Resilient
Last Update: 5/19/2026
AI Resilience Score for Optometrists:
65.7%
Median Score
Meaningful human contribution
Measures the parts of the occupation that still require a human touch. This score averages data from up to four AI exposure datasets, focusing on the role’s resilience against automation.
High
Long-term employer demand
Predicts the health of the job market for this role through 2034. Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data, it balances projected annual job openings (60%) with overall employment growth (40%).
Med
Sustained economic opportunity
Measures future earning potential and career flexibility. This score is a blend of total projected labor income (67%) and the role’s inherent ability to adapt to economic and technological shifts (33%).
High
This reflects the reliability of your score based on the number of data sources available for this career and how closely those sources agree on the outlook. A higher confidence means more consistent evidence from labor experts and AI models.
Most data sources align, with only minor variation. This is a well-supported result.
Contributing sources
AI Resilience Report forOptometrists
$134,830 median salary•2,400 annual openings•SOC Code: 29-1041.00
Optometrists are more resilient to AI impacts than most occupations, according to our analysis of 6 sources.
Optometry is labeled "Resilient" because while AI is becoming a helpful tool in the exam room — like screening for eye diseases or handling paperwork — it still needs a real optometrist to interpret results, make final decisions, and provide hands-on care like fitting contacts or removing foreign bodies. The human skills at the heart of this job, including clinical judgment, patient empathy, and physical procedures, simply can't be replicated by AI.
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Optometry is labeled "Resilient" because while AI is becoming a helpful tool in the exam room — like screening for eye diseases or handling paperwork — it still needs a real optometrist to interpret results, make final decisions, and provide hands-on care like fitting contacts or removing foreign bodies. The human skills at the heart of this job, including clinical judgment, patient empathy, and physical procedures, simply can't be replicated by AI.
Read full analysisAnalysis of Current AI Resilience
Optometrists
Updated Quarterly
How is AI changing Optometrists jobs?
Right now, AI is mostly augmenting optometrists rather than replacing them — it acts like a smart assistant in the exam room. The clearest example is diabetic retinopathy screening: three AI systems are now FDA-approved to screen for diabetic retinopathy, and one of them, AEYE-DS, can diagnose referable diabetic retinopathy from a single image per eye taken by a handheld camera, with sensitivity of 92–93% and specificity of 89–94%. AI is also moving into refraction and slit-lamp work — for example, DigitalOptometrics offers a remote eye exam [1] that simulates an in-person visit using AI-based refraction and remote-operated equipment, supervised by a licensed optometrist.
Inside the practice, AI scribes and EHR helpers are spreading fast: the AOA's endorsed EHR Barti now lets doctors of optometry access guideline-based summaries and citations instantly within the patient chart, supporting real-time, evidence-based clinical decision making. Ambient AI listening tools are also impressive — a study at a major ophthalmic center with over 300,000 consultations showed doctors gained two hours per day, over 96% of text was accurate, and time saved increased patient visits by up to 30% in some clinics. Hands-on tasks like removing foreign bodies, fitting contacts, and providing vision therapy still require a human.
Sources
How fast is AI adoption growing for Optometrists?
Adoption is moving quickly for documentation and screening, but more slowly for diagnosis. Demand for optometrists is strong: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment will grow 8% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than average [2], so AI is being used to stretch each doctor's time rather than cut jobs. Healthcare-wide spending is supporting this — more than 80% of leaders believe gen AI and agentic AI can provide moderate-to-significant value across functions in 2026, though 49% of organizations are still experimenting and only a third are using AI at scale.
Trust and liability are the biggest brakes. As AOA leaders put it, AI will become an augmentative assistant on both the administrative and clinical sides, helping in a time of declining reimbursements and increasing physician retirements, but they warn that AI can suffer from "hallucinations," making up answers with no credible basis, so optometrists must be aware of its limitations and not accept every answer as fact. The encouraging news for students considering this career: AI can't succeed without optometrists' expertise — to interpret, to lead the process, and to carry out the decisions.
Skills like patient empathy, hands-on procedures, and clinical judgment will remain genuinely human strengths.
Sources
Will AI replace Optometrists?
No. We don't think AI will replace optometrists, but the job is already changing in real and meaningful ways.
AI is stepping in as a capable assistant, not a replacement. FDA-approved tools can screen for diabetic retinopathy from a single image, and platforms like DigitalOptometrics now offer AI-assisted remote exams supervised by a licensed optometrist [1]. Ambient AI scribes are saving doctors hours of documentation time each day, which actually increases how many patients a practice can serve. These tools make optometrists more productive, not obsolete.
What stays human is the core of the job: hands-on procedures like fitting contacts or removing foreign bodies, clinical judgment calls, and the trust patients place in a doctor who actually listens to them. AI can screen and summarize, but it can also produce confident-sounding errors, which means an optometrist's expertise is exactly what keeps the process safe and accountable.
The broader picture supports this. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment growth of 8% through 2034, faster than average [2]. Our 65.7% AI Resilience Score reflects that combination of strong human contribution and solid long-term demand. Students considering this path should expect to work alongside AI tools, not compete with them.
Sources
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Latest AI news for Optometrists
These articles highlight the transformative impact of AI on optometry careers, emphasizing both opportunities and challenges. For instance, Drs. Richman and Wartman discuss how predictive AI can enhance diagnostic accuracy, benefiting patient care. Meanwhile, Lenskart's deployment of AI for remote testing addresses optometrist shortages, showcasing innovative solutions in practice. As AI continues to evolve, aspiring optometrists must embrace these technologies, balancing innovation with ethical considerations, to thrive in a rapidly changing landscape and build resilience in their careers.
Five questions to consider for AI in optometry
www.aop.org.uk • 5/6/2026
With AI a rapidly growing topic in optometry, OT asked experts at 100% Optical about the potential of the technology and what practitioners...
Lenskart Deploys AI-Enabled Eye Testing Across 500+ Stores to Address Optometrist Shortage
scanx.trade • 1/12/2026
Lenskart has deployed AI-enabled remote eye-testing across 500+ stores to address optometrist shortages, achieving 9.3 million tests in H1...
Artificial Intelligence in Cataract Surgery and Optometry at Large with Harvey Richman, OD, and Rebecca Wartman, OD
www.hcplive.com • 7/9/2025
Drs. Richman and Wartman discuss the benefits of using predictive and diagnostic AI, while cautioning about the implicit risks of...
OptoAI releases AI-powered assistant for optometrists
glance.eyesoneyecare.com • 3/4/2025
A new artificial intelligence (AI)-based assistant for optometry practices has officially launched exclusively in the United States: OptoAI.
Navigating AI in optometry: A balancing act of innovation and ethics
www.optometrytimes.com • 12/12/2024
Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into optometry represents an opportunity to revolutionize patient care, yet it also necessitates a...
More Career Info
Career: Optometrists
They check people's eyes to find vision problems and provide glasses or contact lenses to help them see better.
Parent Careers
Employment & Wage Data
Median Wage
$134,830
Jobs (2024)
47,800
Growth (2024-34)
+8.0%
Annual Openings
2,400
Education
Doctoral or professional degree
Experience
None
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2024-2034
Task-Level AI Resilience Scores
AI-generated estimates of task resilience over the next 3 years
1
Provide patients undergoing eye surgeries, such as cataract and laser vision correction, with pre- and post-operative care.
2
Prescribe medications to treat eye diseases if state laws permit.
3
Educate and counsel patients on contact lens care, visual hygiene, lighting arrangements and safety factors.
4
Prescribe therapeutic procedures to correct or conserve vision.
5
Prescribe, supply, fit and adjust eyeglasses, contact lenses and other vision aids.
6
Provide vision therapy and low vision rehabilitation.
7
Remove foreign bodies from the eye.
Tasks are ranked by their AI resilience, with the most resilient tasks shown first. Core tasks are essential functions of this occupation, while supplemental tasks provide additional context.
