Orthoptists
SOC code 29-1299 · O*NET-SOC 29-1299.02 · Extensive preparation needed · Healthcare
Orthoptists pay
U.S. national figures, May 2025 BLS survey · How we got this number
Median pay
$115,210
a year
Hourly
$55.39
per hour
The solid band is the middle 50% of workers; the bar spans the 10th to 90th percentile.
Average pay
$127,660
$61.38 per hour
Middle 50%
$83,780 – $161,470
25th to 75th percentile
Full spread
$65,210 – $195,190
10th to 90th percentile
People employed
28,630
nationwide
National U.S. figure, May 2025. Local pay can be higher or lower.
These pay and employment figures are for the broader BLS group “Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners, All Other”, not this job alone.
- 10th percentile
- $65,210
- $31.35/hr
- 25th percentile
- $83,780
- $40.28/hr
- Median percentile
- $115,210
- $55.39/hr
- 75th percentile
- $161,470
- $77.63/hr
- 90th percentile
- $195,190
- $93.84/hr
What does an orthoptist do?
Diagnose and treat visual system disorders such as binocular vision and eye movement impairments.
The tasks that matter most day to day
- 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 an orthoptist
Preparation level: zone 5 — Extensive preparation needed
- Education
- Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
- Experience
- Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
- Training
- Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
The federal survey did not capture education levels for this specific occupation, so the preparation-level card above is the best guide to the entry route.
Common questions
How much does an orthoptist earn?
The national median is $115,210 a year. The full range runs from $65,210 at the 10th percentile to $195,190 at the 90th — entry pay sits closer to the lower figure, and experience, licensing and specialisation move you up the range.
Can you become an orthoptist without a degree?
Not usually — this occupation sits in preparation zone 5, where the typical entry route is most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree). The education breakdown above shows what people in the role actually reported.
Skills and knowledge you need
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension4.0/5
- Active Listening4.0/5
- Speaking3.9/5
- Critical Thinking3.9/5
- Writing3.8/5
- Science3.5/5
- Active Learning3.4/5
Knowledge areas
- Medicine and Dentistry4.5/5
- Customer and Personal Service4.0/5
- English Language3.9/5
- Biology3.9/5
- Education and Training3.2/5
- Psychology3.2/5
- Mathematics3.1/5
- Therapy and Counseling3.0/5
Transferable strengths: Social Perceptiveness, Complex Problem Solving, Service Orientation.