Assist eye doctors by running vision tests, taking measurements, and preparing patients for exams.
You may also see this posted as: Certified Ophthalmic Surgical Assistant, Certified Ophthalmic Technician (COT), Ophthalmic Assistant, Ophthalmic Tech (Ophthalmic Technician), Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technician (Certified Ophthalmic Medical Tech), Certified Ophthalmic Technician-Surgical Assistant (COT-SA).
Eye clinics and ophthalmology offices
Full-time, mostly weekday
Realistic
working with tools, equipment, materials, or the physical world
Investigative
solving problems, analyzing evidence, and figuring out how things work
Social
helping, teaching, caring for, or supporting other people
O*NET job zone 3 of 5
Medium preparation—often vocational training, an associate degree, or substantial experience—is usually needed.
Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.
May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.
Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.
“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.
BLS estimates 0.7% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.
Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.
Certificate program
Training path: Certificate or on-the-job training.
Related work experience: None.
On-the-job training: None.
No license required, though JCAHPO certification is common and often preferred.
You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.
Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.
A fast-growing eye-care support role you can enter without a four-year degree.
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Browse verified internships, fellowships, and programs — many paid — that lead into fields like this.
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Standard Occupational Classification 29-2057. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.