Ophthalmic Medical Technicians

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.

Most important skills

Active Listening
Speaking
Reading Comprehension
Writing
Social Perceptiveness
Service Orientation
Critical Thinking
Active Learning

Key knowledge

Customer and Personal Service
Medicine and Dentistry
English Language
Mathematics
Administrative
Education and Training
Computers and Electronics
Psychology

What the work involves

Administer topical ophthalmic or oral medications.
Assess refractive conditions of eyes, using retinoscopes.
Assist patients to insert or remove contact lenses.
Call patients to inquire about their post-operative status or recovery.
Clean or sterilize ophthalmic or surgical instruments.
Conduct ocular motility tests to measure function of eye muscles.
Conduct visual field tests to measure field of vision.
Instruct patients in the care and use of contact lenses.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Investigative, Social.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (59.1% of respondents)
Related experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (40.9%)
On-the-job training: Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months (31.8%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 3: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Very high	Higher on contact with others than 93% of occupations compared	91% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	Very high	Higher on dealing with the public than 92% of occupations compared	77% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Teamwork	Very high	Higher on teamwork than 94% of occupations compared	82% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Freedom to make decisions	Low	Lower on freedom to make decisions than 69% of occupations compared	59% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom”
Time pressure	Very low	Lower on time pressure than 85% of occupations compared	36% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day”
Conflict situations	Moderate	Lower on conflict situations than 55% of occupations compared	43% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Very high	Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 82% of occupations compared	41% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Consequence of error	Moderate	Higher on consequence of error than 58% of occupations compared	41% of surveyed respondents chose “Fairly serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: very low
Conflict situations: moderate
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very high
Consequence of error: moderate

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions