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.
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. The role reports a median annual salary of $134,830 in the US and is projected to grow 8% over the next decade (faster than average). Entry typically requires a Doctoral or professional degree, and shows low AI exposure (0.35 on a 0-1 scale) — the role's core work resists automation. The most in-demand skills for the role include optical glass characteristics, quality standards of ophthalmic equipment, eye protection regulations, refraction of the eye, optical instruments.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £51,030 a year for Optometrists (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2252). ONS rates this estimate acceptable: it rests on a small sample, so treat it as a rough guide. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Optometrists, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
The usual route into this career in India. Each step links to the official page it comes from.
- 1 · Qualification Bachelor of Optometry (B.Optom), 5 years after Class 12[1]
- 2 · Registration Enrolment on the allied and healthcare professionals register under the NCAHP Act[2]
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
1 open listing on our jobs board → Recent listings whose job title matches this career. Some jobs in this career are advertised under other titles.
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Biology
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Education and Training
- Therapy and Counseling
- Psychology
A day in the life
You begin the day in your consulting room checking the calibration of your instruments before the first patient arrives. A schoolchild struggling to read the board sits down, and you test her vision, check how her eyes work together and prescribe her first pair of glasses. Next comes an older man with blurred vision, and you examine the back of his eyes with drops and a special lens, spotting early signs of cataract and referring him to a surgeon. Mid-morning you fit contact lenses for a young woman, teaching her how to insert, remove and clean them safely. After lunch someone arrives with a speck of metal in one eye after a workshop accident, and you remove it carefully. Later you see a patient for a check-up after eye surgery. Much of the day is routine testing, but helping someone see clearly again, sometimes for the first time in years, never loses its magic.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- 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.
- Prescribe medications to treat eye diseases if state laws permit.
- Educate and counsel patients on contact lens care, visual hygiene, lighting arrangements, and safety factors.
- Remove foreign bodies from the eye.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Optometrists do?
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.
What does a typical day look like in Optometrists?
You begin the day in your consulting room checking the calibration of your instruments before the first patient arrives. A schoolchild struggling to read the board sits down, and you test her vision, check how her eyes work together and prescribe her first pair of glasses. Next comes an older man with blurred vision, and you examine the back of his eyes with drops and a special lens, spotting early signs of cataract and referring him to a surgeon.
How much does Optometrists earn?
The median annual salary for Optometrists in the US is $134,830.
What is the job outlook for Optometrists?
The role is projected to grow 8% over the next decade (faster than average). Current US employment is approximately 47,800 workers.
How do I become a optometrists?
The typical entry education is a Doctoral or professional degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Optometrists need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include optical glass characteristics, quality standards of ophthalmic equipment, eye protection regulations, refraction of the eye, optical instruments, respond to changing situations in health care. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Optometrists?
Our AI-durability model gives Optometrists a score of 0.35 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at low AI exposure — the role's core work resists current-generation automation. It's a comparatively AI-durable choice within its field.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Optometrists has high barrier to entry — highly gated — a graduate degree or extended training/apprenticeship is typically required.