Career Overlap Occupation record
RecordJob

Where an optician can go next

5 destinations recorded, ranked by how much of the target role an optician already meets. The closer to the top of Table 1, the less there is to learn.

Opticians help to improve and correct an individual's vision. They fit spectacle lenses and frames, contact lenses, and other devices according to the specifications of the individual. Their scope of practice varies according to national regulations and they might operate according to prescriptions provided by a specialised doctor in ophthalmology or an optometrist in the countries where requested.

Also known as contact lens specialist, spectacle dispensing optician, dispensing optician, optician expert, qualified optician, expert optician, corrective lens dispenser, contact lens optician.

Technicians and associate professionals 61 skills on file 5 career moves 2 above 60% overlap Closest: healthcare assistant, 67%

Fig. 2 · Career map 5 nearest · ESCO v1.2.1
healthcare assistant 67% covered optometrist 66% covered physiotherapy assistant 56% covered dental hygienist 56% covered pharmacy technician 52% covered optician You are here
  • 70% and above · short step
  • 50 to 70% · real move
  • Below 50% · substantial retraining
The 5 nearest destinations from optician, each one a link to that move’s record. Distance from the centre is how much retraining the move takes; the figure on each is how much of that role an optician already covers. All 5 are listed in the tables below.
Table 1

Table 1 · Within reach

Table 2

Table 2 · A bigger jump

Possible, but expect real retraining rather than a sideways step.

Table 3

Table 3 · What the job itself asks for

An optician needs 53 required skills and areas of knowledge. These 10 are the ones fewest other jobs share, so they say the most about the work.

Required skill Area
  • adjust eyeglasses handling and moving
  • advise customers on eyewear maintenance communication, collaboration and creativity
  • fit low vision aids assisting and caring
  • make referrals to ophthalmology assisting and caring
  • repair lenses handling and moving
  • use lensometer working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • advise on contact lense maintenance communication, collaboration and creativity
  • dispense corrective lenses assisting and caring
  • handle contact lenses assisting and caring
  • perform frames' repairs working with machinery and specialised equipment
Table 4

Table 4 · Jobs that lead here

The reverse view: occupations whose skills already cover much of what an optician does. The figure is how much of this job each one brings.

Index

Look up another occupation

Optician is filed under Technicians and associate professionals, ISCO major group 3. The full index lists all ten groups.

Note

How these figures were compiled

Overlap is how much of the target role is already part of an optician’s work. It is directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. Every entry above opens the full comparison for that move: what carries over, what is missing, and where to start. The full method.