How to Become an Optician in West Virginia

Some people like working with others and help them more than anything else.

If you’re one of these people, you could consider becoming an optician in West Virginia!

We might just have captured your attention, so read this presentation!

Optician Job Description and Duties in West Virginia

Those with poor vision usually go to an eye physician for an inspection and then to an optician to purchase the right eyewear.

Opticians thus aid their customers to select the best eyewear for their needs, preferences, budget, and even trends.

Next, you can see a list of duties that you’ll be responsible for completing daily, though additional ones might be added:

• Preparing eyewear
• Fitting and adjusting eyewear
• Educating customers about eyewear issues and maintenance
• Keeping sales records
• Determining insurance co-pays
• Keeping the inventory
• Interacting with the labs that make lenses

As you realized already, you won’t be inspecting the eyes nor prescribe eyewear.

Optician Job Requirements in West Virginia

To work as an optician in West Virginia you’ll need a certification from the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO).

These are not the only requirements you have to meet for this position.

For instance, employers look for:

• A high school diploma or GED
• Reliability
• Good interpersonal skills
• A clean criminal record
• A license

Optician Education in West Virginia

It’s difficult to get certified without undergoing some training.

West Virginia has only one school that offers formal education to future opticians.

You can see this school below.

This school has a pre-optometry course that takes four years to complete.

Usually, students that complete this course will attend another university afterward, for higher degrees.

This other university will usually be from a different state.

However, you can consider any optometry program in the US from the start, for certification purposes.

The duration of other programs will usually vary, with some being as short as a few months and issuing a certificate.

Keep in mind that you might have to meet enrollment criteria like the following:

• A high school diploma or GED
• Completing specific classes with a minimum grade of C
• 2 letters of recommendation
• OAT scores – not older than 5 years
• Minimum GPA of 2.75

Students will be attending among others, these classes:

• Introduction to Optometry
• Ocular Anatomy
• Systems 1: Neuroscience
• Ocular Microbiology
• Ophthalmic Imaging
• Public Health Optometry
• Glaucoma
• Physics

Optician Certification in West Virginia

Licenses are issued by The West Virginia Board of Optometry.

For this, you’ll need to:

• Have a high school diploma or GED
• Pass the NBEO exam
• Pass the state law exam

The subjects of the NBEO cover:

• Applied basic science,
• Patient assessment and management,
• Clinical skills,
• Treatment and management of ocular disease

On June 30, after 1 year, the licenses expire.

To renew your license, you need to attend 43 hours of continuing education in 2 years.

These need to be split like this:

• 12 hours must be earned in pharmacology or therapeutics
• Not more than 6 hours in practice management
• 10 hours can be completed through correspondence or the Internet

Individuals can also choose to pass the ABO-NCLE exams that have 3 difficulty levels:

• Beginner
• Intermediate
• Advanced

These are 2 different exams for which you’ll pay $400 in total.

One of them is for working with glasses and the other one for working with contact lenses.

For the ABO you must know:

• Reading prescriptions,
• Fitting and dispensing spectacles
• Using standard ophthalmic equipment

The NCLE exam topics are:

• Pre-fitting for lenses,
• Diagnostic fitting,
• Dispensing of lenses,
• Patient education,
• Delivery
• Follow-up

The ABO-NCLE certification has a validity of 3 years and renewal also involves some hours of continuing education.

Optician Employment and Salary in West Virginia

Those choosing to become opticians enter a field that will always need personnel.

The most common places hiring opticians include:

• Stores
• Offices
• Optometry practices
• Hospitals
• Clinics

As far as salaries go, these hover at around $42,000 per year, on average in West Virginia.

Regional Salary in West Virginia

Additional Information for Opticians in West Virginia

Here are some resources that could be helpful when looking for classes and even jobs:

• American Board of Optometry and National Contact Lens Examiners
• National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO)
• West Virginia Board of Optometry
• West Virginia Optometric Association
• Accreditation Council on Optometry Education