Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · Holland code RCI

Ophthalmic Medical Technologists

Assist ophthalmologists by performing ophthalmic clinical functions and ophthalmic photography. Provide instruction and supervision to other ophthalmic personnel. Assist with minor surgical procedures, applying aseptic techniques and preparing instruments. May perform eye exams, administer eye medications, and instruct patients in care and use of corrective lenses.

Also called: Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technologist (COMT), Ophthalmic Medical Technologist (Ophthalmic Medical Tech), Ophthalmic Technologist (Ophthalmic Tech), Surgical Coordinator, Certified Diagnostic Ophthalmic Sonographer (CDOS), Ophthalmic Echographer, Ophthalmic Photographer, Ophthalmic Sonographer.

O*NET 29-2099.05

At a glance

US median annual pay: $50,290; Middle half earn $44,170 to $64,340. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 30% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 3 of 5; Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Conduct tonometry or tonography tests to measure intraocular pressure.
Take and document patients' medical histories.
Take anatomical or functional ocular measurements, such as axial length measurements, of the eye or surrounding tissue.
Measure visual acuity, including near, distance, pinhole, or dynamic visual acuity, using appropriate tests.
Administer topical ophthalmic or oral medications.
Perform slit lamp biomicroscopy procedures to diagnose disorders of the eye, such as retinitis, presbyopia, cataracts, or retinal detachment.
Measure and record lens power, using lensometers.
Calculate corrections for refractive errors.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening3.9 / 5
Speaking3.9 / 5
Critical Thinking3.3 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.1 / 5
Writing3.1 / 5
Active Learning3.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

Customer and Personal Service4.5 / 5
Medicine and Dentistry4.1 / 5
English Language4.0 / 5
Education and Training3.4 / 5
Mathematics3.1 / 5
Administrative3.0 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic74
Investigative62
Artistic2
Social55
Enterprising17
Conventional62

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

optometrist · DE Optometrist/Optometristin · FR optométriste

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Optometrists (2252)18,900 employed
Dispensing opticians (3211)9,200 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.28. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (29-2099).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test