Logo Careeronestop
careeronestop
your source for career exploration, training & jobs
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
A proud partner of the american job center network.
Occupation Profile

Your Search

      Show More

      Select items to add to your view

      Overview


      Employment


      Wages

      Education





      Job Details






      More Info


      = not available for this occupation
      Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric

      Description: what do they do?
      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.
      Also known as:
      Clinical Ophthalmologist, Cornea Specialist, Glaucoma Specialist, Oculoplastic Specialist, Ophthalmic Surgeon, Ophthalmologist, Ophthalmologist Specialist, Physician, Retina Specialist, Surgical Ophthalmologist

      View Help

        What does this information tell me?

        This description is a quick overview of what workers in this career might do.

        "Also known as" shows other common names for this career.

        What is the source of this information?

        This information comes from an O*NET database. Learn more on the Help page.
        Collapse Help
      Career video
      https://cdn.careeronestop.org/OccVids/OccupationVideos/29-1211.00.mp4
        Transcript: While many ailments can be cured with rest and fluids or a trip to the primary care doctor, more serious or rare conditions call for the training and experience of physicians and surgeons who specialize in a particular area of practice. All physicians share essential tasks, such as examining patients; taking medical histories; using tests to help make a diagnosis; and prescribing medications. Specialists have additional training to diagnose and treat ailments in a particular organ or area of the body, a type of illness, or to treat patients with a special modality. Allergists and immunologists treat patients who have immune system conditions. Anesthesiologists administer drugs to numb pain during surgery, childbirth, or other procedures. They monitor vital signs to ensure patients’ safety under anesthesia. Cardiologists specialize in diseases or conditions of the heart and blood vessels. Dermatologists help patients with conditions relating to the skin, hair, and nails. Emergency medicine physicians treat patients in urgent medical situations. Neurologists specialize in diseases and disorders of the brain and nervous system, such as Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy. Ophthalmologists specialize in conditions of the eye and may also fit eyeglasses and prescribe contact lenses. Pathologists study the causes of diseases. They test body tissue, fluids, and organs and review test results to diagnose diseases. Psychiatrists help patients with mental illness, using a combination of personal counseling, medication, and hospitalization. Radiologists review x rays, ultrasounds, and other medical images to diagnose injuries or diseases. Doctors of sports medicine help athletes to prevent injuries and they also treat sports-related injuries. Physicians and surgeons often have long, demanding workweeks. The patients cared for by these specialists may be more ill, with more serious conditions, than those treated in primary care. Specializing in an area of practice requires extensive education and training. After a bachelor’s degree, physicians and surgeons earn a medical degree, which typically takes four years to complete. To learn their specialty requires three to nine years of internship and residency programs. Training in a sub-specialization such as infectious diseases requires an additional fellowship of one to three years. All states require licensure for practicing medicine.
      View transcript
      View Help
      Outlook: will there be jobs?
      Image. Employment outlook for this occupation
      New job opportunities are likely in the future.


      Find job openings
      View Help

        What does this information tell me?

        Outlook information can tell you whether a career is expected to be in demand in the future—that is, whether there are likely to be job openings if you choose this career.

        Careers can have one of three outlooks:

        • A Bright outlook means new job opportunities are very likely in the future
        • An Average outlook means that a small number of new job opportunities are likely in the future (less than an 8 percent increase)
        • A Below Average outlook means new job opportunities are less likely in the future

        You can also view local job listings in this field by clicking "Find job openings". This can help you see if local businesses are hiring—another way of looking at demand.

        What is the source of this information?

        This information comes from O*NET Bright Outlook occupations and My Next Move career outlook designations (based on Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2023-33). Note this information is only available at a national level, so even if you selected a state, you’ll see this information for the whole country.
        Collapse Help
      Projected employment
      United States
      12,400
      2023 Employment
      12,900
      2033 Employment
      5%
      Percent change
      300
      Annual projected job openings

      Compare projected employment
      View Help

        What does this information tell me?

        Projected employment shows how much employment is expected to grow in this occupation over a 10-year period. This can help you decide if this career is a good choice for future job opportunities. You can look at projected employment in your state, or in other states where you might consider living.

        You can see the total number of people employed in this occupation in 2022 (for states) or 2023 (for national), the number expected to be employed in 2032 (for states) or 2033 (for national), and the rate of growth over those years.

        The projections are based on assumptions of unemployment rates and labor productivity growth rates.  While the projected numbers may not be exact, they are helpful to compare one career to another, or one location to another.

        What is the source of this information?

        State-level data come from Projections Central and State Labor Market Information offices, 2022-32.

        National-level data come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2023-33.
        Collapse Help
      Typical wages
      Hourly Wages

      Annual wages for Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric in United States
      This graph displays wage data. Find details by selecting the table view.

      See more wages
      View Help

        What does this information tell me?

        This chart shows you a range of how much most workers in this occupation earn per hour, in the location that you selected.

        You can select from three views of this data:

        • The Graph shows you wages at the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles. Note that the lowest (10th %ile) wage shown is not necessarily a "starting wage." Instead it means that 10 percent of all workers in this career earn less that this amount, and 90 percent earn more. However, you can assume that you might earn close to the 10th or 25th %ile wages when you start out in most careers.
        • Select "Chart" to see a visual comparison between national wages and wages in the location you selected.
        • Select "Table" to see more wage data the national and local level.

        Please note that wage data are not available at the city or ZIP code level. If you select a city or ZIP code, you will see wage data for the regional area.

        You can learn more about wages for this and other occupations by clicking “See more wages” above.

        What is the source of this information?

        The wage information comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Program, May 2023 estimates. For more detailed state wage data, please find the link to your state's wage data program in the Other Resources box.
        Collapse Help
      Education and experience: to get started
      People starting in this career usually have:
      • Doctoral or professional degree
      • No work experience
      • Internship/residency

      Programs that can prepare you:
      View Help

        What does this information tell me?

        This shows you the typical level of education, work experience, and on-the-job training that most people have when they start in this career. Note that these are not requirements for entering this field, but the information can help you understand how qualified you might be.

        Interested in starting in this career? You can search for education programs in your local area by clicking “Find local training” above.

        What is the source of this information?

        The educational program data come from the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP), 2020, from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

        The employment information comes from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, Education and training assignments by detailed occupation, 2023.

        The crosswalk between education and occupation data is from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
        Collapse Help
      Typical education
      How much education do most people in this career have?
      Chart. Percent of workers in this field by education level attained

      Find local training
      View Help

        What does this information tell me?

        This chart shows you the range of education levels that people who currently work in this field have. You can use this to see if you fit in this range. Note that this includes ALL people who work in this field and not just those getting started.

        Interested in getting qualified for this career? You can search for programs that lead to the education needed, in your local area, by clicking “Find local training” above.

        What is the source of this information?

        This information comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, Educational attainment for workers 25 years and older by detailed occupation, 2021-22.
        Collapse Help
      Certifications: show your skills
      Let employers know you have the skills to do well at this job.
      Earning a certification can help you:
      • Get a job
      • Get a promotion

      Find certifications
      View Help

        What does this information tell me?

        When you click "Find certifications" you'll see a list of national certifications that are related to this career. From there, you can learn how to achieve one of these certifications to help you enter or get ahead in this field.

        What is the source of this information?

        This collection of occupational certifications is collected and regularly updated by CareerOneStop. Learn more at Certification Finder Help.
        Collapse Help
      Licenses: do you need one?
      Some states require an occupational license to work in this career.

      Find license details for your state
      View Help

        What does this information tell me?

        When you click "Find license details in your state" you'll see the license name and contact information for the agency in your state that oversees licensing for this field. If you have not selected a location, you'll see a list of all state licenses for this occupation.

        What is the source of this information?

        Information on licensed occupations is gathered in each state by Labor Market Information units under a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. Learn more at License Finder Help.
        Collapse Help
      Apprenticeships: learn on the job
      Apprenticeships combine paid on-the-job-training with classroom lessons.

      Find apprenticeship opportunities
      View Help
      Activities: what you might do in a day
      • Test patient vision.
      • Treat chronic diseases or disorders.
      • Diagnose medical conditions.
      • Monitor patients following surgeries or other treatments.
      • Prescribe medications.
      • Administer non-intravenous medications.
      • Develop medical treatment plans.
      View Help

        What does this information tell me?

        This is a list of typical work activities that people in this career might do on the job. You can use this list to get an idea of whether this career might be a good fit for you.

        Click on “More activities” to see more detailed examples of activities for this career.

        You can also use this list to help you prepare for a job interview. Or, if you’ve already held a job like this, you can copy these activities to use on your resume.

        What is the source of this information?

        This information comes from O*NET OnLine's Occupation Information. They are O*NET’s Detailed Work Activities.
        Collapse Help
      Knowledge
      People in this career often know a lot about:
      • Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
      • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
      • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
      • Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
      • Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
      View Help

        What does this information tell me?

        This is a list of general knowledge areas that are most commonly required for jobs in the career. Knowledge is typically gained through education and related experience.

        This list can help you learn if you are prepared for a job in this career. It can also help you decide on education or training programs that could help you prepare for the career.

        What is the source of this information?

        This information comes from the O*NET Resource Center. Learn more about O*NET's Knowledge descriptors.
        Collapse Help
      Skills
      People in this career often have these skills:
      • Reading Comprehension - Reading work-related information.
      • Critical Thinking - Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
      • Active Listening - Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
      • Writing - Writing things for co-workers or customers.
      • Judgment and Decision Making - Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
      • Monitoring - Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
      • Active Learning - Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
      • Complex Problem Solving - Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
      • Social Perceptiveness - Understanding people's reactions.
      • Speaking - Talking to others.
      View Help

        What does this information tell me?

        This is a list of a list the work-related skills most commonly required for jobs in the career.

        This list can help you understand how well your current skills fit this career. It can also help you plan your education or professional development.

        What is the source of this information?

        This information comes from the O*NET Resource Center. Learn more about O*NET's Skills descriptors.
        Collapse Help
      Abilities
      People in this career often have talent in:
      • Inductive Reasoning - Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
      • Near Vision - Seeing details up close.
      • Written Comprehension - Reading and understanding what is written.
      • Problem Sensitivity - Noticing when problems happen.
      • Deductive Reasoning - Using rules to solve problems.
      • Oral Expression - Communicating by speaking.
      • Oral Comprehension - Listening and understanding what people say.
      View Help

        What does this information tell me?

        This is a list of a list of personal qualities that might influence work and are most commonly required for success in this career.

        This list can help you understand if your natural strengths and abilities are a good fit for this career.

        What is the source of this information?

        This information comes from the O*NET Resource Center. Learn more about O*NET's Abilities descriptors.
        Collapse Help