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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Ophthalmic Medical Technologists?
Task-level automation exposure for Ophthalmic Medical Technologists: 31 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
22%
weighted task index
31 of 31 tasks scored
Median Salary
$50,290 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
High
182,610 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+5.9%
employment change
12,400 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 53 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$35,330 – $80,520
Highest medians
Wyoming $80,520
Delaware $78,650
Virgin Islands $72,450
Washington $62,090
Maine $61,490
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $35,330
Mississippi $39,010
Louisiana $39,730
Arkansas $42,820
Alabama $43,600
State figures come from the 29-2099 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 22%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 22%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 22%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 8%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 25/100
Low
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
31 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 4%
1 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 15%
4 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 81%
26 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Constituent Tasks
#19268 · Core · 15% automatable
Conduct tonometry or tonography tests to measure intraocular pressure.
physical manipulation — Vision tests require hands-on patient examination
Test patient vision.
#19287 · Core · 46% automatable
Take and document patients' medical histories.
interpersonal — Patient history requires live elicitation and judgment
Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals. Record patient medical histories.
#19281 · Core · 15% automatable
Take anatomical or functional ocular measurements, such as axial length measurements, of the eye or surrounding tissue.
physical manipulation — Measuring physiological attributes needs hands-on devices
Measure the physical or physiological attributes of patients.
#19275 · Core · 15% automatable
Measure visual acuity, including near, distance, pinhole, or dynamic visual acuity, using appropriate tests.
physical manipulation — Vision tests require hands-on patient examination
Test patient vision.
#19259 · Core · 5% automatable
Administer topical ophthalmic or oral medications.
physical manipulation — Administering medications is hands-on clinical action
Administer non-intravenous medications.
#19271 · Core · 41% automatable
Measure and record lens power, using lensometers.
interpersonal — Patient history requires live elicitation and judgment
Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment. Record patient medical histories.
#19263 · Core · 82% automatable
Calculate corrections for refractive errors.
data analysis — Routine medical calculations; human checks inputs
Calculate numerical data for medical activities.
#19264 · Core · 18% automatable
Collect ophthalmic measurements or other diagnostic information, using ultrasound equipment, such as A-scan ultrasound biometry or B-scan ultrasonography equipment.
physical manipulation — Imaging equipment operated with patient positioning
Test patient vision. Operate diagnostic imaging equipment.
#21190 · Core · 42% automatable
Perform ophthalmic triage, in the office or by phone, to assess severity of patients' conditions.
decision support — AI suggests differentials; clinician examines and owns diagnosis
Diagnose medical conditions.
#19283 · Core · 11% automatable
Clean or sterilize ophthalmic or surgical instruments.
physical manipulation — Loading and operating sterilizing equipment by hand
Sterilize medical equipment or instruments. Clean medical equipment or facilities.
#21191 · Core · 42% automatable
Educate patients on ophthalmic medical procedures, conditions of the eye, and appropriate use of medications.
interpersonal — Medical communication needs empathy and clinical accountability
Communicate detailed medical information to patients or family members.
#19266 · Core · 15% automatable
Conduct ocular motility tests to measure function of eye muscles.
physical manipulation — Vision tests require hands-on patient examination
Test patient vision.
#19261 · Core · 18% automatable
Assess refractive condition of eyes, using retinoscope.
physical manipulation — Diagnostic instruments applied to patients by hand
Test patient vision. Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment.
#19269 · Core · 15% automatable
Conduct visual field tests to measure field of vision.
physical manipulation — Vision tests require hands-on patient examination
Test patient vision.
#19273 · Core · 15% automatable
Measure corneal thickness, using pachymeter or contact ultrasound methods.
physical manipulation — Measuring physiological attributes needs hands-on devices
Measure the physical or physiological attributes of patients.
#19272 · Core · 15% automatable
Measure corneal curvature with keratometers or ophthalmometers to aid in the diagnosis of conditions, such as astigmatism.
physical manipulation — Measuring physiological attributes needs hands-on devices
Measure the physical or physiological attributes of patients.
#19280 · Core · 29% automatable
Supervise or instruct ophthalmic staff.
interpersonal — Provider training is clinical, hands-on, accountable
Train medical providers. Supervise medical support personnel.
#19274 · Core · 15% automatable
Measure the thickness of the retinal nerve, using scanning laser polarimetry techniques to aid in diagnosis of glaucoma.
physical manipulation — Measuring physiological attributes needs hands-on devices
Measure the physical or physiological attributes of patients.
#19262 · Core · 5% automatable
Assist physicians in performing ophthalmic procedures, including surgery.
physical manipulation — Sterile hands-on surgical assistance
Assist healthcare practitioners during surgery.
#19277 · Core · 15% automatable
Perform fluorescein angiography of the eye.
physical manipulation — Vision tests require hands-on patient examination
Test patient vision.
#19279 · Core · 20% automatable
Photograph patients' eye areas, using clinical photography techniques, to document retinal or corneal defects.
physical manipulation — Imaging equipment operated with patient positioning
Operate diagnostic imaging equipment.
#19286 · Core · 8% automatable
Maintain ophthalmic instruments or equipment.
physical manipulation — Hands-on medical instrument maintenance
Maintain medical equipment or instruments.
#19267 · Core · 15% automatable
Conduct tests, such as the Amsler Grid test, to measure central visual field used in the early diagnosis of macular degeneration, glaucoma, or diseases of the eye.
physical manipulation — Vision tests require hands-on patient examination
Test patient vision.
#19265 · Core · 15% automatable
Conduct binocular disparity tests to assess depth perception.
physical manipulation — Vision tests require hands-on patient examination
Test patient vision.
#19260 · Core · 15% automatable
Assess abnormalities of color vision, such as amblyopia.
physical manipulation — Vision tests require hands-on patient examination
Test patient vision.
#19282 · Core · 30% automatable
Call patients to inquire about their post-operative status or recovery.
decision support — Post-surgical monitoring is hands-on clinical observation
Monitor patients following surgeries or other treatments.
#19285 · Core · 30% automatable
Instruct patients in the care and use of contact lenses.
interpersonal — Patient assistive-equipment instruction is hands-on care
Instruct patients in the use of assistive equipment.
#19284 · Core · 15% automatable
Conduct low vision blindness tests.
physical manipulation — Vision tests require hands-on patient examination
Test patient vision.
#19276 · Core · 11% automatable
Perform advanced ophthalmic procedures, including electrophysiological, electrophysical, or microbial procedures.
physical manipulation — Hands-on treatment of acute conditions
Assist healthcare practitioners during examinations or treatments. Treat acute illnesses, infections, or injuries.
#19278 · Supplemental · 15% automatable
Perform slit lamp biomicroscopy procedures to diagnose disorders of the eye, such as retinitis, presbyopia, cataracts, or retinal detachment.
physical manipulation — Vision tests require hands-on patient examination
Test patient vision.
#19270 · Supplemental · 23% automatable
Create three-dimensional images of the eye, using computed tomography (CT).
physical manipulation — Patient positioning and scanner operation hands-on
Create advanced digital images of patients using computer imaging systems. Operate diagnostic imaging equipment.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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