Optometrists
Health ScienceO*NET 29-1041.00United States
Diagnose, 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.
- Median annual earnings
- $134,742
- Projected change
- +10.5%
- Typical education
- Doctoral degree or more
- Employment
- 50.04K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
95.2% of the workforce
Growing to 55.31K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
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The work
What optometrists do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Analyze test results and develop a treatment plan.
- Prescribe, supply, fit and adjust eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other vision aids.
- Prescribe medications to treat eye diseases if state laws permit.
- Educate and counsel patients on contact lens care, visual hygiene, lighting arrangements, and safety factors.
- Remove foreign bodies from the eye.
- Provide patients undergoing eye surgeries, such as cataract and laser vision correction, with pre- and post-operative care.
- Consult with and refer patients to ophthalmologist or other health care practitioner if additional medical treatment is determined necessary.
- Prescribe therapeutic procedures to correct or conserve vision.
- Provide vision therapy and low-vision rehabilitation.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $70,445
- 25th percentile
- $104,666
- 50th percentile
- $134,742
- 75th percentile
- $169,840
- 90th percentile
- $225,829
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $134,742 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+10.5%faster than average
202550,043 jobs
2035 projected55,308 jobs
5,265 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
- 95.2%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 4.8%
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.
- 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.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- 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.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Optometrists11,602 postings
- 02Doctors of Optometry215 postings
- 03Ophthalmologists172 postings
- 04Optometrists/Physicians134 postings
- 05Optometrists/Doctors of Optometry116 postings
- 06Outpatient Clinicians79 postings
- 07Managing Optometrists74 postings
- 08Product Owners56 postings
- 09Eyecare Advisors46 postings
- 10Comprehensive Dentists32 postings
- 11Locums Tenens30 postings
- 12Home Health Nurse Practitioners26 postings
- 13Marketplace Managers24 postings
- 14Independent Operators22 postings
- 15Ophthalmology Physicians22 postings
- 16Optometrist Assistants21 postings
- 17Nurse Practitioners/Physician Assistants16 postings
- 18Physician Directors16 postings
- 19Eye Technicians15 postings
- 20Orthopedic Physicians15 postings
Top employers
- 01National Vision1,425 postings
- 02Warby Parker982 postings
- 03EssilorLuxottica907 postings
- 04Walmart578 postings
- 05Visionworks527 postings
- 06MyEyeDr.339 postings
- 07Nursing Home Dental Care227 postings
- 08Busch Gardens197 postings
- 09Mrg Exams188 postings
- 10Aeg Vision169 postings
- 11GPAC155 postings
- 12Lenscrafters149 postings
- 13The Medserv Group134 postings
- 14EyeCare Partners119 postings
- 15National Coalition Of Healthcare Recruiters118 postings
- 16VSP Global115 postings
- 17Heda111 postings
- 18DOCS Health101 postings
- 19ETS Vision98 postings
- 20Shopko91 postings
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