Optometrists: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · SOC 29-1041 · O*NET 29-1041.00
Diagnose, manage, and treat conditions and diseases of the human eye and visual system. Examine eyes and visual system, diagnose problems or impairments, prescribe corrective lenses, and provide treatment. May prescribe therapeutic drugs to treat specific eye conditions.
Optometrists fall under the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical category in the U.S. occupational classification. Optometrists earn a median salary of $134,830 per year, ranking in the top 4% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +8.0% job growth through 2034, projected to grow faster than the US average. Entry into this field typically requires a bachelor's degree followed by a professional doctorate (such as MD, DO, JD, DDS, or PharmD), with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What parents should know about optometrists right now
If your teen loves science, has steady hands, and wants to run a health practice where they see the same patients for years, optometry is worth a serious look. Optometrists diagnose and manage eye disease, prescribe glasses and contacts, and increasingly co-manage conditions like glaucoma and diabetic eye disease. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage was $134,830 in May 2024, with the lowest tenth earning about $70,060 and the top tenth above $203,210, and employment is projected to grow 8 percent, faster than the average for all occupations. This is a genuinely regulated, licensed doctoral path, so plan for roughly eight years after high school: a bachelor's degree with heavy science prerequisites and the Optometry Admission Test, then a four-year Doctor of Optometry program accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education, then passing the National Board of Examiners in Optometry exam series and state licensure. An optional one-year residency adds specialty depth. On the future of the field, artificial intelligence is augmenting optometrists rather than replacing them, mostly by automating routine screening. The U.S. AI-driven diabetic retinopathy screening market was estimated at about 190 million dollars in 2025 and is projected to reach roughly 882 million dollars by 2033, a compound annual growth rate near 21 percent, helped along by Medicare reimbursement under CPT code 92229 and the 2024 FDA clearance of the first fully autonomous handheld screening device. The practical takeaway is that tomorrow's optometrists will spend more time on higher-complexity diagnosis, disease management, and interpretation while machines handle first-pass screening. For high school, have your teen load up on biology, chemistry, physics, and math, keep grades strong for competitive undergraduate admission, and get exposure by shadowing a local optometrist or volunteering in a vision clinic to confirm the interest before committing to the long road.
What do optometrists earn?
The median annual wage for optometrists is $134,830. That puts optometrists at #32 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. Pay at this level is well above the U.S. median household income, signaling sustained demand and meaningful credential requirements. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $70,060 |
| 25th percentile | $103,310 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $134,830 |
| 75th percentile | $163,710 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $203,210 |
| Median hourly wage | $64.82/hr |
Is optometrists a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for optometrists is +8.0%, projected to grow faster than the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 47K positions in 2024 to 51K in 2034, a net change of 4K. Faster-than-average growth means hiring is consistently outpacing the labor market overall. New entrants generally find their first roles faster than peers in stable fields.
What do optometrists do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working optometrists, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.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.
- 2.Analyze test results and develop a treatment plan.
- 3.Prescribe, supply, fit and adjust eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other vision aids.
- 4.Prescribe medications to treat eye diseases if state laws permit.
- 5.Educate and counsel patients on contact lens care, visual hygiene, lighting arrangements, and safety factors.
- 6.Remove foreign bodies from the eye.
- 7.Provide patients undergoing eye surgeries, such as cataract and laser vision correction, with pre- and post-operative care.
- 8.Consult with and refer patients to ophthalmologist or other health care practitioner if additional medical treatment is determined necessary.
Top skills for optometrists
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become optometrist?
Becoming a optometrist typically requires a bachelor's degree followed by a master's, doctoral, or professional degree, plus state licensure or board certification depending on specialty. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
How to become optometrist: step by step
The typical education and licensing pathway from high school into this profession. Total time to entry is about ~8 years post-high-school (4 undergrad + 4 OD), plus an optional 1-year residency. Steps marked optional are common for advancement but not required to start.
- 1
Undergraduate pre-optometry education
~4 yearsComplete a bachelor's degree with heavy science coursework to satisfy OD program prerequisites, then sit the OAT for admission.
- •Bachelor's degree (some programs admit after 3 years or via combined/accelerated tracks)
- •Strong science prerequisites: biology, general and organic chemistry, physics, math, biochemistry
- •Competitive academic record for admission to OD programs
Optometry Admission Test (OAT); some schools accept GRE/MCAT/DAT/PCAT - 2
Doctor of Optometry (OD) professional degree
~4 yearsEarn the Doctor of Optometry degree from an ACOE-accredited program combining classroom sciences with supervised clinical training.
- •Enroll in a program accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE), the sole US/Canada accreditor recognized by CHEA
- •First ~2 years of classroom, basic, and clinical sciences
- •Last ~2 years of supervised clinical rotations
- 3
National board licensure examinations (NBEO)
~1 yearPass the three-part NBEO national board sequence, taken across the third and fourth years of the OD program, as required for licensure in every state.
- •Administered by the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO); required in all 50 states
- •Additional NBEO exams (Injections Skill Examination, Laser & Surgical Procedures Examination) exist for expanded scope in some states
Part I: Applied Basic Science (ABS), typically spring of 3rd yearPart II: Patient Assessment and Management (PAM), including TMOD, typically December of 4th yearPart III: Patient Encounters and Performance Skills (PEPS), hands-on clinical skills exam during 4th year - 4
State licensure
~1 yearObtain a license from the state Board of Optometry by combining the accredited degree, required NBEO parts, and any state jurisprudence exam.
- •Graduate from an ACOE-accredited OD program
- •Pass the NBEO parts required by the state (states differ on exactly which parts)
- •Many states require a state jurisprudence/law exam (e.g., Oregon requires a Board-approved written exam on state optometric law and rules with a score of 80+)
- •License issued by the individual state Board of Optometry
State jurisprudence/law exam (where required) - 5
Residency
Optional~1 yearOptional one-year post-OD residency for advanced or specialty practice; valued for specialization but not needed for general licensure.
- •Not required for general licensure
- •~280 ACOE-accredited residency programs with 500+ positions
- •Focus areas include ocular disease, pediatrics, and low vision
Licensing requirements for optometrists
Optometrists are regulated at the state level in the United States. Practicing without a current license is not legal in most jurisdictions.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about optometrists
What is the median salary for optometrists?
The median annual salary for optometrists is $134,830 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is optometrists a growing career?
BLS projects +8.0% growth for optometrists from 2024 through 2034, which is fast growth projected to grow faster than the US average.
What education does my child need to become optometrist?
The typical entry path requires a bachelor's degree followed by a professional doctorate (such as MD, DO, JD, DDS, or PharmD), plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to optometrists?
Related occupations within the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.