Mostly Resilient
Last Update: 8/30/2026
AI Resilience Score for Optometrists:
59.1%
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.
Med
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.
There are a reasonable number of sources for this result, but there is some disagreement between them.
Contributing sources
AI Resilience Report forOptometrists
$136,570 median salary•2,000 annual openings•SOC Code: 29-1041.00
Optometrists are somewhat more resilient to AI impacts than most occupations, according to our analysis of 6 sources.
Optometry is labeled "Mostly Resilient" because while AI is taking over some specific tasks (like screening for diabetic retinopathy without a doctor reviewing the images), the heart of the job still requires a real human. Things like building trust with patients, fitting contact lenses, making complex judgment calls, and connecting people to the right specialists are skills that AI simply cannot replicate.
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Optometry is labeled "Mostly Resilient" because while AI is taking over some specific tasks (like screening for diabetic retinopathy without a doctor reviewing the images), the heart of the job still requires a real human. Things like building trust with patients, fitting contact lenses, making complex judgment calls, and connecting people to the right specialists are skills that AI simply cannot replicate.
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View analysisChat with CoachLatest newsMore career infoAnalysisChatNewsMoreAnalysis of Current AI Resilience
Optometrists
Updated Quarterly
How is AI changing Optometrists jobs?
Right now, AI in optometry is mostly acting as a helpful assistant rather than a replacement. On the diagnostic side, the FDA has cleared autonomous AI systems that can screen for diabetic retinopathy without an eye doctor interpreting the images, and the technology is now commercially available with a tabletop imaging device, with screenings also available using a portable handheld device, and screening for DR with AI is reimbursable in the US under CPT code 92229, according to Optometry Times [1]. The American Optometric Association [2] says AI will become an augmentative assistant on both the administrative and clinical sides of practice, helping diagnose patients and streamlining operations, from billing codes and scheduling to suggesting diagnoses inside EHRs.
Documentation is the fastest-growing use — a 2026 Nature Eye review [3] notes that overall physician usage of AI nearly doubled from 2023 to 2024, from 38% to 66%, with the most prevalent use in documentation via ambient AI scribes.
Sources
How fast is AI adoption growing for Optometrists?
Adoption is accelerating because eye care faces real staffing pressure. Review of Ophthalmology [4] reports that AI-based screening and remote monitoring could offset some workforce shortages, but require infrastructure, training and oversight. Reimbursement helps too: Chief Healthcare Executive [5] explains that autonomous AI can bring "specialty-level diagnostics" to primary care settings and even retail clinics, potentially increasing access and lowering cost.
Still, thoughtful rollout matters. At AOA 2026 [1], Dr. Jessilin Quint advised colleagues that "AI will not replace doctors, but doctors using AI will replace doctors not using AI" — a reminder that human judgment, patient counseling, and hands-on care (fitting contacts, building trust, connecting patients to specialists) remain uniquely yours. The takeaway for students eyeing this career: AI is changing the tools, not erasing the profession.
Will AI replace Optometrists?
No. We don't think AI will replace Optometrists, though we do expect the job to change.
Our 59.1% AI Resilience Score puts this career in "Mostly Resilient" territory, and the evidence backs that up. AI is already handling real diagnostic work: the FDA has cleared autonomous systems that screen for diabetic retinopathy without a doctor interpreting the images, and those screenings are now reimbursable under a dedicated billing code [1]. Documentation is shifting fast too, with physician AI usage nearly doubling from 38% to 66% between 2023 and 2024 [3]. These are genuine changes, not distant possibilities.
But the parts of optometry that matter most to patients still need a human in the room. Fitting contact lenses, counseling someone about vision loss, building the kind of trust that gets people to actually follow through on treatment, those things do not reduce to an algorithm. The American Optometric Association expects AI to become an augmentative assistant on both the clinical and administrative sides, not a replacement [2]. AI-based screening may also help offset workforce shortages in underserved areas, though that requires real infrastructure and training [4].
For students considering this path: the tools are changing, but the profession is not disappearing. Learning to work alongside AI is the move.
Sources
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Latest AI news for Optometrists
These articles highlight the transformative role of AI in optometry, illustrating how technology can enhance patient care without replacing clinicians. For instance, Clare O'Donnell emphasizes that AI optimizes capacity, allowing optometrists to focus more on complex cases. Additionally, the launch of AI-powered assistants like OptoAI showcases practical tools that can streamline practice operations. As students prepare for their careers, understanding these advancements fosters AI resilience, positioning them to leverage technology effectively in their future practices.
SECO 2026 highlights AI and technology advancements
glance.eyesoneyecare.com • 2/28/2026
See what you missed from the Southern Council of Optometrists' Optometry Marketplace.
Clare O’Donnell: “AI is not about replacing clinicians but about optimising capacity”
www.aop.org.uk • 2/23/2026
Optegra's head of optometry and head of eye sciences, Professor Clare O'Donnell discusses the integration of AI into optometry practice.
The latest on AI and optometry
www.aoa.org • 4/1/2025
How will artificial intelligence (AI) impact healthcare? What should you do to prepare for its impact? AOA members weigh in on this hot...
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
$136,570
Jobs (2025)
45,100
Growth (2025-35)
+9.5%
Annual Openings
2,000
Education
Doctoral or professional degree
Experience
None
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025-2035
Task-Level AI Resilience Scores
AI-generated estimates of task resilience over the next 3 years
1
Remove foreign bodies from the eye.
2
Provide vision therapy and low-vision rehabilitation.
3
Prescribe medications to treat eye diseases if state laws permit.
4
Provide patients undergoing eye surgeries, such as cataract and laser vision correction, with pre- and post-operative care.
5
Prescribe, supply, fit and adjust eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other vision aids.
6
Prescribe therapeutic procedures to correct or conserve vision.
7
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 gl...
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.
