Vision care jobs: Everything you need to know
Whether you’re already working in the vision care industry or considering starting your eye care career, this guide is for you.
The vision recruitment experts at Vision Executives have put together this complete guide with everything you need about the different types of vision care jobs and where to find the best career opportunities.
Types of clinical vision care jobs
There are several different types of optical jobs, both full-time and part-time. Here is a brief overview.
Optician jobs
An optician is an eye care specialist trained to help customers choose suitable eyeglasses, contact lenses, or vision correction devices. They help patients choose the right corrective lenses after an ophthalmologist or optometrist prescribes them. Opticians can’t diagnose or treat eye disorders or diseases; they aren’t medical or eye doctors.
According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for an optician in the UK is £30,378 per year.
Optometrist jobs
An optometrist is a healthcare professional who provides patients with vision care, including conducting routine eye exams and advising patients on eye health. They are trained to examine, diagnose and treat various eye disorders. Optometrists can prescribe patients vision corrective devices, including glasses and contact lenses, as well as medication to treat eye diseases.
Optometrists aren’t medical doctors who aren’t trained to perform eye surgery. They hold a Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree and attended optometry school rather than medical school.
According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for an optometrist in the UK is £55,625 per year.
Ophthalmologist roles
Ophthalmologists are eye and vision specialists. Unlike opticians and optometrists, ophthalmologists are doctors of medicine (MD) or doctors of osteopathy (DO) and have been trained to provide comprehensive vision care, including medical and surgical eye care. Ophthalmologists diagnose, treat, manage, and prevent eye conditions and diseases, such as cataracts, glaucoma, or age-related vision loss.
According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for an ophthalmologist in the UK is £112,712 per year.
Types of non-clinical vision care jobs
Vision care marketing jobs
From vision marketing consultants to eyewear marketing directors, there are a variety of marketing roles in the vision care industry. Responsibilities of a vision care marketing professional include managing the company’s marketing budget, developing and implementing effective marketing strategies to grow the vision care company, and increasing revenue.
Vision care sales jobs
There are several vision sales roles at different seniority levels, including sales representatives, sales managers and sales directors. Vision care sales professionals are chiefly responsible for increasing optical sales revenue, but more senior roles may also include managing a large team of sales representatives.
Director and management vision care jobs
There are many director and C-suite roles within the vision care sector. From vice presidents to commercial directors, these vision care jobs include managing a team, hiring and training other vision care professionals, and growing the business.
This is not an exhaustive list, and other non-clinical vision care roles may be found in the following sectors:
- Medical Affairs
- Design and Engineering
- R&D
- Manufacturing
Where to look for vision care jobs
Clinical roles
If you’re looking for a new optician, optometrist, or ophthalmologist role, you can check general job sites like Indeed or Reed. You can also look at the NHS website or job-specific job boards on sites such as The Royal College of Ophthalmologists or The College of Optometrists.
Non-clinical roles
Finding suitable career opportunities can be more challenging if you’re looking for a non-clinical role. Although some opportunities can be found through job boards and sites, it’s not as easy as when you’re looking for a clinical role.
Using an experienced vision care recruitment agency is often the best option, especially if you’re looking for a senior or C-level role. A specialist recruitment agency will be able to connect you with suitable companies and find the best positions to progress your vision care career.
How Vision Executives can help
Our professional and experienced recruitment agency can help you find the perfect non-clinical vision care role to take the next steps in your career.
The team at Vision Executives are experts in international recruitment for the vision care sector. Our consultants are leaders in their fields, and we’re dedicated to finding our candidates a vision care role that’s a perfect match for them. Joining us means you’ll have access to a global hiring manager network with over 4000 professionals across 30 countries.
The Vision Executives team have placed candidates in diverse roles across multiple companies, from sales representative roles in start-ups to director roles in 'blue-chip' multinationals.
Our recruitment process
When it comes to vision care recruitment, we offer an open and honest service. We take the time to understand you and your talents to find the right role based on your skills and experience.
Here’s what our recruitment process looks like:
- Introductory call to discuss your motivations and expectations for your new role.
- A mock interview with one of our specialist recruiters.
- A confidential profile will be created for you.
- We’ll reach out to our network of hiring managers and clients to begin finding your perfect role.
- With your permission, we’ll share your CV with suitable clients.
- We’ll arrange interviews and support contract negotiations to help you get your deserved salary!
If you’re interested in our professional vision care recruitment services, check out our live vacancies on our site or learn more about what we do.