As of June 2026, Ophthalmic Medical Technicians has an AI-exposure score of 61/100 (Elevated exposure) on the AI-Safe Careers index, blending O*NET tasks, the Anthropic Economic Index, the Penn/OpenAI study, and BLS data. This is an estimate of task exposure, not a prediction of job loss.
Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
More exposed than 71% of the roles we track. Median pay ~US$45,570. About 12,500 projected openings a year (BLS 2024–34 — growth plus replacement).
Pay & demand figures are US medians (BLS, in USD) — your local figures will differ. Your exposure score applies broadly.
How you compare to similar Healthcare roles
Your tasks, by AI exposure
- Measure and record lens power, using lensometers.
- Adjust or make minor repairs to spectacles or eyeglasses.
- Assist patients to select eyewear.
- Call patients to inquire about their post-operative status or recovery.
- Clean or sterilize ophthalmic or surgical instruments.
- Assist physicians in performing ophthalmic procedures, including surgery.
- Assess refractive conditions of eyes, using retinoscopes.
- Maintain ophthalmic instruments or equipment.
- Conduct ocular motility tests to measure function of eye muscles.
- Conduct binocular disparity tests to assess depth perception.
- Assist patients to insert or remove contact lenses.
- Instruct patients in the care and use of contact lenses.
- Conduct visual field tests to measure field of vision.
- Measure visual acuity, including near, distance, pinhole, or dynamic visual acuity, using appropriate tests.
- Operate ophthalmic equipment, such as autorefractors, phoropters, tomographs, or retinoscopes.
- Conduct tonometry or tonography tests to measure intraocular pressure.
- Take and document patients' medical histories.
- Administer topical ophthalmic or oral medications.
- Take anatomical or functional ocular measurements of the eye or surrounding tissue, such as axial length measurements.
- Measure corneal curvature with keratometers or ophthalmometers to aid in the diagnosis of conditions, such as astigmatism.
No durable tasks identified for this role — its real, individually-assessed tasks consistently read as augmentable (75%).
Safer adjacent roles
Your AI-Safe Career Report
Every task scored with what to do about it · 5–10 safer roles with salary, demand & reachability · skill-gap map · a 30/60/90-day roadmap · plus a résumé & LinkedIn rewrite · PDF.
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Workers with AI skills earn a roughly 62% wage premium — adapting pays. — PwC Global AI Jobs Barometer, 2026
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