Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
Assist ophthalmologists by performing ophthalmic clinical functions. May administer eye exams, administer eye medications, and instruct the patient in care and use of corrective lenses.
Also called: Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technician (Certified Ophthalmic Medical Tech), Certified Ophthalmic Surgical Assistant, Certified Ophthalmic Technician (COT), Certified Ophthalmic Technician-Surgical Assistant (COT-SA), Health Technician (Health Tech), Ophthalmic Assistant
- Median pay in Greater Boston
- $52,670
- $25.32/hr
- Jobs in Greater Boston
- 1,740
- Massachusetts 2024–2034
- +14.5%
- 520 openings a year
- Typical U.S. entry requirement
- Postsecondary nondegree award
Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.
Pay range in Greater Boston
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $38,480 | $49,040 | $52,670 | $65,650 | $80,740 |
10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.
What you’d do
- 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.
- Measure visual acuity, including near, distance, pinhole, or dynamic visual acuity, using appropriate tests.
- Measure and record lens power, using lensometers.
AI and this job
AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.
Moderate exposure41 of 100
The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:
- AIOE 49
- Language-model AIOE 50
- GPTs-are-GPTs 24
Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)
AI exposure for this job is moderate, and observed AI use is little or none so far. AI tools may help with parts of taking and documenting patient histories. Hands-on work such as running eye equipment, measuring eye pressure, and testing vision still depends on a trained person with the patient. Massachusetts job growth is projected at 14.5% from 2024 to 2034.
Likely to change
- Taking and documenting patient histories
- Recording and organizing test measurements
Still relies on people
- Running eye exam equipment on patients
- Measuring eye pressure and vision in person
Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.
Next steps from here
Related jobs that build on what you already do.
Surgical Technologists
Careful, hands-on work with clinical instruments carries over, and this move has the same type of training, a lower AI exposure, and a higher Boston median pay.
- Pay difference
- +$28,830 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +1.9%
- To get started
- Postsecondary nondegree award
Dental Assistants
Preparing patients, setting up instruments, and recording treatment notes build on your clinical routine, with the same type of training and similar pay.
- Pay difference
- +$5,490 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +1.6%
- To get started
- Postsecondary nondegree award
Medical Equipment Preparers
Checking equipment closely is a skill you already use. This job needs only a high school diploma, has lower AI exposure, and is projected to grow 8.8% in Massachusetts.
- Pay difference
- +$8,170 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +8.8%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Training near Boston
College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).
No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.
Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.
Related occupations
- Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other
- Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians
- Medical Assistants
- Surgical Assistants
- Healthcare Support Workers, All Other
- Surgical Technologists
- Radiologic Technologists and Technicians
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
- Respiratory Therapists
- Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric
Talk to a career coach
A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.
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