Occupations · Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
Optometrists
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. May prescribe therapeutic drugs to treat specific eye conditions.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 29-1041.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 58% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $137,070 | 2,720 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $160,520 | 2,410 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $138,510 | 1,280 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $157,750 | 980 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $124,780 | 930 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $139,550 | 780 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $155,890 | 760 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $163,320 | 720 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | $134,430 | 710 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $131,810 | 710 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $92,700 | 630 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $136,050 | 590 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: Doctoral or professional degree · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- 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 medications to treat eye diseases if state laws permit.
- Prescribe, supply, fit and adjust eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other vision aids.
- Educate and counsel patients on contact lens care, visual hygiene, lighting arrangements, and safety factors.
- Provide patients undergoing eye surgeries, such as cataract and laser vision correction, with pre- and post-operative care.
- Remove foreign bodies from the eye.
- 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.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2021-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2021-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 1 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.
Now listed 6
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| optometrist | 2267.1 | exact |
| optician | 3254.1 | close |
| orthoptist | 2267.2 | close |
| optical technician | 3254.1.1 | close |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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