What You'll Do

  • 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.
  • Analyze test results and develop a treatment plan.
  • Prescribe, supply, fit and adjust eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other vision aids.
  • Prescribe medications to treat eye diseases if state laws permit.
  • Educate and counsel patients on contact lens care, visual hygiene, lighting arrangements, and safety factors.
  • Consult with and refer patients to ophthalmologist or other health care practitioner if additional medical treatment is determined necessary.
  • Remove foreign bodies from the eye.
  • Provide patients undergoing eye surgeries, such as cataract and laser vision correction, with pre- and post-operative care.
  • Prescribe therapeutic procedures to correct or conserve vision.
  • Provide vision therapy and low-vision rehabilitation.

Essential Skills

Reading Comprehension 4.12/5
Active Listening 4.12/5
Critical Thinking 4.12/5
Writing 4.0/5
Speaking 4.0/5
Social Perceptiveness 3.88/5
Science 3.75/5
Coordination 3.38/5
Complex Problem Solving 3.38/5
Judgment and Decision Making 3.38/5
Monitoring 3.25/5
Persuasion 3.25/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to understand the kind of profile this role rewards. It helps you judge whether this career looks like a stronger match than your current role, a nearby move worth exploring, or a broader path to compare more seriously.

Top passions

  • Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.
  • Helper: Supporting people and making a difference matters to you.
  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.

Common styles

Attention to Detail, Dependability, Cautiousness, Integrity, Intellectual Curiosity

Want a personal read on fit? Take the free assessment and compare this career to your current role, nearby alternatives, and broader stronger-fit options.

Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Oral Expression 4.12/5
Problem Sensitivity 4.12/5
Oral Comprehension 4.0/5
Written Comprehension 4.0/5
Deductive Reasoning 4.0/5
Inductive Reasoning 4.0/5
Near Vision 4.0/5
Written Expression 3.88/5

Technologies & Tools

Accra Med Software Filopto AltaPoint Data Systems AltaPoint Vision Apple Safari Babcock Winx Pro Compulink Business Systems Eyecare Advantage Digital Healthcare OptoMize First Insight E-Z Frame First Insight MaximEyes HealthLine Systems Eyecom Insight Software My Vision Express Intuit QuickBooks MAX Systems Max-Gold7 MediNotes Charting Plus Microsoft Access Microsoft Edge Microsoft Excel Microsoft SQL Server Microsoft Word Mozilla Firefox OfficeMate Software Solutions ExamWRITER

Work Environment & Strengths

Common Strengths for This Career

  • Attention to Detail (High importance: 5.0/5)
  • Dependability (High importance: 4.65/5)
  • Cautiousness (High importance: 4.52/5)
  • Integrity (High importance: 4.47/5)
  • Intellectual Curiosity (High importance: 4.39/5)

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How to Become One

This career requires extensive preparation, typically including a graduate degree (Master's or Doctoral) and several years of experience. Most professionals in this field have invested significant time in education and training.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Optometrist Optometry Doctor (OD) Therapeutic Optometrist

Career Fit FAQs

Is this career a good fit for me

This page shows the role itself. To see personal fit, use the assessment to compare your interests, motivations, and strengths against this career and against the role you are in now.

Can this help if I want to stay in my field

Yes. Many people use career pages like this to compare nearby roles in the same field and see whether they need a full switch or a better-fit version of the work they already know.

What should I compare first

Start with the daily tasks, the preparation level, and the work-style signals on this page. Then use the assessment to see whether this role looks like a stronger fit than your current role or just a different title.