Health & Medicine

Optometrist

Test eyesight, prescribe glasses and contacts, and spot eye diseases before they cause lasting damage

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What does an Optometrist do?

Optometrists are eye doctors who work in private offices, vision centers, and clinics. They check how well people see, look inside the eye for signs of trouble, and treat common problems like dry eye and eye infections. It suits patient, detail-minded people who enjoy meeting all ages.

A day in the life

8:30 AMCheck the schedule and set up exam rooms with the technician
9:00 AMTest a child's eyesight and look for a lazy eye
10:30 AMUse a bright scope to check a retina for signs of diabetes
12:30 PMFit a new contact lens wearer and teach lens care
3:00 PMTreat a red, painful eye and prescribe drops
5:00 PMSend a note to an eye surgeon about a patient with cataracts

What's great

  • Mostly weekday daytime hours
  • Can own a private practice
  • See many ages and eye problems
  • Patients notice the help right away

The hard parts

  • Four years of school after college
  • Close detail work can tire your own eyes
  • Busy chains may push high patient volume
  • Owning a practice means buying costly equipment

What is an Optometrist's salary and outlook?

$63k – $158k
Salary Range
Doctorate / Professional degree
Typical Education
Growing

Typical pay in this guide runs from about $63,000 to $157,500 a year, with a midpoint around $105,000. These are planning figures for students, not a job offer or an official wage.

CareerLens rates the outlook as Growing.

For the official national outlook, see BLS Occupational Data.

How do you become an Optometrist?

A common path is Four-year Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree after a bachelor's degree. The ladder often runs from Associate Optometrist to Staff Optometrist, then Practice Owner, and Owner of a Multi-Location Eye Care Group. Other routes: Pass the national board exams and get a state license; 1-year residency in eye disease or children's vision; Work as an optometric technician first; Military optometry through a service scholarship.

  • Pass the national board exams and get a state license
  • 1-year residency in eye disease or children's vision
  • Work as an optometric technician first
  • Military optometry through a service scholarship

Career path

Entry level
Associate Optometrist
Mid career
Staff Optometrist
Senior
Practice Owner
Executive
Owner of a Multi-Location Eye Care Group

Will AI replace an Optometrist?

How much will AI change this job?

Quite a bit

AI will help with some tasks in this job, while the most important parts stay human.

AI will help eye doctors, but the human touch stays key.

Optometrists will use AI tools to help read eye scans and spot patterns faster. This gives doctors more time to talk with patients and explain what is happening with their eyes. The hands-on exams and personal care will still come from a real person.

AI can help with

  • Scanning eye images for early signs of disease
  • Sorting patient records and test results quickly
  • Suggesting possible diagnoses based on symptoms

What stays human

  • Doing hands-on eye exams and vision tests
  • Explaining diagnoses and treatment options with care
  • Building trust with nervous or worried patients

Skills to build now

  • Take biology and health classes to learn about the eye
  • Practice clear communication through speaking or writing club
  • Join a science club to build comfort with technology tools

Based on public research from Anthropic and OpenAI, drafted with AI, checked automatically, and read by a person. How we know

This describes how the work may change. It is not a prediction that the job will disappear.