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Role hub · Optometrists

Optometrist: 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 Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

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

Annual
$136,570
Hourly
$65.66
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Optometrists diagnose, manage, and treat conditions and diseases of the human eye and visual system. The median pay is $136,570 a year ($65.66 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a doctoral degree (95% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$136,570
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
42,790
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 5 of 5
extensive preparation
Most common education
Doctoral Degree
95% of workers
Explore the role

Every page for Optometrists

SalaryOptometrist salary

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

Open →How to becomeOptometrist how to become

Education, training and the skills to build first.

Open →ResumeOptometrist resume

Keywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

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The work

What optometrists do day to day

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

  1. Analyze test results and develop a treatment plan.
  2. Prescribe, supply, fit and adjust eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other vision aids.
  3. Prescribe medications to treat eye diseases if state laws permit.
  4. Educate and counsel patients on contact lens care, visual hygiene, lighting arrangements, and safety factors.
  5. Remove foreign bodies from the eye.
  6. Provide patients undergoing eye surgeries, such as cataract and laser vision correction, with pre- and post-operative care.
  7. Consult with and refer patients to ophthalmologist or other health care practitioner if additional medical treatment is determined necessary.
  8. Prescribe therapeutic procedures to correct or conserve vision.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

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

Reading ComprehensioncoreActive ListeningcoreCritical ThinkingcoreWritingSpeakingSocial PerceptivenessScienceCoordinationComplex Problem Solving

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

Tools and technology

Software optometrists use

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

  • Accra Med Software FiloptoMedical software
  • AltaPoint Data Systems AltaPoint VisionMedical software
  • Babcock Winx ProMedical software
  • Compulink Business Systems Eyecare AdvantageMedical software
  • Digital Healthcare OptoMizeMedical software
  • First Insight E-Z FrameMedical software
  • First Insight MaximEyesMedical software
  • HealthLine Systems EyecomMedical software
  • Insight Software My Vision ExpressMedical software
  • MAX Systems Max-Gold7Medical software
  • MediNotes Charting PlusMedical software
  • OfficeMate Software Solutions ExamWRITERMedical software

Also called: Optometry Doctor (OD), Therapeutic Optometrist.

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 correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. 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).