10 of the Most Popular Types of Entry Level Optical Jobs in 2026

See what kind of roles similar to Entry Level Optical jobs are hiring now

Top Types Of Entry Level Optical Jobs

• Optometrist Assistant

  Salary range: $33,500 - $37,500

  An optometrist is a medical professional who provides vision and eye care. An optometrist assistant, also called an “optometric assistant,” works with the optometrist to ensure the office runs smoothly. As an optometrist assistant, your job duties include scheduling appointments, filing paperwork, handling other bookkeeping tasks, and answering the phone. You may also have some clinical responsibilities, such as performing pretests for vision exams, prepping exam rooms, cleaning and setting up equipment, and showing patients how to care for contact lenses.

• Optical Assistant

  Salary range: $32,000 - $38,000

  An optical assistant is a vision care customer’s first point of contact, as you work in the retail or sales departments or optometrist’s offices. In this career, you are responsible for greeting patients and helping them select the right eyewear as well as repairing and making adjustments to the eyewear. Assistants perform duties such as fitting eyeglasses or contacts under supervision, measuring an eye or bridge of the nose, scheduling appointments, gathering important patient information, and maintaining medical files. Customer service is an important part of the job.

• No Experience Ophthalmic Technician

  Salary range: $37,500 - $50,500

  No Experience Ophthalmic Technician is a more unusual job search query but still may give you interesting job results. Most salaries for No Experience Ophthalmic Technician jobs pay between $37,500 (25th percentile) and $50,500 (75th percentile) annually. Take a look at the variety of open positions nationwide for No Experience Ophthalmic Technician job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter.

• Optician Apprentice

  Salary range: $34,500 - $44,500

  Optician Apprentice is a common job search query. Most salaries for Optician Apprentice jobs pay between $34,500 (25th percentile) and $44,500 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Optician Apprentice job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.

• Work From Home Optical

  Salary range: $34,000 - $48,500

  Work From Home Optical is a typical job search query Most salaries for Work From Home Optical jobs pay between $34,000 (25th percentile) and $48,500 (75th percentile) annually. There are plenty of open positions nationwide for Work From Home Optical job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter.

• Optical Technician

  Salary range: $34,000 - $48,500

  An optical technician, also known as an ophthalmic laboratory technician, fills prescriptions for eyeglass lenses and contact lenses. As an optical technician, you may work in a medical equipment laboratory or directly in an optometrist’s office. One of your job duties is utilizing manufacturing machinery, such as grinders and lensometers, to ensure each lens is curved to the correct prescription for individual patients. Optical technicians are different from opticians, but some offices use the terms interchangeably. A technician usually works closely with an optometrist, or eye doctor, to ensure that each set of lenses is created correctly. Other common responsibilities include fitting glasses frames to suit the patient’s face, checking the correct prescription is sent to the lab, and drafting records about each order that is filled. Some employers require optical technicians to perform administrative duties, such as updating patient records and verifying insurance policies.

• Optician

  Salary range: $34,500 - $44,500

  Opticians work with optometrists or ophthalmologists to design and fit corrective lenses for patients. These lenses include glasses and contact lenses, as well as low-vision aids (magnifying lenses) and ophthalmic prosthetics (artificial eyes), depending on the patient’s needs and the instructions given by the optometrist or ophthalmologist. Opticians make adjustments to the devices to ensure comfort for the patient, such as tightening or loosening glasses frames. While opticians are trained to read the prescriptions provided by the eye doctor, they do not test vision, write prescriptions, or diagnose or treat any eye conditions.

• Non Licensed Optician Costco

  Salary range: $41,000 - $59,500

  Non Licensed Optician Costco is a more unusual job search query but still may give you interesting job results. Most salaries for Non Licensed Optician Costco jobs pay between $41,000 (25th percentile) and $59,500 (75th percentile) annually. Take a look at the variety of open positions nationwide for Non Licensed Optician Costco job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter.

• Optician Level 1

  Salary range: $34,500 - $44,500

  Optician Level 1 is a more unusual job search query but still may give you interesting job results. Most salaries for Optician Level 1 jobs pay between $34,500 (25th percentile) and $44,500 (75th percentile) annually. Take a look at the variety of open positions nationwide for Optician Level 1 job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter.

• Optical Engineer

  Salary range: $129,000 - $167,000

  An optical engineer oversees the scientific application of optics and light in an industrial, research, or manufacturing setting. As an optical engineering professional, your responsibilities include the design of instruments and products that rely on optics, from space telescopes to DVD players. You also may work in research and development to create new technologies and applications for optical science. Your specific duties and the level of education you need varies depending on the field in which you work