Will AI replace optometrist?
Updated
Optometrists score 27 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 71%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. The other 29% stays with people.
- 71% AI helps
- 29% Needs a person
Low exposure
Lower than 67% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 10 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can't do any of them end to end yet. It speeds up 7 and leaves 3 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Educate and counsel patients on contact lens care, visual hygiene, lighting arrangements, and safety factors. AI can draft personalized care handouts; counseling delivery stays human. | 50% AI helps |
| Analyze test results and develop a treatment plan. AI can summarize results and draft plan options; clinician decides. | 45% AI helps |
| Consult with and refer patients to ophthalmologist or other health care practitioner if additional medical treatment is determined necessary. AI drafts referral letters; optometrist judges when referral is needed. | 40% AI helps |
| Prescribe medications to treat eye diseases if state laws permit. AI can check interactions and draft prescriptions; prescriber stays accountable. | 35% AI helps |
| Prescribe, supply, fit and adjust eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other vision aids. Fitting and adjusting are physical; prescription ordering is largely digital. | 32% AI helps |
| Provide vision therapy and low-vision rehabilitation. AI builds exercise plans; live coaching stays central. | 28% AI helps |
| Examine eyes, using observation, instruments, and pharmaceutical agents, to determine visual acuity and perception, focus, and coordination and to diagnose diseases and other abnormalities, such as glaucoma or color blindness. Hands on exam needs presence; AI aids test interpretation. | 20% AI helps |
| Prescribe therapeutic procedures to correct or conserve vision. Procedures like punctal plugs need hands on skill and judgment. | 15% Needs a person |
| Provide patients undergoing eye surgeries, such as cataract and laser vision correction, with pre- and post-operative care. Aftercare needs hands on exams; AI only aids scheduling. | 12% Needs a person |
| Remove foreign bodies from the eye. Foreign body removal is a direct hands on procedure. | 4% Needs a person |
How optometrists compare
All occupations (923)
Healthcare practitioners and technical (89)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $136,570 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 42,790 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +9.5% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Run slit lamp and fundus exams for glaucoma screening
- Fit and adjust contact lenses with hands-on trial lens fitting
- Hold state therapeutic prescribing certification for eye medications
- Review and sign off AI-drafted treatment plans in Microsoft Word
- Run low-vision rehabilitation sessions with live patient coaching
Safer roles nearby
2 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about optometrists and AI
Will optometrist be replaced by AI?
Partly. About 3 in 10 working hours of an optometrist's day go to tasks AI can already do, led by patient counseling and analysis of test results. What stays with people is the hands-on eye exam, the procedures, and the final call on diagnosis and treatment.
Will AI take over optometry?
AI speeds up 71% of the task time in optometry. People still do 29% of it. The US has 42,790 optometrist jobs, with a projected change of +9.5% from 2024 to 2034.
Which optometrist tasks is AI taking over?
Counseling and treatment planning lead the list. Educating patients on contact lens care, visual hygiene, and lighting scores 50 on exposure, because AI can draft personalized care handouts. Analyzing test results and developing a treatment plan scores 45, since AI can summarize results and draft plan options. The optometrist still delivers the counseling and makes the decision.
Which optometrist tasks stay human?
Hands-on work stays human. Removing foreign bodies from the eye scores 4 on exposure, the lowest in the job, because it is a direct hands-on procedure. Aftercare for cataract and laser surgery scores 12, since it needs hands-on exams. Therapeutic procedures such as punctal plugs score 15, because they need hands-on skill and judgment.
How can optometrists stay valuable at work?
Keep the hands-on work, such as fitting contact lenses and running slit lamp exams. Use AI drafts in Microsoft Word for referral letters and care handouts, then check each draft against your exam findings before you sign off. Track treatment outcomes in Microsoft Excel. Confirm your state therapeutic prescribing rules before you prescribe eye medications.
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