Dispensing optician
Dispensing opticians give advice on vision care, and supply glasses and contact lenses to suit their customers needs.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
In this role you could:
- calculate vision distances and angles
- give advice on caring for eye equipment
- measure for glasses or contact lenses and help people choose lenses and frames
- fit, adjust and repair frames
- refer clients back to an optometrist for vision tests when needed
- work with suppliers, order products and check quality on delivery
Working environment
You could work at a store or in an NHS or private hospital.
Career path and progression
With experience you could:
- become self employed and run your own business
- become a dispensing optician supervisor
- work as a consultant to a lens manufacturer or as a sales representative selling equipment
- work in a hospital or teach at a university
- do further training and qualify to become an optometrist
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- customer service skills
- excellent verbal communication skills
- the ability to work well with your hands
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- maths knowledge
- the ability to work well with others
- the ability to sell products and services
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
Restrictions and Requirements
You'll need to:
Student register
If you're a student, you'll need to register as a student with the General Optical Council before you do any clinical work.
Working in the UK
If you qualified outside of the UK, you need to check with the General Optical Council that your qualifications meet UK requirements.
If your qualifications are accepted, you would then need to contact the Association of British Dispensing Opticians to find out about the professional qualifying examinations.
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- an apprenticeship
To qualify as a dispensing optician, you can do a course approved by the General Optical Council. There are 3 different types of course to choose from.
You can do a:
- full-time diploma which takes 2 years followed by working under supervision for a year
- day release training course combined with working which takes 3 years
- distance learning course which includes on the job training and takes 3 years
You'll also need to pass the professional qualifying examinations from the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO).
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and science
- 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, including a science
More Information
You may be able to apply for a place on a Dispensing Optician Level 6 Apprenticeship, with an opticians company.
This can take 3 years to complete.
Entry requirements
To get onto an apprenticeship, you'll find it useful to have:
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship
More Information
Registration
- you'll need to be registered with the General Optical Council
Career tips
You might find it helpful to get some work experience before you apply to study.
Professional and industry bodies
You could join the Association of British Dispensing Opticians for professional development and training opportunities.
Further information
You can find out more about working as a dispensing optician from the Association of British Dispensing Opticians and the General Optical Council.
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