# Ophthalmic Medical Technologists

> Assist ophthalmologists by performing ophthalmic clinical functions and ophthalmic photography. Provide instruction and supervision to other ophthalmic personnel. Assist with minor surgical procedures, applying aseptic techniques and preparing instruments. May perform eye exams, administer eye medications, and instruct patients in care and use of corrective lenses.

- **SOC code:** 29-2099.05
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-29-2099-05
- **Also known as:** Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technologist (COMT), Ophthalmic Medical Technologist (Ophthalmic Medical Tech), Ophthalmic Technologist (Ophthalmic Tech), Surgical Coordinator, Certified Diagnostic Ophthalmic Sonographer (CDOS), Ophthalmic Echographer, Ophthalmic Photographer, Ophthalmic Sonographer
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- Conduct tonometry or tonography tests to measure intraocular pressure.
- Take and document patients' medical histories.
- Take anatomical or functional ocular measurements, such as axial length measurements, of the eye or surrounding tissue.
- Measure visual acuity, including near, distance, pinhole, or dynamic visual acuity, using appropriate tests.
- Administer topical ophthalmic or oral medications.
- Perform slit lamp biomicroscopy procedures to diagnose disorders of the eye, such as retinitis, presbyopia, cataracts, or retinal detachment.
- Calculate corrections for refractive errors.
- Measure and record lens power, using lensometers.
- Collect ophthalmic measurements or other diagnostic information, using ultrasound equipment, such as A-scan ultrasound biometry or B-scan ultrasonography equipment.
- Perform ophthalmic triage, in the office or by phone, to assess severity of patients' conditions.
- Clean or sterilize ophthalmic or surgical instruments.
- Educate patients on ophthalmic medical procedures, conditions of the eye, and appropriate use of medications.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Customer and Personal Service _(knowledge)_
- Medicine and Dentistry _(knowledge)_
- English Language _(knowledge)_
- Oral Expression _(ability)_
- Near Vision _(ability)_
- Active Listening _(essential_skill)_
- Speaking _(essential_skill)_
- Oral Comprehension _(ability)_
- Problem Sensitivity _(ability)_
- Speech Recognition _(ability)_
- Speech Clarity _(ability)_
- Social Perceptiveness _(transferable_skill)_

**Skills in demand:**
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- Speech Recognition _(Specialized Skill)_
- Social Perceptiveness _(Common Skill)_
- Inductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Mathematics _(Common Skill)_
- Writing _(Common Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Instructing _(Specialized Skill)_
- Finger Dexterity _(Common Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Autodesk AutoCAD _(hot technology)_
- JavaScript _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Word _(hot technology)_
- SAP software _(hot technology)_
- AcuityPro
- Computer aided design and drafting CADD software
- Email software
- EyeMD EMR Healthcare Systems EyeMD EMR
- ezChartWriter

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 40th percentile (Moderate) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 40th percentile (Moderate) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 56th percentile (Moderate) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 29th percentile (Low) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** no — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** 5.2% growth (About average); 13.6k annual openings; 178.8k → 188.1k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $48,790; 174,060 employed.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-29-2099-05_