Orthoptists

Diagnose and treat visual system disorders such as binocular vision and eye movement impairments.

Most important skills

Reading Comprehension
Active Listening
Speaking
Critical Thinking
Writing
Social Perceptiveness
Science
Active Learning

Key knowledge

Medicine and Dentistry
Customer and Personal Service
English Language
Biology
Education and Training
Psychology
Mathematics
Therapy and Counseling

What the work involves

Assist ophthalmologists in diagnostic ophthalmic procedures, such as ultrasonography, fundus photography, and tonometry.
Provide nonsurgical interventions, including corrective lenses, patches, drops, fusion exercises, or stereograms, to treat conditions such as strabismus, heterophoria, and convergence insufficiency.
Develop nonsurgical treatment plans for patients with conditions such as strabismus, nystagmus, and other visual disorders.
Perform diagnostic tests or measurements, such as motor testing, visual acuity testing, lensometry, retinoscopy, and color vision testing.
Examine patients with problems related to ocular motility, binocular vision, amblyopia, or strabismus.
Evaluate, diagnose, or treat disorders of the visual system with an emphasis on binocular vision or abnormal eye movements.
Interpret clinical or diagnostic test results.
Provide instructions to patients or family members concerning diagnoses or treatment plans.

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

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Post-Baccalaureate Certificate (66.7% of expert ratings)
Related experience: None (40.6%)
On-the-job training: None or short demonstration (27.3%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 5: Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Orthoptists is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Projection education uses SOC 29-1299 (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	Very high	Higher on contact with others than 89% of occupations compared	85% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	Very high	Higher on dealing with the public than 91% of occupations compared	73% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Teamwork	Very high	Higher on teamwork than 82% of occupations compared	76% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Freedom to make decisions	High	Higher on freedom to make decisions than 73% of occupations compared	52% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom”
Time pressure	Very low	Lower on time pressure than 92% of occupations compared	30% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Conflict situations	High	Higher on conflict situations than 67% of occupations compared	30% 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	38% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Consequence of error	Low	Lower on consequence of error than 79% of occupations compared	33% of surveyed respondents chose “Fairly serious”

Work-pressure profile

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

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

Full answer distributions