Professions, Istituto Zaccagnini: 21,500 Licensed Opticians Active in the Industry
Key figures analyzed by Istituto Zaccagnini, a school for opticians and optometrists: a day of dialogue to discuss the present and future of professional education in the optical sector.
stituto Zaccagnini launched the 2024-2025 academic year with an event titled "Opticians and Optometrists in a Changing Italy", focusing on the role of these professionals and the challenges the sector faces. In Italy, there are 21,500 licensed opticians, including 19,500 in specialized retail and 2,000 in other businesses. The eyewear market alone is worth €5.53 billion (2023), while the Italian optical industry, encompassing optometry, has a total value of €9.23 billion.
However, the number of graduates in Optics and Optometry is declining, with a 46.7% drop between 2018 and 2022. Training to become an optician requires either a university degree or a two-year post-diploma program, followed by a licensing exam. Despite the decrease in graduates, a degree in Optics and Optometry guarantees low unemployment rates, growing career opportunities, and competitive salaries, with no gender pay gap.
The demand for opticians remains high, particularly following the 2021 reform of the optician’s professional profile, which expanded required competencies, emphasizing eye health and collaboration with medical professionals.
The optical sector is especially critical for the aging population, which is significantly increasing. The profession’s future will depend on more advanced training. Istituto Zaccagnini, with campuses in Bologna and Milan, graduates around 70% of the opticians required in the regional market and over 20% nationally. Its educational apprach integrates classroom learning, laboratory work, and a digital platform.
During the event, experts and institutional representatives highlighted the importance of education to meet the labor market and healthcare sector needs, stressing the pivotal role of opticians in vision prevention and care. Notable participants included Simona Tironi (Regional Councillor for Education, Training, and Employment), Andrea Afragoli (President of Federottica), Massimo Barberis (Vice President of Anfao and President of the Lenses Group), Nicoletta Losi (Professional Education and Development Director for France, Italy, Iberia, and EMA at Johnson & Johnson, and Euromcontact President), Lucrezia Gilardoni (Director of Istituto Zaccagnini’s Milan branch), and other prominent guests.
The event featured a scientific session focused on the management of refractive errors, a highly relevant and timely topic that will be further explored during the XXVI Interdisciplinary Congress, scheduled for March 9-10, 2025, in Bologna, the historic headquarters of the Institute.