Optometrists
Also called: Optometrist, Optometry Doctor (OD), Therapeutic OptometristDiagnose, manage, and treat conditions and diseases of the human eye and visual system. Examine eyes and visual system, diagnose problems or impairments, prescribe corrective lenses, and provide treatment. May prescribe therapeutic drugs to treat specific eye conditions.
On a phone, press and hold a picture to save it to Photos.
opens your phone's share sheet, where you can save both to Photos
What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 10 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 9.5% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 0.1% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 98% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $145,090 | $104,730 to $166,870 | 460 |
| Alaska | $170,310 | $134,480 to $203,510 | 60 |
| Arizona | $122,250 | $104,480 to $165,030 | 1,080 |
| Arkansas | $124,470 | $84,140 to $147,590 | 320 |
| California | $136,300 | $122,960 to $166,300 | 6,890 |
| Colorado | $152,000 | $110,020 to $169,190 | 880 |
| Connecticut | $150,340 | $133,420 to $157,760 | 490 |
| Delaware | $161,270 | $107,880 to $175,750 | 190 |
| District of Columbia | $134,840 | $113,030 to $163,070 | 50 |
| Florida | $151,670 | $122,730 to $167,270 | 2,350 |
| Georgia | $128,830 | $104,850 to $159,140 | 870 |
| Hawaii | $154,620 | $120,980 to $162,070 | 230 |
| Idaho | $103,390 | $64,610 to $155,100 | 160 |
| Illinois | $145,620 | $129,310 to $162,650 | 1,540 |
| Indiana | $135,500 | $102,840 to $161,820 | 1,040 |
| Iowa | $125,380 | $90,330 to $140,630 | 450 |
| Kansas | $138,580 | $118,910 to $160,270 | 660 |
| Kentucky | $128,860 | $97,290 to $168,030 | 430 |
| Louisiana | $118,060 | $101,270 to $148,030 | 250 |
| Maine | $154,110 | $115,870 to $177,630 | 180 |
| Maryland | $165,840 | $81,780 to $201,810 | 780 |
| Massachusetts | $151,730 | $130,480 to $166,920 | 950 |
| Michigan | $135,650 | $125,000 to $161,970 | 1,410 |
| Minnesota | $158,700 | $125,860 to $174,370 | 710 |
| Mississippi | $108,070 | $94,360 to $165,540 | 240 |
| Missouri | $133,810 | $103,720 to $159,870 | 630 |
| Montana | $104,280 | $60,870 to $132,580 | 140 |
| Nebraska | $125,040 | $76,020 to $162,760 | 340 |
| Nevada | $135,650 | $101,030 to $175,380 | 430 |
| New Hampshire | $125,560 | $117,580 to $155,580 | 210 |
| New Jersey | $159,040 | $134,560 to $165,960 | 1,380 |
| New Mexico | $144,660 | $109,260 to $178,060 | 130 |
| New York | $161,140 | $127,900 to $175,740 | 2,390 |
| North Carolina | $161,560 | $123,250 to $193,790 | 1,140 |
| North Dakota | $132,110 | $109,990 to $151,970 | 140 |
| Ohio | $134,850 | $93,560 to $163,050 | 1,300 |
| Oklahoma | $97,350 | $76,690 to $149,660 | 570 |
| Oregon | $132,020 | $102,030 to $143,500 | 560 |
| Pennsylvania | $135,400 | $110,990 to $163,890 | 1,720 |
| Puerto Rico | $132,790 | $78,000 to $168,210 | 280 |
| Rhode Island | $134,520 | $114,090 to $167,930 | 250 |
| South Carolina | $145,950 | $93,980 to $163,510 | 480 |
| South Dakota | $102,320 | $94,350 to $133,200 | 190 |
| Tennessee | $134,170 | $63,510 to $160,150 | 660 |
| Texas | $126,000 | $101,700 to $155,090 | 4,110 |
| Utah | $119,070 | $50,040 to $160,330 | 380 |
| Vermont | $137,290 | $127,010 to $165,380 | 90 |
| Virginia | $131,570 | $106,900 to $163,890 | 1,110 |
| Washington | $157,560 | $126,730 to $171,200 | 760 |
| West Virginia | $118,010 | $98,710 to $161,820 | 150 |
| Wisconsin | $139,720 | $113,620 to $171,280 | 790 |
| Wyoming | $111,400 | $51,840 to $136,050 | 90 |
Nationally: $136,570. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 1 of its 10 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Examine eyes, using observation, instruments, and pharmaceutical agents, to determine visual acuity and perception, focus, and coordination and to diagnose diseases and other abnormalities, such as glaucoma or color blindness. | Not published |
| AI + software | Analyze test results and develop a treatment plan. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Prescribe, supply, fit and adjust eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other vision aids. | Not published |
| Not much | Prescribe medications to treat eye diseases if state laws permit. | Not published |
| Not much | Educate and counsel patients on contact lens care, visual hygiene, lighting arrangements, and safety factors. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove foreign bodies from the eye. | Not published |
See all 10 tasks
| Not much | Provide patients undergoing eye surgeries, such as cataract and laser vision correction, with pre- and post-operative care. | Not published |
| Not much | Consult with and refer patients to ophthalmologist or other health care practitioner if additional medical treatment is determined necessary. | Not published |
| Not much | Prescribe therapeutic procedures to correct or conserve vision. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide vision therapy and low-vision rehabilitation. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 1 of the 10 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 10 tasks fall under 10 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #24 Assist others to access additional services or resources
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prescribe medical treatments or devices | |||
| Treat injuries, illnesses, or diseases | |||
| Assist others to access additional services or resources | |||
| Analyze health or medical data | |||
| Monitor health conditions of humans or animals | |||
| Develop patient or client care or treatment plans | |||
| Train others on health or medical topics | |||
| Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care |
Show all 10 activities
| Fit assistive devices to patients or clients | |||
| Administer diagnostic tests to assess patient health |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Advice or a recommendation41%
- An explanation or answer24%
- An analysis or summary13%
- A document or report11%
- A recipe or meal plan3%
How they worked with Claude
43% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for optometrists specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 1,220 moves out
- 1 Teachers and Instructors, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 14%
- 2 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 13%
- 3 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 7%
- 4 Lawyers Very high +4.7% 5%
- 5 Commercial Pilots Moderate +5.2% 5%
Where people moved in from
of 930 moves in
- 1 Receptionists and Information Clerks Very high -1.7% 7%
- 2 Teachers and Instructors, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 3 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 6%
- 4 Cashiers High -6.5% 5%
- 5 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 5% professional doctorate
- 95% research doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 21 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 2% master's
- 64% professional degree
- 34% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 563 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
1 program: Optometry.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/29-1041.00