Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric
Also called: Glaucoma Specialist, Ophthalmologist, Physician, Retina SpecialistDiagnose and perform surgery to treat and help prevent disorders and diseases of the eye. May also provide vision services for treatment including glasses and contacts.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 10 of its 18 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 4.5% 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, 0.6% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other physicians”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 96% 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 | $305,200 | $188,680 to $351,440 | not published |
| Arkansas | $259,320 | $136,720 to $323,130 | 30 |
| California | $400,150 | $186,200 to $433,530 | 820 |
| Colorado | $288,050 | $215,640 to $379,370 | 100 |
| Florida | $399,440 | $303,920 to $521,590 | 580 |
| Georgia | $382,920 | $197,590 to $441,620 | 120 |
| Illinois | $284,630 | $159,410 to $334,330 | 620 |
| Indiana | $168,600 | $135,950 to $435,600 | 160 |
| Iowa | $394,900 | $83,010 to $478,150 | 90 |
| Kentucky | $101,940 | $65,240 to $355,540 | 70 |
| Louisiana | $155,250 | $124,970 to $221,740 | 30 |
| Maine | $337,850 | $200,530 to $346,670 | 90 |
| Maryland | $211,770 | $161,900 to $277,050 | 260 |
| Massachusetts | $325,200 | $226,790 to $346,910 | 450 |
| Michigan | $179,720 | $134,840 to $459,770 | 150 |
| Minnesota | $372,200 | $312,000 to $432,560 | 180 |
| Missouri | $228,410 | $218,860 to $319,480 | not published |
| Nevada | $345,600 | $118,360 to $345,600 | not published |
| New Hampshire | $404,330 | $305,180 to $437,240 | 50 |
| New York | $360,050 | $217,830 to $451,110 | 960 |
| Ohio | $271,270 | $182,950 to $545,790 | 150 |
| Oklahoma | $215,760 | $215,760 to $215,760 | not published |
| Oregon | $334,450 | $271,850 to $477,130 | 210 |
| Pennsylvania | $304,290 | $171,150 to $394,070 | 310 |
| Rhode Island | $450,370 | $176,540 to $450,370 | 180 |
| South Carolina | $214,160 | $188,680 to $357,750 | 100 |
| South Dakota | $211,990 | $211,990 to $215,770 | 130 |
| Tennessee | $231,040 | $144,590 to $398,820 | 230 |
| Texas | $323,010 | $194,070 to $407,300 | not published |
| Utah | $188,490 | $130,080 to $373,730 | 30 |
| Vermont | $258,910 | $167,650 to $344,880 | 30 |
| Virginia | $177,410 | $151,910 to $490,410 | not published |
| Washington | $304,830 | $202,880 to $483,330 | 180 |
| Wisconsin | $213,890 | $148,610 to $399,500 | 250 |
Nationally: $300,080. 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 10 of its 18 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Perform comprehensive examinations of the visual system to determine the nature or extent of ocular disorders. | Not published |
| Not much | Diagnose or treat injuries, disorders, or diseases of the eye and eye structures including the cornea, sclera, conjunctiva, or eyelids. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide or direct the provision of postoperative care. | Not published |
| Not much | Prescribe or administer topical or systemic medications to treat ophthalmic conditions and to manage pain. | Not published |
| AI + software | Develop or implement plans and procedures for ophthalmologic services. | Not published |
| AI + software | Educate patients about maintenance and promotion of healthy vision. | under 0.01% |
See all 18 tasks
| AI + software | Document or evaluate patients' medical histories. | Not published |
| AI + software | Perform, order, or interpret the results of diagnostic or clinical tests. | Not published |
| AI + software | Develop treatment plans based on patients' histories and goals, the nature and severity of disorders, and treatment risks and benefits. | Not published |
| AI alone | Refer patients for more specialized treatments when conditions exceed the experience, expertise, or scope of practice of practitioner. | Not published |
| AI alone | Provide ophthalmic consultation to other medical professionals. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform ophthalmic surgeries such as cataract, glaucoma, refractive, corneal, vitro-retinal, eye muscle, or oculoplastic surgeries. | Not published |
| AI + software | Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of health professionals to provide optimal patient care. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform laser surgeries to alter, remove, reshape, or replace ocular tissue. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prescribe ophthalmologic treatments or therapies such as chemotherapy, cryotherapy, or low vision therapy. | Not published |
| Not much | Prescribe corrective lenses such as glasses or contact lenses. | Not published |
| Not much | Instruct interns, residents, or others in ophthalmologic procedures and techniques. | Not published |
| AI + software | Conduct clinical or laboratory-based research in ophthalmology. | 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 18 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 18 tasks fall under 16 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
- #26 Research healthcare issues
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treat injuries, illnesses, or diseases | |||
| Prescribe medical treatments or devices | |||
| Develop patient or client care or treatment plans | |||
| Assist others to access additional services or resources | |||
| Research healthcare issues | |||
| Advise others on healthcare or wellness issues | |||
| Analyze health or medical data | |||
| Advise patients or clients on medical issues |
Show all 16 activities
| Monitor health conditions of humans or animals | |||
| Administer basic health care or medical treatments | |||
| Diagnose health conditions or disorders | |||
| Train others on health or medical topics | |||
| Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care | |||
| Order medical tests or procedures | |||
| Maintain health or medical records | |||
| Administer diagnostic tests to assess patient health |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer46%
- Advice or a recommendation38%
- A document or report2%
- An email or message2%
- A plan or strategy2%
How they worked with Claude
14% 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 ophthalmologists, except pediatric 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 36,033 moves out
- 1 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 19%
- 2 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 8%
- 3 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 5%
- 4 Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary Very high +17.9% 5%
- 5 Chief Executives Very high +3.2% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 41,353 moves in
- 1 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 16%
- 2 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 4%
- 3 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 4%
- 4 Nursing Assistants Low +2.6% 3%
- 5 Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary Very high +17.9% 3%
The resume data uses 2010 occupation codes. This occupation comes from “Physicians and Surgeons, All Other”, which today also includes “Cardiologists”, “Dermatologists”, “Emergency Medicine Physicians”, “Neurologists”, “Physicians, Pathologists”, “Radiologists” and “Physicians, All Other”, so these figures cover those too. 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
- 10% postsecondary certificate
- 14% post-bachelor's certificate
- 14% professional doctorate
- 20% research doctorate
- 42% not published
O*NET marks 42% of the answers as too uncertain to publish, so the parts shown don't add up to 100%.
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 13 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 83% professional degree
- 17% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other physicians” · 10,590 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 the Census group “Other physicians”
2 programs: Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy.
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
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