Opticians, Dispensing
Dispensing Optician,
Licensed Dispensing Optician (LDO),
Licensed Optician,
Optician
What they do: 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.
- DemandHigh
- state Avg. Salary $$$$$$37,440Download Career Flyer
What do they typically do on the job?
- 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.
Personality
Interests
Career interests describe the perspectives and interests of people who enjoy the type of work involved in this career.
Discover what your interests are by taking the Interest Profiler Quiz
Abilities
Whether you have received formal training or not, these types of abilities are helpful in this career.
Verbal
Communicate by speaking
Listen and understand what people say
Ideas and Logic
Notice when problems happen
Use rules to solve problems
Hand and Finger Use
Put together small parts with your fingers
Keep your arm or hand steady
Attention
Do two or more things at the same time
Skills
People who want to pursue this career have skills in these areas.
Basic Skills
Talking to others
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
Social
Looking for ways to help people
Changing what is done based on other people's actions
Problem Solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Does this sound like something you'd like to do?
1. Do some research
- Identify how your interests, values, and strengths match this occupation
- Talk to someone who works in this field or spend a day job shadowing
- Use the colleges and training directory to explore programs related to this career
2. Plan your next move
- Talk to your college and career counselor or school admissions staff
- Visit Idaho Launch
- Search for available Opticians, Dispensing jobs on Idaho Works
Data for NSI career cards comes from the following: Idaho Department of Labor, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, MyNextMove, and Career OneStop