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AI and jobs

Will AI Replace Optometrists? (2026)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places optometrists in its low AI exposure category, among the occupations least exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +9.5% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 2,000 openings a year.

Short answer

Very unlikely. BLS rates optometrists among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do.

BLS AI exposure
LowBLS EP supplemental table
AI-resilience score
40/100Higher than 40% of jobs · NueCareer
Projected change
+9.5%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
Openings a year
2,000BLS EP 2025–2035

The federal measure

How exposed optometrists are to AI

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Optometrists land in the low category: among the occupations least exposed to current AI.

Where this job sits on the BLS scale

786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each

  1. Low · this job203 occupations · 26%
  2. Moderate194 occupations · 25%
  3. High190 occupations · 24%
  4. Very high199 occupations · 25%

Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.

  1. Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
  2. BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
  3. The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.

Inside the work

What AI can and cannot do in this job

O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.

What holds up

Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work

  • Assisting and caring for others4.8/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Performing for or working directly with the public4.6/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Face-to-face discussions5.0/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Hands-on work with tools and objects4.4/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level

What AI reaches first

Routine, repeatable and screen-based work

  • Processing information4.6/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Documenting/recording information4.7/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Analyzing data or information4.5/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Getting information4.7/5
    O*NET work activity, importance

The tasks O*NET lists for optometrists

  • Examine eyes, using observation, instruments, and pharmaceutical agents, to determine visual acuity and perception, focus, and coordination and to diagnose diseases and other abnormalities, such as glaucoma or color blindness.
  • Analyze test results and develop a treatment plan.
  • Prescribe, supply, fit and adjust eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other vision aids.
  • Prescribe medications to treat eye diseases if state laws permit.
  • Educate and counsel patients on contact lens care, visual hygiene, lighting arrangements, and safety factors.
  • Remove foreign bodies from the eye.

O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.

The jobs

Will there still be jobs?

Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects +9.5% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 2,000 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 42,790 people work in the job today, at a median of $136,570 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Full optometrist profile: pay by state, entry route and skills

Options

Related careers that are also low-exposure

Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a low exposure category.

  1. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon

    Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

    Median pay
    $352,220median a year
    Growth
    +5.6%
    Openings / yr
    200
    Education
    Doctorate
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    57/100
    resilience

    Perform surgery and related procedures on the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial regions to treat diseases, injuries, or defects.

  2. Prosthodontist

    Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

    Median pay
    $311,180median a year
    Growth
    +5.8%
    Openings / yr
    0
    Education
    Doctorate
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    57/100
    resilience

    Diagnose, treat, rehabilitate, design, and fit prostheses that maintain oral function, health, and appearance for patients with clinical conditions associated with teeth, oral and maxillofacial tissues, or the jaw.

  3. Nurse Anesthetist

    Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

    Median pay
    $236,590median a year
    Growth
    +9.7%
    Openings / yr
    2,400
    Education
    Master's
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    55/100
    resilience

    Administer anesthesia, monitor patient's vital signs, and oversee patient recovery from anesthesia.

  4. Anesthesiologist

    Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

    Median pay
    $391,490median a year
    Growth
    +3.6%
    Openings / yr
    1,100
    Education
    Doctorate
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    50/100
    resilience

    Administer anesthetics and analgesics for pain management prior to, during, or after surgery.

  5. Physician Assistant

    Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

    Median pay
    $135,880median a year
    Growth
    +21.1%
    Openings / yr
    11,500
    Education
    Master's
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    41/100
    resilience

    Provide healthcare services typically performed by a physician, under the supervision of a physician.

Will AI replace nurse anesthetists?Will AI replace anesthesiologists?Will AI replace physician assistants?

Questions

Will AI Replace Optometrists? FAQ

Will AI replace optometrists?

Very unlikely. BLS rates optometrists among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to change by +9.5% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 2,000 openings a year.

How exposed are optometrists to AI?

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Optometrists are in the low category, alongside 202 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.

What parts of an optometrist's job can AI do?

In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are processing information, documenting/recording information and analyzing data or information. The parts that hold up best are assisting and caring for others, performing for or working directly with the public and face-to-face discussions. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.

Is being an optometrist a safe career from AI?

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, optometrists score 40 out of 100, higher than 40% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $136,570 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.

What careers similar to optometrists are less exposed to AI?

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon (low exposure, $352,220 median), Prosthodontist (low exposure, $311,180 median), Nurse Anesthetist (low exposure, $236,590 median), Anesthesiologist (low exposure, $391,490 median). Each is also in the low category, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.

The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.