Salary by Profession in the UK: Compare Jobs, Regions and Pay Levels

How Much Do Optometrists Earn in the UK? — 2026 Salary Guide

Complete guide to optometrist salaries in the UK for 2026. High street vs hospital, newly qualified to practice owner, locum rates, specialist roles, pension, and career progression.

· · 3 min read

Salary and income data is based on ONS and other official UK statistical sources. Figures are averages and may not reflect your individual circumstances.

Optometry offers a professional healthcare career with good earnings and work-life balance. Here’s the complete breakdown of what optometrists earn across different settings.

For a broader comparison across occupations and pay bands, see our Salary by Profession hub.

Optometrist Salary Overview (2025/26)

By Experience Level

LevelSalary Range
Pre-registration optometrist£22,000-£28,000
Newly qualified (0-2 years)£32,000-£42,000
Experienced (3-5 years)£40,000-£52,000
Senior optometrist (5-10 years)£48,000-£62,000
Lead/clinical director£55,000-£75,000
Practice owner£60,000-£150,000+

High Street Optometry

Major Retail Chains

EmployerNewly QualifiedExperienced
Specsavers£32,000-£40,000£42,000-£58,000
Boots Opticians£34,000-£42,000£44,000-£60,000
Vision Express£33,000-£40,000£42,000-£56,000
Asda Opticians£32,000-£38,000£40,000-£52,000
Optical Express£35,000-£45,000£48,000-£65,000
Bayfields£34,000-£42,000£44,000-£60,000

Independent Practices

LevelSalary
Newly qualified£30,000-£38,000
Experienced£38,000-£50,000
Senior/partner£50,000-£70,000
Practice owner£60,000-£120,000+

Specsavers Joint Venture Partner (JVP)

Specsavers operates a joint venture model where optometrists can become partners:

StageEarnings Potential
Store Director (employed)£50,000-£70,000
JVP (part owner)£70,000-£150,000+
Multi-store JVP£120,000-£250,000+

Being a JVP involves buying into the practice (£10,000-£100,000+ investment) and sharing profits.

NHS/Hospital Optometry

NHS Pay Bands

BandRoleSalary
Band 6Hospital optometrist (new)£37,338-£44,962
Band 7Senior hospital optometrist£46,148-£52,809
Band 8aAdvanced clinical practitioner£53,755-£60,504
Band 8bConsultant optometrist£62,215-£72,293
Band 8cHead of optometry£74,290-£86,601

NHS Roles

SettingTypical Band
Primary care eye service (PCES)Band 7
Glaucoma monitoringBand 7-8a
Medical retinaBand 7-8a
Paediatric optometryBand 7
Low visionBand 6-7

Specialist Roles

By Specialism

SpecialismSalary Range
Contact lens specialist£42,000-£58,000
Glaucoma shared care£45,000-£65,000
Medical retina£48,000-£68,000
Paediatric optometry£42,000-£60,000
Low vision£40,000-£55,000
Myopia management£42,000-£58,000
Independent prescriber£50,000-£70,000

Qualifications Premium

QualificationSalary Premium
Professional Certificate (College of Optometrists)+£2,000-£5,000
Higher Certificate+£3,000-£7,000
Diploma+£5,000-£10,000
Independent prescribing+£3,000-£8,000
Glaucoma qualification+£3,000-£8,000

Locum Optometry

Hourly and Daily Rates

LevelHourly RateDaily Rate
Newly qualified£25-£32£200-£260
Experienced£30-£40£240-£320
Senior/specialist£38-£50£300-£400
London+15-25%+15-25%

Locum Annual Earnings

CommitmentAnnualised Income
Part-time (2 days/week)£24,000-£35,000
Full-time (regular)£55,000-£80,000
Premium/specialist£70,000-£100,000+

Locums earn more but without pension, paid leave, or benefits.

Regional Pay Differences

RegionNewly QualifiedExperienced
Central London£38,000-£48,000£50,000-£68,000
Greater London£35,000-£44,000£46,000-£62,000
South East£33,000-£42,000£44,000-£58,000
South West£32,000-£40,000£42,000-£55,000
Midlands£32,000-£40,000£42,000-£54,000
North West£31,000-£39,000£40,000-£52,000
Yorkshire£31,000-£38,000£40,000-£52,000
North East£30,000-£37,000£38,000-£50,000
Scotland£32,000-£40,000£42,000-£55,000
Wales£30,000-£38,000£40,000-£52,000
Northern Ireland£30,000-£36,000£38,000-£50,000

Practice Ownership

Independent Practice Owner Earnings

Practice SizeOwner Income
Single practitioner£60,000-£90,000
Small practice (2-3 optoms)£80,000-£130,000
Medium practice (4-6 optoms)£100,000-£180,000
Large/multi-site£150,000-£300,000+

Practice Value and Investment

FactorTypical Range
Practice purchase price0.8-1.5x annual revenue
Average practice value£200,000-£800,000
Ongoing investmentEquipment, staff, premises

How to Become an Optometrist

Qualification Route

StageDurationCost
MOptom degree4 years£9,250/year (£37,000 total)
Pre-registration year1 yearPaid (£22,000-£28,000 salary)
GOC registrationOngoing~£400/year
Total training time5 years

Entry Requirements

RequirementDetails
A-levelsAAB-ABB typically (Biology useful)
GCSEMaths and English B/6+
Work experienceHighly recommended
DBS checkRequired

Post-Qualification Development

QualificationDurationCost
Professional certificates6-12 months£2,000-£4,000
Higher certificates1-2 years£3,000-£6,000
Diplomas (glaucoma, contact lens)2-3 years£5,000-£10,000
Independent prescribing6-12 months£3,000-£5,000

Pension Arrangements

NHS Optometrists

FeatureDetails
SchemeNHS Pension Scheme
Accrual1/54 per year
Employer contribution~20.6%
Pension ageState Pension Age

High Street/Private

Employer TypePension
Large chains3-6% employer contribution
IndependentsVariable (often 3% statutory)
Self-employed/locumPersonal pension (self-funded)

Pension Comparison (30-year career at £50,000 average)

SectorApproximate Annual Pension
NHS (Band 7 average)~£27,800
Private (5% DC)~£15,000-£20,000 (depends on growth)

Career Progression

StageYearsRoleSalary
Pre-registrationYear 1Pre-reg optom£22,000-£28,000
Newly qualifiedYears 2-4Optometrist£32,000-£42,000
ExperiencedYears 5-8Senior optom£42,000-£55,000
SpecialistYears 8-12Clinical specialist£50,000-£65,000
LeadershipYears 10-15Clinical director£55,000-£75,000
OwnershipYears 10+Practice owner£70,000-£150,000+

Dispensing Opticians (Comparison)

LevelSalary
Trainee£18,000-£22,000
Newly qualified DO£22,000-£28,000
Experienced DO£26,000-£34,000
Store manager (DO)£32,000-£42,000
Contact lens optician£28,000-£38,000

Summary

RoleSalary Range
Pre-registration optometrist£22,000-£28,000
Newly qualified£32,000-£42,000
Experienced (5+ years)£45,000-£58,000
Senior/specialist£52,000-£68,000
Practice owner£70,000-£150,000+
Locum (hourly)£30-£50/hour
NHS Band 7£46,148-£52,809
NHS Band 8a£53,755-£60,504

Sources

  1. ONS — Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings