Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric
Health ScienceO*NET 29-1241.00United States
Diagnose 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.
- Median annual earnings
- $298,346
- Projected change
- +4.5%
- Typical education
- Doctoral degree or more
- Employment
- 11.11K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
62.2% of the workforce
Growing to 11.61K by 2035
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Build the skills
ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What ophthalmologists, except pediatric do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Perform comprehensive examinations of the visual system to determine the nature or extent of ocular disorders.
- Provide or direct the provision of postoperative care.
- Diagnose or treat injuries, disorders, or diseases of the eye and eye structures including the cornea, sclera, conjunctiva, or eyelids.
- Develop or implement plans and procedures for ophthalmologic services.
- Prescribe or administer topical or systemic medications to treat ophthalmic conditions and to manage pain.
- Develop treatment plans based on patients' histories and goals, the nature and severity of disorders, and treatment risks and benefits.
- Perform ophthalmic surgeries such as cataract, glaucoma, refractive, corneal, vitro-retinal, eye muscle, or oculoplastic surgeries.
- Educate patients about maintenance and promotion of healthy vision.
- Document or evaluate patients' medical histories.
- Perform, order, or interpret the results of diagnostic or clinical tests.
- Provide ophthalmic consultation to other medical professionals.
- Refer patients for more specialized treatments when conditions exceed the experience, expertise, or scope of practice of practitioner.
- Perform laser surgeries to alter, remove, reshape, or replace ocular tissue.
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of health professionals to provide optimal patient care.
- Prescribe corrective lenses such as glasses or contact lenses.
- Prescribe ophthalmologic treatments or therapies such as chemotherapy, cryotherapy, or low vision therapy.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $95,265
- 25th percentile
- $169,292
- 50th percentile
- $298,346
- 75th percentile
- $423,149
- 90th percentile
- $510,946
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $298,346 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+4.5%average or slower
202511,112 jobs
2035 projected11,610 jobs
498 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Doctoral degree or more
- 62.2%
- Bachelor's degree
- 14%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 14%
- Certificate
- 9.9%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Ophthalmology Physicians3,220 postings
- 02Ophthalmologists1,681 postings
- 03Ophthalmology Clinical Directors281 postings
- 04Ophthalmology Assistants264 postings
- 05Comprehensive Ophthalmologists184 postings
- 06Pediatric Ophthalmologists127 postings
- 07Veterinary Ophthalmologists101 postings
- 08Glaucoma Specialists89 postings
- 09Ophthalmology Residents58 postings
- 10Associate Professors of Ophthalmology56 postings
- 11Locums Tenens48 postings
- 12Chiefs of Ophthalmology44 postings
- 13Ophthalmology Consultants44 postings
- 14Oculoplastic Surgeons37 postings
- 15Professors of Ophthalmology32 postings
- 16Technical Stream Opportunity Managers31 postings
- 17Ophthalmology Nurses30 postings
- 18Ophthalmology Nurse Practitioners26 postings
- 19Surgical Oncologists26 postings
- 20Ophthalmology Technicians25 postings
Top employers
- 01Hayman Daugherty Associates374 postings
- 02CompHealth366 postings
- 03Weatherby Healthcare268 postings
- 04Jackson Physician Search242 postings
- 05Merck & Co.188 postings
- 06Britt Medical Search184 postings
- 07Kaiser Permanente135 postings
- 08AMN Healthcare134 postings
- 09Curative129 postings
- 10Protouch Staffing129 postings
- 11Surgical Information Systems105 postings
- 12United States Department of Veterans Affairs81 postings
- 13The Curare Group70 postings
- 14Archway Physician Recruitment68 postings
- 15inVentiv Health66 postings
- 16Integrity Healthcare64 postings
- 17Physician Empire55 postings
- 18All Star HealthCare54 postings
- 19International Medical Placement, Ltd.54 postings
- 20Locum Life48 postings
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