Ophthalmic Medical Technicians earn a median of $45,570 per year ($21.91/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 21.4% through 2035, with about 11,800 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: Postsecondary nondegree award.
- SOC 29-2057
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Ophthalmic Medical Technician in four numbers
- Median pay
- $45,570a year, or $21.91/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $36KTop 10% $62K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +21.4%Much faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+21.4%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +21.4% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 11,80072,500 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202572.5K
- Projected 203588K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 72.5K Projected 2035 88K - Typical education
- Certificateneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- High school59.1%
- Certificate27.3%
- Some college4.6%
- Associate's9.1%
Highest education held by ophthalmic medical technicians Segment Value High school 59.1% Certificate 27.3% Some college 4.6% Associate's 9.1%
Also advertised as: 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.
Pay
How much do Ophthalmic Medical Technicians make?
Every ophthalmic medical technician in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$45,570
Middle half earn $38,170 to $51,390
- 10th
- $35,700
- 25th
- $38,170
- 75th
- $51,390
- 90th
- $61,940
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $35,700 |
| 25th | $38,170 |
| Median | $45,570 |
| 75th | $51,390 |
| 90th | $61,940 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $45,570
- Median hourly wage
- $21.91/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $47,060
- People employed
- 71,010
Versus all US occupations
At $45,570, Ophthalmic Medical Technicians earn 11% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $5,410 a year.
Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
Inside the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $102,760, this is 56% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $61,940 or more while the bottom 10% earn $35,700, a gap of 1.7×. That is a narrow spread, so experience and employer move pay less than in most occupations.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 12% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Minnesota pays the most at $63,080, and still leads at $63,962 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Ophthalmic Medical Technicians the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Minnesota | $63,080 | $63,962 | 720 |
| 2Hawaii | $58,240 | $52,969 | 190 |
| 3Wisconsin | $56,420 | $59,961 | 1,260 |
| 4California | $54,490 | $49,214 | 2,500 |
| 5District of Columbia | $50,790 | $46,214 | N/A |
| 6Vermont | $50,090 | $51,134 | 150 |
| 7Maryland | $50,070 | $47,704 | 1,300 |
| 8Oregon | $50,020 | $48,393 | 1,060 |
| 9Alaska | $49,970 | $48,818 | 90 |
| 10Massachusetts | $49,750 | $47,042 | 2,330 |
Job outlook
Is Ophthalmic Medical Technician a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Much faster than average. +21.4% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Ophthalmic Medical Technicians | +21.4% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Ophthalmic Medical Technicians to change 21.4% over 2025–2035, roughly 6.1× the 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 15,500 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 11,800 openings are projected each year, 16.3% of the 72,500 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become an Ophthalmic Medical Technician
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Postsecondary nondegree award
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Some preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as ophthalmic medical technicians.
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)59.1%
- Post-Secondary Certificate27.3%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree9.1%
- Some College Courses4.6%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 59.1% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 27.3% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 9.1% |
| Some College Courses | 4.6% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does an Ophthalmic Medical Technician do?
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.
Day-to-day 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.
- Measure and record lens power, using lensometers.
- Administer topical ophthalmic or oral medications.
- Conduct visual field tests to measure field of vision.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayAlmost never works outdoors.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening3.6
- Speaking3.3
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Writing3.1
- Critical Thinking3.0
- Active Learning3.0
- Monitoring3.0
- Learning Strategies2.6
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.6 |
| Speaking | 3.3 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.1 |
| Writing | 3.1 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.0 |
| Active Learning | 3.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.0 |
| Learning Strategies | 2.6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Social Perceptiveness3.1
- Service Orientation3.1
- Coordination3.0
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9
- Instructing2.6
- Complex Problem Solving2.6
- Time Management2.6
- Persuasion2.3
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.1 |
| Service Orientation | 3.1 |
| Coordination | 3.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.9 |
| Instructing | 2.6 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 2.6 |
| Time Management | 2.6 |
| Persuasion | 2.3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Internet browser software
- Medical software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits an Ophthalmic Medical Technician?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Ophthalmic Medical Technician |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 5 |
| Investigative | 5 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 5 |
| Enterprising | 2 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data.
- Realistic5.3
- Investigative4.8
- Social4.6
- Conventional4.4
- Enterprising1.8
- Artistic1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Ophthalmic Medical Technician
O*NET related occupations
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$74,310median a year
Most earn $39K to $121K
+3.7%Associate's - Healthcare Support
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
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More healthcare practitioners and technical careers
Median annual pay, with ophthalmic medical technicians highlighted
- Anesthesiologist$391,490
- Physician Assistant$135,880
- Nurse Practitioner$132,300
- Physical Therapist$102,760
- Dental Hygienist$98,100
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographer$96,590
- Radiologic Technologist and Technician$80,110
- Surgical Technologist$64,650
- Ophthalmic Medical Technician$45,570
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Anesthesiologist | $391,490 |
| Physician Assistant | $135,880 |
| Nurse Practitioner | $132,300 |
| Physical Therapist | $102,760 |
| Dental Hygienist | $98,100 |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | $96,590 |
| Radiologic Technologist and Technician | $80,110 |
| Surgical Technologist | $64,650 |
| Ophthalmic Medical Technician | $45,570 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Ophthalmic Medical Technician appears on
Questions
Ophthalmic Medical Technician: frequently asked questions
How much do Ophthalmic Medical Technicians make?
Ophthalmic Medical Technicians earn a median of $45,570 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 11% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $21.91/hr. The middle half earn between $38,170 and $51,390. The top 10% earn $61,940 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Ophthalmic Medical Technician?
Not a degree, but you do need credentialed training: BLS lists a postsecondary non-degree award (a certificate or license program) as the typical entry route for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 59.1% hold high school diploma or the equivalent (such as a ged).
Is Ophthalmic Medical Technician a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 21.4% over 2025–2035, more than double the 3.5% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 11,800 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Ophthalmic Medical Technician do?
Assist ophthalmologists by performing ophthalmic clinical functions. A core O*NET task: take and document patients' medical histories. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Office suite software, Presentation software.
Which states pay Ophthalmic Medical Technicians the most?
The highest state medians for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians are Minnesota ($63,080), Hawaii ($58,240), Wisconsin ($56,420) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits an Ophthalmic Medical Technician?
O*NET scores Ophthalmic Medical Technicians highest on the Realistic, Investigative and Social interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTJ, ISFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.