Optometrists — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$136,570
United States, 2025
Employment
42,790
United States, 2025
Typical education
Doctoral Degree
Job Zone 5
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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 code
- 29-1041.00
- Job zone
- 5
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- Prescribe medications to treat eye diseases if state laws permit.
- 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.
- 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.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$74,870
25th percentile
$109,400
75th percentile
$165,120
90th percentile
$202,180
Most important skills
- Critical Thinking4.1
- Active Listening4.1
- Reading Comprehension4.1
- Writing4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Social Perceptiveness3.9
- Science3.8
- Judgment and Decision Making3.4
- Coordination3.4
- Complex Problem Solving3.4
- Instructing3.3
- Monitoring3.3
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 22 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
22
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.1 | 4.9 | Not selected | 4.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.1 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Active Listening | 4.1 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Writing | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Science | 3.8 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.4 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.4 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Service Orientation | 3.3 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Active Learning | 3.1 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Coordination | 3.4 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Monitoring | 3.3 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Persuasion | 3.3 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Instructing | 3.3 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Time Management | 3.3 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Mathematics | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Negotiation | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
How salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Crosse, WI | $175,810 | 40 | 2025 |
| AK | $170,310 | 60 | 2025 |
| Asheville, NC | $167,980 | 40 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $167,810 | 420 | 2025 |
| Anchorage, AK | $167,000 | 30 | 2025 |
| Durham, NC | $166,880 | 40 | 2025 |
| Peoria, IL | $166,600 | 50 | 2025 |
| MD | $165,840 | 780 | 2025 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $165,810 | 70 | 2025 |
| Dover, DE | $165,660 | 30 | 2025 |
| Buffalo, NY | $165,640 | 160 | 2025 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $165,360 | 80 | 2025 |
| Albany, NY | $164,020 | 130 | 2025 |
| Wilmington, NC | $163,800 | 120 | 2025 |
| Raleigh, NC | $163,290 | 240 | 2025 |
| Fort Collins, CO | $163,240 | 80 | 2025 |
| Birmingham, AL | $162,890 | 110 | 2025 |
| North Port, FL | $162,690 | 80 | 2025 |
| Winston, NC | $162,540 | 70 | 2025 |
| Kiryas Joel, NY | $161,850 | 90 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Optometrists to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.