologist. Not published
AI + software Sell goods such as contact lenses, spectacles, sunglasses, and goods related to eyes, in general. Not published
AI + software Maintain records of customer prescriptions, work orders, and payments. Not published
AI alone Perform administrative duties, such as tracking inventory and sales, submitting patient insurance information, and performing simple bookkeeping. Not published
Not much Instruct clients in how to wear and care for eyeglasses. Not published
Not much Order and purchase frames and lenses. Not published
Not much Show customers how to insert, remove, and care for their contact lenses. Not published
Not much Assemble eyeglasses by cutting and edging lenses, and fitting the lenses into frames. Not published
Not much Supervise the training of student opticians. Not published
Not much Repair damaged frames. Not published
AI + software Arrange and maintain displays of optical merchandise. Not published
Not much Fabricate lenses to meet prescription specifications. Not published
Not much Grind lens edges, or apply coatings to lenses. Not published

Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 21 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.

Where people already use AI

The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 21 tasks fall under 17 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.

Tasks AI could speed up7 of 21 tasksEloundou et al. ratings (2023)
Its activities among the 50 people ask AI for help with most3 of 17 activities
  • #30 Perform administrative or clerical activities
  • #34 Advise others on products or services
  • #36 Purchase goods or services
Microsoft Copilot (2024), ranked among all 332 activities. The cut-off of 50 is ours.
Work activity This occupation's tasks under it People asked AI for help
in 10,000 conversations		 AI did it for them
in 10,000 conversations
Fabricate medical devices 0tied #331 0.01#318
Perform administrative or clerical activities 58#30 25#44
Advise others on products or services 51#34 240#9
Sell products or services 2.58#178 2.08#129
Train others to use equipment or products 1.26#225 20#47
Fit assistive devices to patients or clients 0.13#311 0tied #327
Purchase goods or services 47#36 0.39#220
Plan work activities 21#55 14#57
Show all 17 activities
Verify personal information 13#78 1.51#141
Execute financial transactions 9.32#95 0.16#253
Collect information about patients or clients 3.53#155 4.48#98
Evaluate patient or client condition or treatment options 2.36#185 0.41#219
Examine people or animals to assess health conditions or physical characteristics 1.54#212 0.13#264
Train others on health or medical topics 0.47#272 5.29#84
Operate medical equipment 0.23#293 0.04#285
Maintain health or medical records 0.18#302 0.03#291
Maintain medical equipment or instruments 0.10#314 0.01#324
Task: AI alone Task: AI + software Task: not much #: rank among all 332 activities Microsoft measured (#1 = most common; activities that never came up share last place, shown as “tied”)
Where the two sources differ: “Sell products or services” holds 2 tasks rated AI + software, yet people asked AI for help with it in 2.58 of every 10,000 conversations, #178 of 332.
How to read this

Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for opticians, dispensing specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.

The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.

More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude

High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs

BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.

AI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213 growingModerate151 of 206 growingHigh165 of 206 growingVery high141 of 206 growing11 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Click a dot to see that occupation.Opticians, dispensing: +4.2%Opticians, DispensingAI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213Moderate151 of 206High165 of 206Very high141 of 20611 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Tap a dot.Opticians, dispensing: +4.2%Opticians, Dispensing

Career moves into and out of this occupation

From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.

Where people moved next

of 5,035 moves out

  1. 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 12%
  2. 2 Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians 7%
  3. 3 Education Administrators, Postsecondary High +1.8% 6%
  4. 4 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 4%
  5. 5 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 4%

Where people moved in from

of 4,825 moves in

  1. 1 Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians 7%
  2. 2 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 7%
  3. 3 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 6%
  4. 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
  5. 5 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 5%

Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).

Education and training for the occupation

Education people in it hold

O*NET survey of workers in this occupation

  • 46% high school
  • 25% postsecondary certificate
  • 4% some college
  • 25% associate's

O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 24 people answered.

Census survey (American Community Survey)

  • 3% less than high school
  • 25% high school
  • 35% some college
  • 16% associate's
  • 18% bachelor's
  • 2% master's

Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 785 people surveyed.

Why the two can differ

O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide

Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation

Programs that prepare people for it (NCES)
1 program: Opticianry/Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician.

Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023

45.2% this occupation

45.3% all occupations

By kindThis occupationAll occupations
a license43.9%19.1%
a certificationnot published
an educational certificatenot published

Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this

Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor

  • Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
  • Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
  • License Finder ↗ licenses by state
  • Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 2 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (OPTHALMIC DISPEN OPT/CONTACT LENS; OPTICIAN DISPENSING). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Opticians, Dispensing” there.

These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide

See where your own career could go Start by uploading your resume Browse careers

BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS

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