Eastern England offers best salary prospects

Location is the deciding factor for optical professionals when choosing where to work which has led to the east of the country becoming the most lucrative region for employment.

The research, carried out by Optician among over 700 optical staff, and sponsored by Specsavers, showed that the average salary for those professional staff responding was £37,185. This represents a rise of 4.7 per cent in absolute terms since the last survey in 2008 when the average salary was £35,495. That figure had fallen from the 2006 figure of £36,184.

By job title optometrists were the best paid with an average of £43,808, followed by contact lens opticians on £29,808 and dispensing opticians on £27,747.