Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
Also called: Certified Ophthalmic Surgical Assistant, Certified Ophthalmic Technician (COT), Ophthalmic Assistant, Ophthalmic Tech (Ophthalmic Technician)Assist ophthalmologists by performing ophthalmic clinical functions. May administer eye exams, administer eye medications, and instruct the patient in care and use of corrective lenses.
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 4 of its 20 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 21.4% 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, 4.3% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Dietetic technicians and ophthalmic medical technicians”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 94% 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 | $36,680 | $31,990 to $42,760 | 1,260 |
| Alaska | $49,970 | $46,790 to $65,410 | 90 |
| Arizona | $47,040 | $39,870 to $48,870 | 1,630 |
| Arkansas | $37,340 | $32,440 to $40,880 | 540 |
| California | $54,490 | $44,810 to $74,950 | 2,500 |
| Colorado | $46,260 | $43,410 to $54,720 | 1,470 |
| Connecticut | $48,270 | $46,010 to $60,490 | 780 |
| Delaware | $44,540 | $33,610 to $49,290 | not published |
| District of Columbia | $50,790 | $37,760 to $64,390 | not published |
| Florida | $46,830 | $38,240 to $50,260 | 7,020 |
| Georgia | $39,150 | $37,110 to $45,770 | 2,570 |
| Hawaii | $58,240 | $48,510 to $59,850 | 190 |
| Idaho | $38,280 | $36,170 to $44,130 | 230 |
| Illinois | $47,100 | $38,060 to $50,490 | 3,250 |
| Indiana | $43,490 | $37,030 to $46,690 | 1,610 |
| Iowa | $44,030 | $39,270 to $50,730 | 500 |
| Kansas | $43,700 | $37,340 to $46,740 | 630 |
| Kentucky | $38,990 | $35,670 to $45,430 | 1,570 |
| Louisiana | $38,750 | $36,620 to $46,730 | 890 |
| Maine | $48,120 | $42,680 to $52,190 | 320 |
| Maryland | $50,070 | $45,240 to $61,940 | 1,300 |
| Massachusetts | $49,750 | $46,580 to $64,570 | 2,330 |
| Michigan | $46,750 | $38,930 to $50,500 | 1,800 |
| Minnesota | $63,080 | $50,510 to $78,070 | 720 |
| Mississippi | $36,220 | $31,190 to $38,640 | 690 |
| Missouri | $40,290 | $36,720 to $46,750 | 960 |
| Montana | $47,290 | $40,910 to $52,140 | 380 |
| Nebraska | $45,210 | $38,950 to $48,340 | 530 |
| Nevada | $37,660 | $36,600 to $44,550 | 960 |
| New Hampshire | $49,110 | $41,130 to $57,720 | 300 |
| New Jersey | $49,050 | $43,770 to $57,800 | 4,150 |
| New Mexico | $38,610 | $36,890 to $47,350 | 400 |
| New York | $48,440 | $43,750 to $60,220 | 4,250 |
| North Carolina | $45,150 | $38,010 to $49,250 | 1,630 |
| North Dakota | $46,190 | $39,830 to $48,670 | 220 |
| Ohio | $40,350 | $36,900 to $48,130 | 2,510 |
| Oklahoma | $37,920 | $35,130 to $39,680 | 980 |
| Oregon | $50,020 | $46,800 to $64,510 | 1,060 |
| Pennsylvania | $45,050 | $38,400 to $47,790 | 2,890 |
| Puerto Rico | $31,630 | $28,080 to $33,280 | not published |
| Rhode Island | $46,500 | $45,860 to $57,050 | 410 |
| South Carolina | $40,400 | $36,200 to $47,200 | 1,470 |
| South Dakota | $42,430 | $37,500 to $48,480 | 300 |
| Tennessee | $38,890 | $36,570 to $47,010 | 1,760 |
| Texas | $43,640 | $37,040 to $49,950 | 6,540 |
| Utah | $35,950 | $31,600 to $43,060 | 680 |
| Vermont | $50,090 | $46,070 to $62,370 | 150 |
| Virginia | $40,920 | $37,310 to $46,530 | 1,540 |
| Washington | $48,840 | $44,040 to $63,950 | 1,250 |
| West Virginia | $36,730 | $30,140 to $43,150 | 260 |
| Wisconsin | $56,420 | $47,750 to $61,620 | 1,260 |
| Wyoming | $35,740 | $35,210 to $46,280 | 110 |
Nationally: $45,570. 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 4 of its 20 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Take and document patients' medical histories. | Not published |
| Not much | Conduct tonometry or tonography tests to measure intraocular pressure. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate ophthalmic equipment, such as autorefractors, phoropters, tomographs, or retinoscopes. | Not published |
| AI + software | Take anatomical or functional ocular measurements of the eye or surrounding tissue, such as axial length measurements. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure visual acuity, including near, distance, pinhole, or dynamic visual acuity, using appropriate tests. | Not published |
| AI + software | Measure and record lens power, using lensometers. | Not published |
See all 20 tasks
| Not much | Administer topical ophthalmic or oral medications. | Not published |
| Not much | Conduct visual field tests to measure field of vision. | Not published |
| Not much | Conduct ocular motility tests to measure function of eye muscles. | Not published |
| Not much | Maintain ophthalmic instruments or equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Assist physicians in performing ophthalmic procedures, including surgery. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure corneal curvature with keratometers or ophthalmometers to aid in the diagnosis of conditions, such as astigmatism. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean or sterilize ophthalmic or surgical instruments. | Not published |
| Not much | Assess refractive conditions of eyes, using retinoscopes. | Not published |
| Not much | Instruct patients in the care and use of contact lenses. | Not published |
| Not much | Assist patients to insert or remove contact lenses. | Not published |
| Not much | Call patients to inquire about their post-operative status or recovery. | Not published |
| Not much | Conduct binocular disparity tests to assess depth perception. | Not published |
| AI alone | Assist patients to select eyewear. | Not published |
| Not much | Adjust or make minor repairs to spectacles or eyeglasses. | 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. 0 of the 20 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 20 tasks fall under 13 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.
- #34 Advise others on products or services
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administer diagnostic tests to assess patient health | |||
| Examine people or animals to assess health conditions or physical characteristics | |||
| Train others to use equipment or products | |||
| Operate medical equipment | |||
| Maintain health or medical records | |||
| Advise others on products or services | |||
| Monitor health conditions of humans or animals | |||
| Collect information about patients or clients |
Show all 13 activities
| Administer basic health care or medical treatments | |||
| Fit assistive devices to patients or clients | |||
| Maintain medical equipment or instruments | |||
| Clean medical equipment or facilities | |||
| Assist healthcare practitioners during medical procedures |
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 ophthalmic medical technicians 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 10,314 moves out
- 1 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 5%
- 2 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
- 3 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers Very high +0.1% 4%
- 4 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 4%
- 5 Photographers High -0.7% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 8,629 moves in
- 1 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 5%
- 2 Medical Assistants Moderate +12.9% 5%
- 3 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 5%
- 4 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 4%
- 5 Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Very high +4.8% 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
- 59% high school
- 27% postsecondary certificate
- 5% some college
- 9% associate's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 22 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 17% less than high school
- 43% high school
- 20% some college
- 7% associate's
- 9% bachelor's
- 3% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Dietetic technicians and ophthalmic medical technicians” · 861 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 “Dietetic technicians and ophthalmic medical technicians”
3 programs: Optometric Technician/Assistant, Ophthalmic Technician/Technologist and Orthoptics/Orthoptist.
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
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 2 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (Ophthalmic Medical Technician; Ophthalmic Medical Technician (NOF)). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Ophthalmic Medical Technicians” there.
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/29-2057.00