Will AI replace optometrists?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 8h (100%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 9.5% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. For 4 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

8h of a typical shift, or 100%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• 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. (3h 28m a shift)
• Prescribe, supply, fit and adjust eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other vision aids. (1h 18m a shift)
• Analyze test results and develop a treatment plan. (1h 5m a shift)
• Educate and counsel patients on contact lens care, visual hygiene, lighting arrangements, and safety factors. (39m a shift)
• Provide patients undergoing eye surgeries, such as cataract and laser vision correction, with pre- and post-operative care. (26m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 100% talk face to face with others every day
• 95% work at arm's length or closer to other people
• 81% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important

On Indeed, job postings in the Medical Technician sector are at 125% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), down 2.6% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 2,000 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $136,570 a year ($65.66 an hour), 168% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $74,870 and $202,180 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 9.5% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 49,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 2,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 43,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.03% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 412th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 49,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a doctoral degree: about 95% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 5 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: graduate degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Science, Social Perceptiveness, Critical Thinking, Writing
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 8h of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari, Intuit QuickBooks, Microsoft Access

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians (0m touched, $266k median pay)
• Urologists (1h 17m touched, $266k median pay)
• Neurologists (55m touched, $249k median pay)
• Audiologists (0m touched, $96k median pay)
• Chiropractors (22m touched, $79k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 10 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.