Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric
Diagnose and perform surgery to treat and help prevent disorders and diseases of the eye. May also provide vision services for treatment including glasses and contacts.
- Median pay
- $300,080
- Doing it now
- 9,700
- By 2035
- Up 4.5%
- Usually needs
- Doctoral or professional degree
a year
across the country
200 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Provide ophthalmic consultation to other medical professionals.
- Refer patients for more specialized treatments when conditions exceed the experience, expertise, or scope of practice of practitioner.
- Develop or implement plans and procedures for ophthalmologic services.
- Educate patients about maintenance and promotion of healthy vision.
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of health professionals to provide optimal patient care.
- Provide or direct the provision of postoperative care.
- Document or evaluate patients' medical histories.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- MedicineSee 3 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Analytical and curious
Helping and teaching
Hands-on and practical
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $300,080 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.