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Ophthalmic Technician

Types of Degrees Ophthalmic Technician Majors Are Earning

Those studying Ophthalmic Technician have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	22
Associate’s Degree	75
Bachelor’s Degree	2
Master’s Degree	49

What Ophthalmic Technician Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Ophthalmic Technician build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Ophthalmic Technician graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Ophthalmic Technician emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 2.9 / 5; level 2.9 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Ophthalmic Technician program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Ophthalmic Technician careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Ophthalmic Technician graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.5 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.5 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.8 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Ophthalmic Technician professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Medflow Complete	Medical software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
AcuityPro	Medical software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
iChartPlus	Medical software	—
MediPro Medisoft Clinical	Medical software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
NaviNet Open	Medical software	—
EyeMD EMR Healthcare Systems EyeMD EMR	Medical software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Ophthalmic Technician graduates include:

• Certified Ophthalmic Surgical Assistant
• Certified Ophthalmic Technician-Surgical Assistant (COT-SA)
• Optical Technician (Optical Tech)
• Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technician (Certified Ophthalmic Medical Tech)
• Paraoptometric
• Medical Technician (Medical Tech)
• Optometric Assistant
• Optometric Technician (Optometric Tech)
• Ophthalmic Medical Assistant
• Health Technician (Health Tech)
• Eyecare Advisor
• Ophthalmic Assistant
• Ocular Care Technologist
• Ophthalmic Medical Technician (Ophthalmic Medical Tech)
• Certified Ophthalmic Technician (COT)

What Can You Do With a Ophthalmic Technician Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Ophthalmic Technician commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Ophthalmic Medical Technicians	3.2%	$51,958	$42,822–$61,093

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Ophthalmic Technician graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	59.1%
Postsecondary certificate	27.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	9.1%
Some college courses	4.5%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Ophthalmic Technician?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 81.8% of Ophthalmic Technician degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	121	81.8%
Men	27	18.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Ophthalmic Technician graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	59	39.9%
Asian	8	5.4%
Hispanic or Latino	59	39.9%
Black or African American	5	3.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	2.0%
Two or More Races	3	2.0%
Race Unknown	6	4.1%
International Students	5	3.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Ophthalmic Technician Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Ophthalmic Technician graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$34,118
4 years	$36,016
5 years	$38,680

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $38,680 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Ophthalmic Technician Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Ophthalmic Technician. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Ophthalmic Technician Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Ophthalmic Technician graduates earn a median of $36,016 four years after completion — about 5% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Ophthalmic and Optometric Support Services and Allied Professions	742
Opticianry/Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician	352
Optometric Technician/Assistant	201
Ophthalmic and Optometric Support Services and Allied Professions, Other	40
Orthoptics/Orthoptist	1

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.