AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 29-1299.02
Will AI replace Orthoptists?
Orthoptists: AI can already handle 1 of 16 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 16 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Orthoptists, from most to least exposed. 1 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interpret clinical or diagnostic test results. | Observed | Standard | |
| Perform diagnostic tests or measurements, such as motor testing, visual acuity testing, lensometry, retinoscopy, and color vision testing. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Provide nonsurgical interventions, including corrective lenses, patches, drops, fusion exercises, or stereograms, to treat conditions such as strabismus, heterophoria, and convergence insufficiency. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Refer patients to ophthalmic surgeons or other physicians. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Prepare diagnostic or treatment reports for other medical practitioners or therapists. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Collaborate with ophthalmologists, optometrists, or other specialists in the diagnosis, treatment, or management of conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, and retinal diseases. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Present or publish scientific papers. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Perform vision screening of children in schools or community health centers. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Participate in clinical research projects. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Assist ophthalmologists in diagnostic ophthalmic procedures, such as ultrasonography, fundus photography, and tonometry. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Develop nonsurgical treatment plans for patients with conditions such as strabismus, nystagmus, and other visual disorders. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Develop or use special test and communication techniques to facilitate diagnosis and treatment of children or patients with disabilities. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Provide instructions to patients or family members concerning diagnoses or treatment plans. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Provide training related to clinical methods or orthoptics to students, resident physicians, or other health professionals. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Examine patients with problems related to ocular motility, binocular vision, amblyopia, or strabismus. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Evaluate, diagnose, or treat disorders of the visual system with an emphasis on binocular vision or abnormal eye movements. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 2 of 16 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 14 of 16. 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
A standard-tier model or lower covers 72% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 86% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 15% is hands-on.
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
- 28,630
- Median annual wage
- $115,210
- Middle half of earners
- $83,780 to $161,470
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +2.0%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034. BLS publishes these figures by SOC code, so O*NET occupations that share a SOC code show the same figures.
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.
- Optometrists 75% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure37
- Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric 68% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure46
- Orthodontists 66% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure42
- Orthotists and Prosthetists 64% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure48
- Opticians, Dispensing 62% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure61
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Orthoptists and AI
Will AI replace Orthoptists?
AI already handles 1 of the 16 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 46 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 +2.0% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Orthoptists?
46 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. 2 of the 16 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 14 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Orthoptists tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Interpret clinical or diagnostic test results. It is the only task that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 72% 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 Orthoptists, and what do they earn?
28,630 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $115,210 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +2.0% 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: Orthoptists. 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/orthoptists
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