How to become an Orthoptist
Official title: Orthoptists
Also called: Clinical Orthoptist (CO), CO (Certified Orthoptist)
Diagnose and treat visual system disorders such as binocular vision and eye movement impairments.
Main tasks
- Evaluate, diagnose, or treat disorders of the visual system with an emphasis on binocular vision or abnormal eye movements.
- Examine patients with problems related to ocular motility, binocular vision, amblyopia, or strabismus.
- Perform diagnostic tests or measurements, such as motor testing, visual acuity testing, lensometry, retinoscopy, and color vision testing.
- Provide nonsurgical interventions, including corrective lenses, patches, drops, fusion exercises, or stereograms, to treat conditions such as strabismus, heterophoria, and convergence insufficiency.
- Develop nonsurgical treatment plans for patients with conditions such as strabismus, nystagmus, and other visual disorders.
- Provide instructions to patients or family members concerning diagnoses or treatment plans.
- Interpret clinical or diagnostic test results.
- Refer patients to ophthalmic surgeons or other physicians.
How to become one
Typical education to start: Master's degree
Ways in
- College: Medicine & Dentistry degrees, Offered by 23 universities in the US
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $115,210 a year The middle half earn $83,780 to $161,470.
- About 39,600 people work in this job now, and about 41,800 are projected by 2035. (+5.5%)
- People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.
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Questions people ask
How do I become an Orthoptist?
Ways in include: Medicine & Dentistry degrees.
How much does an Orthoptist earn in the US?
Median full-time pay is $115,210 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $83,780 to $161,470.
Is an Orthoptist a growing career in the US?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 6% by 2035, from about 39,600 to about 41,800 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Do you need a degree to become an Orthoptist?
Usually. 68% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Will AI change the work of an Orthoptist?
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.
Sources
- Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.