Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · SOC 29-2057
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 29-2057 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 57/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $45,570
- H-1B offered wage $40,560; LCAs are filings.
- Projected openings
- 5,600
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +19.8%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- 1
- FY2025 certified LCAs; 10,353 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 ~32.9% 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
Assist ophthalmologists by performing ophthalmic clinical functions. May administer eye exams, administer eye medications, and instruct the patient in care and use of corrective lenses.
Common titles: Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technician (Certified Ophthalmic Medical Tech), Certified Ophthalmic Surgical Assistant, Certified Ophthalmic Technician (COT), Certified Ophthalmic Technician-Surgical Assistant (COT-SA), Health Technician (Health Tech), Ophthalmic Assistant
Representative Tasks
- •Take and document patients' medical histories.
- •Conduct tonometry or tonography tests to measure intraocular pressure.
- •Operate ophthalmic equipment, such as autorefractors, phoropters, tomographs, or retinoscopes.
- •Take anatomical or functional ocular measurements of the eye or surrounding tissue, such as axial length measurements.
- •Measure visual acuity, including near, distance, pinhole, or dynamic visual acuity, using appropriate tests.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Record patient medical histories.
- •Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals.
- •Test patient vision.
- •Measure the physical or physiological attributes of patients.
- •Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment.
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 | $45,570 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |