Orthoptists
Health ScienceO*NET 29-1299.02United States
Diagnose and treat visual system disorders such as binocular vision and eye movement impairments.
- Median annual earnings
- $103,107
- Projected change
- +9.3%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 41.5K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
85.7% of the workforce
Growing to 45.35K by 2035
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These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What orthoptists do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Provide instructions to patients or family members concerning diagnoses or treatment plans.
- Examine patients with problems related to ocular motility, binocular vision, amblyopia, or strabismus.
- Evaluate, diagnose, or treat disorders of the visual system with an emphasis on binocular vision or abnormal eye movements.
- Perform diagnostic tests or measurements, such as motor testing, visual acuity testing, lensometry, retinoscopy, and color vision testing.
- Provide nonsurgical interventions, including corrective lenses, patches, drops, fusion exercises, or stereograms, to treat conditions such as strabismus, heterophoria, and convergence insufficiency.
- Develop nonsurgical treatment plans for patients with conditions such as strabismus, nystagmus, and other visual disorders.
- Interpret clinical or diagnostic test results.
- Develop or use special test and communication techniques to facilitate diagnosis and treatment of children or patients with disabilities.
- Provide training related to clinical methods or orthoptics to students, resident physicians, or other health professionals.
- Refer patients to ophthalmic surgeons or other physicians.
- Prepare diagnostic or treatment reports for other medical practitioners or therapists.
- Collaborate with ophthalmologists, optometrists, or other specialists in the diagnosis, treatment, or management of conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, and retinal diseases.
- Present or publish scientific papers.
- Perform vision screening of children in schools or community health centers.
- Participate in clinical research projects.
- Assist ophthalmologists in diagnostic ophthalmic procedures, such as ultrasonography, fundus photography, and tonometry.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $52,355
- 25th percentile
- $70,179
- 50th percentile
- $103,107
- 75th percentile
- $151,137
- 90th percentile
- $199,389
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $103,107 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+9.3%faster than average
202541,498 jobs
2035 projected45,345 jobs
3,847 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 85.7%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 10.7%
- Associate degree
- 3.6%
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.
- 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.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- 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.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- 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.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Ophthalmic Assistants103 postings
- 02Orthoptists49 postings
- 03Apprentices14 postings
- 04Advanced Practice Providers13 postings
- 05Ophthalmic Scribes11 postings
- 06Certified Orthotists9 postings
- 07Behavioral Health Specialists7 postings
- 08Ophthalmology Assistants6 postings
- 09Externs5 postings
- 10Marketing Trainers5 postings
- 11Perfusionists5 postings
- 12Radiologist Assistants5 postings
- 13Diabetic Educators4 postings
- 14Examiners4 postings
- 15Habilitation Counselors4 postings
- 16TMS Coordinators4 postings
- 17Ophthalmic Technicians3 postings
- 18Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners3 postings
- 19Allergy Technicians2 postings
- 20Audiology Assistants2 postings
Top employers
- 01Vanderbilt Univ Medical Center16 postings
- 02Yale New Haven Health14 postings
- 03Sanford Health12 postings
- 04Marshfield Clinic10 postings
- 05Vanderbilt Health10 postings
- 06University Hospitals9 postings
- 07Washington University in St Louis9 postings
- 08Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center8 postings
- 09AdventHealth7 postings
- 10Ophthalmic Consultants Of Long Island7 postings
- 11Demant6 postings
- 12Hearinglife USA6 postings
- 13The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston6 postings
- 14University of Miami6 postings
- 15Atrium Health5 postings
- 16Audiology Services5 postings
- 17Boston Children's Hospital5 postings
- 18Kaiser Permanente5 postings
- 19Neuro Wellness Spa5 postings
- 20Tufts Medical Center5 postings
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