How To Become An Ophthalmic Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is an ophthalmic assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Doing the job of an ophthalmic assistant is sometimes even harder than spelling it. The ophthalmic assistant works in an ophthalmologist's office and assists them with paperwork, patient education, and occasionally performs basic tests and administers medication.

People often confuse ophthalmologists with opticians. Ophthalmologists diagnose and treat severe medical conditions in the eyes, while an optician merely fits people with the right eyeglasses and contact lenses. An ophthalmic assistant works on the medical side of eye care. As more and more people need medical care for their eyes, demand for this position is expected to grow by a whopping 23% by 2028.

Just because an ophthalmic assistant works in a doctor's office doesn't mean that they are a doctor themselves. In fact, most do not even have a bachelor's degree. Most ophthalmic assistants learn on the job or complete a specialized certification program. With hard work, an ophthalmic assistant can work their way up to the position of an ophthalmic technologist.

ScoreOphthalmic AssistantUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $43,217

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.2

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.58%

Asian 5.85%

Black or African American 14.47%

Hispanic or Latino 12.28%

Unknown 4.68%

White 62.13%

Gender

female 86.94%

male 13.06%

Age - 40

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40

Stress level

8.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.6

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.8

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an ophthalmic assistant

Explore ophthalmic assistant education requirements

Most common ophthalmic assistant degrees

Bachelor's

34.7 %

Associate

25.7 %

High School Diploma

17.0 %

Start to develop specific ophthalmic assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	20.12%
Patient Care	7.12%
Ophthalmology	6.28%
Customer Service	5.09%
Color Vision	4.67%

Complete relevant ophthalmic assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New ophthalmic assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an ophthalmic assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real ophthalmic assistant resumes.

Gain additional ophthalmic assistant certifications

Ophthalmic assistant certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific ophthalmic assistant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for ophthalmic assistants include Medical Assistant and Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA).

More About Certifications

Research ophthalmic assistant duties and responsibilities

Experience with IOP, using Tonopen, knowledge of eye drops, emails prescription and refills to pharmacy, for patients.
Obtain patient history to include chief complaint, past ocular history medication and allergies.
Check intraocular pressure by application and tonopen.
Perform OCT, HVF, FA/FP tests.

Prepare your ophthalmic assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your ophthalmic assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an ophthalmic assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable ophthalmic assistant resume templates

Build a professional ophthalmic assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your ophthalmic assistant resume.