Ophthalmic Medical Technologists

Assist ophthalmologists by performing ophthalmic clinical functions and ophthalmic photography. Provide instruction and supervision to other ophthalmic personnel. Assist with minor surgical procedures, applying aseptic techniques and preparing instruments. May perform eye exams, administer eye medications, and instruct patients in care and use of corrective lenses.

Most important skills

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

Key knowledge

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

What the work involves

Administer topical ophthalmic or oral medications.
Assess abnormalities of color vision, such as amblyopia.
Assess refractive condition of eyes, using retinoscope.
Assist physicians in performing ophthalmic procedures, including surgery.
Calculate corrections for refractive errors.
Collect ophthalmic measurements or other diagnostic information, using ultrasound equipment, such as A-scan ultrasound biometry or B-scan ultrasonography equipment.
Conduct binocular disparity tests to assess depth perception.
Conduct ocular motility tests to measure function of eye muscles.

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

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (30% of respondents)
Related experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (25%)
On-the-job training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months (25%)
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 Technologists is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Projection education uses SOC 29-2099 (detailed_parent); it may describe a broader group.

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	High	Higher on contact with others than 73% of occupations compared	75% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	High	Higher on dealing with the public than 75% of occupations compared	60% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Teamwork	High	Higher on teamwork than 71% of occupations compared	70% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Freedom to make decisions	Low	Lower on freedom to make decisions than 71% of occupations compared	35% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom”
Time pressure	Low	Lower on time pressure than 79% of occupations compared	40% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day”
Conflict situations	High	Higher on conflict situations than 71% of occupations compared	40% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Very high	Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 90% of occupations compared	45% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Consequence of error	High	Higher on consequence of error than 62% of occupations compared	35% of surveyed respondents chose “Fairly serious”

Work-pressure profile

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

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

Full answer distributions