Optometrist Salary in South African Rands per Month

An average optometrist based in South Africa and America earns around R71 400 and $138,840 on a yearly basis. The hourly wage for South African optometrists is approximately R410, which is comparatively higher than other related professions. So, if you are interested in this field and want to know more about the optometrist salary, keep on reading this guide.

Optometrist Salary in South Africa

The average salary of optometrists in South Africa, including the hourly wage, average salary range, pay scale, and more. So, here is a breakdown of the optometrist salary in both countries.

Salary Range

The average optometrist salary in South Africa starts from R35,000 and goes up to R1,11,000, whereas this value for the USA ranges between $110,000 and $170,000. That said, do consider that it is not the exact salary package and the amount is subject to an increase or decrease based on your gender, city station, educational qualification, and expertise.

Median Salary

In simple terms, median salary can be defined as the average amount half the workforce earns over the course of time. In this case, the median salary for South African optometrists is around R66 600, whereas it is $122,914 for America. According to this data, the USA has a high median salary amount, given its high hourly employee wage.

25th and 75th Salary Percentile

According to the salary chart, the 25th percentile (25% of the workforce) average salary is around R 54 400 per month, whereas the 75th percentile (75% of the workforce) average salary is approximately RR 76 100 per month in South Africa. In contrast, for the American optometrist workforce, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries are $117,500 and $159,500 respectively.

Fringe Benefits

The good thing about the optometrist job is the additional perks you get to enjoy, including the rent allowance, housing, and medical insurance. This is applicable to most optometrist jobs in both the USA and South Africa, specifically in the public sector. However, it may not be applicable to all companies, which is why you need to check it beforehand.

Professional Responsibilities of an Optometrist

An optometrist is a professional healthcare provider that is responsible for taking care of your eyes. They examine, treat, and diagnose eye diseases and vision issues. Though they are not ophthalmologists, they can prescribe medicines to correct vision and perform eye exams.

Following are some professional duties an optometrist performs on a day-to-day basis.

• Performing detailed eye examines to check the health
• Offering clinical advice for vision correction
• Prescribing medicines, spectacles, and contact lenses
• Making a referral to eye specialists
• Training optometrists students and opticians

Factors that Influence Optometrist Salary in South Africa

There are various factors that impact your salary as an optometrist, specifically based in South Africa. These include everything from your qualifications to expertise, gender, and working station. So, let us discuss all these elements in detail and check how they play in deciding your monthly salary.

Qualification/ Education

There is no doubt that you need a university degree to qualify as an optometrist. Hence, it is understandable that your salary package gets better as you progress academically and upgrade your educational qualifications. Here is a breakdown of the salary variance between professional optometrists with different educational backgrounds.

Education Level	Salary Range
Bachelor’s Degree	R74 029
Master Degree	R93 700

Level of Experience

After education, the factor that most affects your salary as an optometrist is the age and experience. It is pretty natural that an employee with ten years of experience will earn more than those with five years, and so on. So, let us discuss how different optometrist skills can affect their salary in South Africa.

• Less than 2 Years of Experience

Optometrists with less than two years of experience earn around R41 500 per month.

• 2-5 Years of Experience

If you have two to five years of expertise as an optometrist, the expected salary would be R53 300 monthly, which is around 29% more than those in the previous category.

• 5-10 Years of Experience

As compared to the previous level employees, optometrists with five to ten years of experience earn 38% more, which makes it approximately R73 500 per month.

• 10-15 Years of Experience

Similarly, optometrists working for ten to fifteen years in South Africa earn around R91 100 per month, which is 24% more than those in the previous level.

• 15-20 Years of Experience

Professionals with fifteen to twenty years of expertise in optometrics have an expected salary of R97 600 per month, which is 7% more than the previous category.

• More than 20 Years of Experience

If you have worked for more than twenty years as an optometrist, expect your salary to be anywhere above R1 04 000, which is 7% more than the previous level.

Level of Experience	Estimated Salary (Per Month)
Less than 2 Years	R41 500
2-5 Years	R53 300
5-10 Years	R73 500
10-15 Years	R91 100
15-20 Years	R97 600
More than 20 Years	R1 04 000

Public Vs. Private Sector

Public vs. private sector: Where will you get more opportunities as an optometrist? If we specifically talk about South Africa, public-sector optometrists are paid more than those in the private sector. According to the stats, there is a 7% noted salary difference between these two.

Public Sector	R32 400	7% more
Private Sector	R30 400

Gender

Gender is yet another factor that plays a contributing role in deciding your salary as an optometrist in South Africa. Because there is a higher number of male optometrists in the country, they get more recruitment and salary perks. According to the stats, there is an 8% noted salary variance between male and female employees in this field.

Male	R73 700	7% more
Female	R68 300

City of Allocation

Does your working station impact your monthly salary in any way? The answer to this question is yes, the area where you are posted definitely influences your salary as an optometrist. For instance, remote spaces with fewer registered optometrists may not earn the same as someone who is based in a metro city.

City Station	Average Salary (Per Month)
Bloemfontein	R63 400
Cape Town	R72 400
Durban	R75 200
Johannesburg	R71 300
Port Elizabeth	R63 900
Pretoria	R68 700

Optometrists are highly qualified and reputable professionals anywhere in the world, let alone in South Africa. Their financial perks and fringe benefits attract a lot of youngsters to this field. I hope, after reading this guide, you will be able to make a decision on whether to enter this profession or not.