Career Overview
Diagnose and treat visual system disorders such as binocular vision and eye movement impairments.
Also Known As
- Certified Orthoptist
- Clinical Orthoptist (CO)
- Orthoptist
Alternate Job Titles
- Certified Orthoptist
- Clinical Orthoptist (CO)
- Orthoptist
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Examine patients with problems related to ocular motility, binocular vision, amblyopia, or strabismus.
- Evaluate, diagnose, or treat disorders of the visual system with an emphasis on binocular vision or abnormal eye movements.
- Provide instructions to patients or family members concerning diagnoses or treatment plans.
- 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.
- Interpret clinical or diagnostic test results.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Medicine and Dentistry
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Education and Training
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Reading Comprehension
- Science
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Oral Comprehension
- Inductive Reasoning
- Oral Expression
- Written Expression
- Written Comprehension
- Problem Sensitivity
- Deductive Reasoning
- Speech Recognition
- Speech Clarity
- Near Vision
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Cooperation
- Empathy
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Independence
- Working Conditions
- Relationships
- Achievement
- Support
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.
On-the-Job Training: None or short demonstration
Education Details: 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 Required: 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.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
Tools & Equipment
- Adult trial frames
- Amblyoscopes
- Animated fixation targets
- Bagolini lenses
- Cardiff cards
- Color vision testing devices
- Combined vertical/horizontal prism bars
- Contrast sensitivity charts
- Deviometers
- Digital cameras
- Digital fundus cameras
- Direct ophthalmoscopes
- Fixation targets
- Focimeters
- Fresnel prisms
Work Environment
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Contact With Others
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
Salary & Job Market
Wages reported for the broader Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners, All Other occupational group (BLS 2024), which includes Orthoptists.
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $65,210 |
| Median | $113,730 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $194,000 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 30,870
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric
Education: Post-Doctoral Training
Median Salary: >$239,200
Optometrists
Education: Doctoral Degree
Median Salary: $134,830
Emergency Medicine Physicians
Education: Post-Doctoral Training
Median Salary: >$239,200
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians
Education: Doctoral Degree
Median Salary: >$239,200
Neurologists
Education: Post-Doctoral Training
Median Salary: >$239,200
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.