Skip to content
TryHired.
Role hub · Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric

Ophthalmologist: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of ophthalmologists earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$300,080
Hourly
$144.27
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Ophthalmologists diagnose and perform surgery to treat and help prevent disorders and diseases of the eye. The median pay is $300,080 a year ($144.27 an hour) (BLS, May 2025).

Median pay
$300,080
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
8,950
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 5 of 5
extensive preparation

Data Government data groups this job as Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric (O*NET-SOC 29-1241.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

Key facts

Ophthalmologists at a glance

  • Workers in the BLS occupation “Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric” in the United States earned a median annual wage of $300,080 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education for workers in the BLS occupation “Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric” in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of workers in the BLS occupation “Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric” in the United States to grow 4.5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 200 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 8,950 people were employed in the BLS occupation “Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric” in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Ophthalmologists

SalaryOphthalmologist salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →How to becomeOphthalmologist how to become

Education, training and the skills to build first.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

Open →
The work

What ophthalmologists do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Perform comprehensive examinations of the visual system to determine the nature or extent of ocular disorders.
  2. Diagnose or treat injuries, disorders, or diseases of the eye and eye structures including the cornea, sclera, conjunctiva, or eyelids.
  3. Provide or direct the provision of postoperative care.
  4. Develop or implement plans and procedures for ophthalmologic services.
  5. Prescribe or administer topical or systemic medications to treat ophthalmic conditions and to manage pain.
  6. Develop treatment plans based on patients' histories and goals, the nature and severity of disorders, and treatment risks and benefits.
  7. Perform ophthalmic surgeries such as cataract, glaucoma, refractive, corneal, vitro-retinal, eye muscle, or oculoplastic surgeries.
  8. Educate patients about maintenance and promotion of healthy vision.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all ophthalmologist jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Ambulatory healthcare services80.7% of all jobs in this occupation · +5.1% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $312,820
  2. Hospitals; state, local, and private7.8% of all jobs in this occupation · +3.6% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $276,650
  3. Educational services; state, local, and private3.5% of all jobs in this occupation · +3.0% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $229,150
  4. Health and personal care retailers1.1% of all jobs in this occupation · +7.2% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $175,040

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Reading ComprehensioncoreCritical ThinkingcoreActive ListeningcoreSocial PerceptivenessComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingWritingSpeakingActive Learning

Knowledge areas: Medicine and Dentistry, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Biology, Administration and Management, Education and Training.

Tools and technology

Software ophthalmologists use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Epic SystemsMedical softwareHot technology
  • eClinicalWorks EHR softwareMedical softwareHot technology
  • Allscripts PMMedical software
  • Automatic Data Processing AdvancedMD EHRMedical software
  • Benchmark Systems Benchmark Clinical EHRMedical software
  • Bizmatics PrognoCIS EMRMedical software
  • CareCloud CentralMedical software
  • Cerner PowerWorks Practice ManagementMedical software
  • Epic Practice ManagementMedical software
  • EyeMD EMR Healthcare Systems EyeMD EMRMedical software
  • GE Healthcare Centricity Practice SolutionMedical software
  • GalacTek ECLIPSEMedical software

Also called: Clinical Ophthalmologist, Cornea Specialist, Glaucoma Specialist, Oculoplastic Specialist, Ophthalmic Surgeon.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.