- Of the 523,260 medical assistants working in the United States in 2010, about 15,690 were employed in offices of optometrists, as detailed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average salary for those working in offices of optometrists was $12.75 per hour, or $26,520 per year. This was about 11 percent lower than the average of $14.31 per hour for medical assistants across all types of employment settings.
- The middle 50 percent of optometric assistants in 2010 were making $10.25 to $14.60 per hour, or $21,320 to $30,370 per year. The bottom 10 percent had hourly wages of $8.85 and less, and the top 10 percent were making $17.55 per hour and higher, or $36,510 per year and more.
- Medical assistants with formal training and professional certification have better job prospects than others do, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Optometric assistants may obtain the qualifications of certified paraoptometric and certified paraoptometric assistant by passing examinations administered by the American Optometric Association. A CPO candidate must have six months of relevant work experience, while a CPOA candidate must have six months of experience as a CPO, or have completed a full-time formal training program, or have five years of experience in the field.
- An optometric assistant may eventually utilize their work experience or further training to advance to a higher-paying position in an optometric office. Clinical laboratory technicians in an optometric office earned $13.41 per hour on average as of 2010, and ophthalmic laboratory technicians $13.94. Dispensing opticians had an average hourly pay rate of $15.50. Medical records technicians in optometric offices were making $14.28 per hour on average, and supervisors of office and administrative support workers made $21.19.
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