Optometrists
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · SOC 29-1041
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 29-1041 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 63/100
- High friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $136,570
- H-1B offered wage $150,000; LCAs are filings.
- Projected openings
- 1,700
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +8.0%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- 89
- FY2025 certified LCAs; 5,520 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Transition context
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
AI Exposure Analysis
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
AI could do ~30% of this role but only ~0% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.
Top Skills
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
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.
Common titles: Optometrist, Optometry Doctor (OD), Therapeutic Optometrist
Representative Tasks
- •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.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Test patient vision.
- •Analyze test data or images to inform diagnosis or treatment.
- •Develop medical treatment plans.
- •Fit eyeglasses, contact lenses, or other vision aids.
- •Prescribe assistive medical devices or related treatments.
Tools & Technologies
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 5.4% |
| Outlook | Bright ↗ | 62% Bright |
| Median Salary | $136,570 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |