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Alamo Colleges DistrictCareer Explorer

Ophthalmic Medical Technicians

Part of Health Science, in the Therapeutic Services pathway.

Bright outlookJob zone 3: medium preparationO*NET 29-2057.00

What the work is

Assist ophthalmologists by performing ophthalmic clinical functions. May administer eye exams, administer eye medications, and instruct the patient in care and use of corrective lenses.

On a typical day

  • Administer topical ophthalmic or oral medications.
  • Assess refractive conditions of eyes, using retinoscopes.
  • Assist patients to insert or remove contact lenses.
  • Call patients to inquire about their post-operative status or recovery.
  • Clean or sterilize ophthalmic or surgical instruments.
  • Conduct ocular motility tests to measure function of eye muscles.

What it pays

$38,240
Median pay per year, San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro
New workers start near $36,690
Experienced workers reach $48,150
  1. $37k10th
  2. $37k25th
  3. $38kMedian
  4. $45k75th
  5. $48k90th
Wage percentiles: 10th $36,690, 25th $37,440, Median $38,240, 75th $45,080, 90th $48,150

About 1,040 people do this job in the San Antonio area.

Job outlook

Alamo region (Bexar and 12 surrounding counties), Texas Workforce Commission projection 2024 to 2034. U.S. figures from the BLS for comparison.

+28.1%

employment change in the Alamo region, 902 to 1,155 jobs · U.S. +20%

156

openings a year in the Alamo region, from growth and people leaving · U.S. 12,500

902

employed in the Alamo region in 2024 · U.S. 78,800

Typical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award

Skills this career uses

The skills O*NET rates most important for the job, with how much of each the work needs on a 1 to 7 scale.

  1. Active Listening3.8
  2. Speaking3.6
  3. Reading Comprehension3.6
  4. Service Orientation3.1
  5. Writing3.0
  6. Social Perceptiveness3.0
  7. Critical Thinking3.1
  8. Active Learning3.1

Education people in this job have

Share of workers by highest education, from O*NET surveys. It shows what others did, not what you must do.

  1. High school or less59%
  2. Certificate27%
  3. Some college5%
  4. Associate degree9%

Job zone 3, medium preparation: Training, an associate degree, or a few years of related experience.

Alamo programs that lead here

No Alamo program is mapped to this career yet. Many careers start from a transfer pre-major or a related program.

Browse all programs

Does this fit you?

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