AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 29-2057.00
Will AI replace Ophthalmic Medical Technicians?
Ophthalmic Medical Technicians: AI can already handle 2 of 20 tasks; the work mostly needs an efficient-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 20 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians, from most to least exposed. 2 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assess refractive conditions of eyes, using retinoscopes. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Conduct binocular disparity tests to assess depth perception. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Take and document patients' medical histories. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Operate ophthalmic equipment, such as autorefractors, phoropters, tomographs, or retinoscopes. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Conduct tonometry or tonography tests to measure intraocular pressure. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Measure visual acuity, including near, distance, pinhole, or dynamic visual acuity, using appropriate tests. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Take anatomical or functional ocular measurements of the eye or surrounding tissue, such as axial length measurements. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Measure and record lens power, using lensometers. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Administer topical ophthalmic or oral medications. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Conduct visual field tests to measure field of vision. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Assist physicians in performing ophthalmic procedures, including surgery. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Measure corneal curvature with keratometers or ophthalmometers to aid in the diagnosis of conditions, such as astigmatism. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Conduct ocular motility tests to measure function of eye muscles. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Clean or sterilize ophthalmic or surgical instruments. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Instruct patients in the care and use of contact lenses. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Call patients to inquire about their post-operative status or recovery. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Assist patients to insert or remove contact lenses. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Assist patients to select eyewear. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Maintain ophthalmic instruments or equipment. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Adjust or make minor repairs to spectacles or eyeglasses. | Estimated | Efficient |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 20 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 20 of 20. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 88% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 71,010
- Median annual wage
- $45,570
- Middle half of earners
- $38,170 to $51,390
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +19.8%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Ophthalmic Medical Technologists 91% skill overlap, about 3 months to move Exposure71
- Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians 69% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure23
- Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric 67% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure46
- Optometrists 64% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure37
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians 62% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure32
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Ophthalmic Medical Technicians and AI
Will AI replace Ophthalmic Medical Technicians?
AI already handles 2 of the 20 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 32 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +19.8% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Ophthalmic Medical Technicians?
32 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 20 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 20 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Ophthalmic Medical Technicians tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Assess refractive conditions of eyes, using retinoscopes; Conduct binocular disparity tests to assess depth perception. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 88% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Ophthalmic Medical Technicians, and what do they earn?
71,010 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $45,570 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +19.8% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Ophthalmic Medical Technicians. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/ophthalmic-medical-technicians
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