Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Above-baseline growth SOC 29-2057

Ophthalmic Medical Technicians

Projected +20% employment change leads this card; pay sits next to Pediatric Surgeons, Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Dermatologists, Prosthodontists.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Ophthalmic Medical Technicians: Pediatric Surgeons ($559K) , Obstetricians and Gynecologists ($293K) , Dermatologists ($329K) , Prosthodontists ($311K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Ophthalmic Medical Technicians publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 29-2057 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Take and document patients' medical histories
  2. 2. Conduct tonometry or tonography tests to measure intraocular pressure
  3. 3. Operate ophthalmic equipment, such as autorefractors, phoropters, tomographs, or retinoscopes
  4. 4. Take anatomical or functional ocular measurements of the eye or surrounding tissue, such as axial length measurements
  5. 5. Measure visual acuity, including near, distance, pinhole, or dynamic visual acuity, using appropriate tests
  6. 6. Measure and record lens power, using lensometers
  7. 7. Administer topical ophthalmic or oral medications
  8. 8. Conduct visual field tests to measure field of vision
  9. 9. Assist physicians in performing ophthalmic procedures, including surgery
  10. 10. Measure corneal curvature with keratometers or ophthalmometers to aid in the diagnosis of conditions, such as astigmatism
  11. 11. Conduct ocular motility tests to measure function of eye muscles
  12. 12. Clean or sterilize ophthalmic or surgical instruments

Ophthalmic Medical Technicians: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 29-2057 - lead skill Active Listening at 3.6 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 3.6
  2. 2. Speaking 3.3
  3. 3. Reading Comprehension 3.1
  4. 4. Writing 3.1
  5. 5. Social Perceptiveness 3.1
  6. 6. Service Orientation 3.1
  7. 7. Critical Thinking 3.0
  8. 8. Active Learning 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.3
  2. 2. Medicine and Dentistry 4.2
  3. 3. English Language 4.0
  4. 4. Mathematics 3.3
  5. 5. Administrative 2.9
  6. 6. Education and Training 2.8
Projected employment change 2024-2034
↑ +20%
much faster than average (3.1%)
National median $45,570/yr
$46K
National median
12,500
Annual openings
71,010
Estimated US jobs
Pediatric Surgeons
Highest-pay peer · $559K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Postsecondary nondegree award

Top Paying States for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians

1. District of Columbia $50,790
2. Minnesota $63,080
3. Maryland $50,070
4. California $54,490
5. Hawaii $58,240
6. Vermont $50,090
7. Oregon $50,020
8. Wisconsin $56,420
9. Massachusetts $49,750
10. Alaska $49,970

Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles

  1. 1. Dermatologists $328,730
  2. 2. Prosthodontists $311,180
  3. 3. Obstetricians and Gynecologists $292,910
  4. 4. Anesthesiologists $391,490
  5. 5. Physicians, Pathologists $312,400
  6. 6. Pediatric Surgeons $559,030

BLS projects +20% employment change for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians (2024-2034), much faster than average vs the all-occupations baseline of 3.1%. Published median pay is $45,570.

BLS assigns Postsecondary nondegree award as typical entry education. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal employer rules. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: District of Columbia at $50,790. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Pediatric Surgeons at $559,030. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Ophthalmic Medical Technicians pay-rank #68 in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

On the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations median table (71 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Ophthalmic Medical Technicians lands at #68, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Projected change +19.8% puts Ophthalmic Medical Technicians ahead of most peers. Open the state map or compare it directly against a slower-growing role.

Ophthalmic Medical Technicians salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 29-2057

District of Columbia · top state for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians

$51K published median

Minnesota · #2 state pay

$63K · behind District of Columbia

Pediatric Surgeons

Highest-pay peer vs Ophthalmic Medical Technicians · $559K

Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Lower-pay peer beside Ophthalmic Medical Technicians · $293K

Compare Ophthalmic Medical Technicians

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Ophthalmic Medical Technicians with another occupation →

Growth and outlook next reads

Fastest-Growing Rankings

National projection leaders

Highest-Paying Careers

Where growth meets pay

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Ophthalmic Medical Technicians land on the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations median table? ▼
Ophthalmic Medical Technicians is pay-rank #68 of 71 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Pharmacy Technicians ($46K), Psychiatric Technicians ($45K), Emergency Medical Technicians ($44K), Opticians, Dispensing ($47K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do ophthalmic medical technicians do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians. Leading ones include: Take and document patients' medical histories; Conduct tonometry or tonography tests to measure intraocular pressure; Operate ophthalmic equipment, such as autorefractors, phoropters, tomographs, or retinoscopes; Take anatomical or functional ocular measurements of the eye or surrounding tissue, such as axial length measurements. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for ophthalmic medical technicians? ▼
For SOC 29-2057, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (3.6), Speaking (3.3), Reading Comprehension (3.1), Writing (3.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $45,570 as the national median for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians. The published 10th-90th range is $35,700 to $61,940. Beside Pediatric Surgeons ($559,030), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
How fast is Ophthalmic Medical Technicians projected to grow? ▼
BLS Employment Projections put Ophthalmic Medical Technicians at +20% change for 2024-2034, with about 12,500 annual openings. Versus the all-occupations baseline (3.1%): much faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Ophthalmic Medical Technicians? ▼
BLS assigns Postsecondary nondegree award as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians? ▼
District of Columbia ($50,790), Minnesota ($63,080), Maryland ($50,070) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Ophthalmic Medical Technicians card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 29-2057. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics