diff --git a/src/installer/destinations.py b/src/installer/destinations.py
index ed5d07a..d948356 100644
--- a/src/installer/destinations.py
+++ b/src/installer/destinations.py
@@ -255,7 +255,10 @@ def write_script(
 
     def _compile_bytecode(self, scheme: Scheme, record: RecordEntry) -> None:
         """Compile bytecode for a single .py file."""
-        if scheme not in ("purelib", "platlib"):
+        if not self.bytecode_optimization_levels or scheme not in (
+            "purelib",
+            "platlib",
+        ):
             return
 
         import compileall