What does an ophthalmic technician do?
An ophthalmic technician specializes in providing eye care services to patients under the supervision of an ophthalmologist. Among their responsibilities include conducting interviews, taking notes of the patients' symptoms, conducting eye examinations and tests, administering medication, and performing support tasks for ophthalmologists during procedures. They may also set-up and operate equipment, perform maintenance checks, and maintain the cleanliness of work areas. Moreover, an ophthalmic technician may perform clerical tasks such as preparing and processing documents, answering calls and correspondence, arranging appointments, and assisting patients in filling out forms.
Ophthalmic technician responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real ophthalmic technician resumes:
- Conduct computerized pre-test on patients including auto-refraction, automate visual field screenings and visual acuity.
- Sterilize and set-up instruments for ophthalmic surgical procedures, assist with minor office surgery and laser treatments.
- Perform vision examination; administer eye drops; obtain eye pressure using tonopen applanation.
- Assist ophthalmologists in scribing during patient exams, retinoscopy, lensometry, laser therapy, and fluorescein angiograms.
- Conduct several tests on patients including visual field tests, OCT, HRT, corneal pachymetry, dilation, etc.
- Test patients for glaucoma using the necessary equipment and procedures
- Perform preliminary examinations on patients: triage; cataract evaluations, retinal triage.
- Company provides general and specialty ophthalmology care for patients with visual impairments and diseases.
- Prepare patients for examination; pre-test patients utilizing specific instruments and generate resulting report.
- Perform preoperative and postoperative ocular testing, including vision testing, glaucoma evaluation, corneal topography and refraction.
- perform OCT photos, fundus photography.
- Assist MD with YAG and SLT laser procedures.
- Learned assertiveness working with difficult insurance companies obtaining authorization and information regarding patients insurances, deductibles and co-payments.
- Phone to pharmacies regarding medications refill or new prescriptions/return calls to patients regarding any eye-relate questions or drug-relate questions.
- Explain charges, inform patient of IOL options and additional cost.
Ophthalmic technician skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Ophthalmic Technicians are proficient in Patients, Patient Care, and Ophthalmology. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Technical skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Ophthalmic Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 18%
Phoned to pharmacies regarding medications refill or new prescriptions/returned calls to patients regarding any eye-related questions or drug-related questions.
- Patient Care, 6%
Provided direct and indirect patient care associated with ophthalmologist care, assisted provider in the examination and treatment of ophthalmology patients.
- Ophthalmology, 5%
Reinforced patient/family teaching as delegated by the Ophthalmology Lead/Practice Manager and clearly documented patient response in patient record.
- Visual Acuity, 5%
Examined all patients by observing visual acuity and measuring optical power.
- Visual Fields, 4%
Conduct preliminary screening examinations including external examinations, central and peripheral visual fields, and color vision tests.
- Surgery, 4%
Scheduled Surgery at Banner and other outside facilities ordered anesthesia and any specialty items that were required
"patients," "patient care," and "ophthalmology" are among the most common skills that ophthalmic technicians use at work. You can find even more ophthalmic technician responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for an ophthalmic technician to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what ophthalmic technicians do because "medical assistants must be able to understand and follow medical charts and diagnoses." Additionally, an ophthalmic technician resume shows how ophthalmic technicians use analytical skills: "greet patients, answering multiple phone lines, data entry, scheduling appointments. "
Technical skills. Many ophthalmic technician duties rely on technical skills. "medical assistants should be able to use basic clinical instruments so they can take a patient’s vital signs, such as heart rate and blood pressure.," so an ophthalmic technician will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways ophthalmic technician responsibilities rely on technical skills: "provided excellent patient care at a level far exceeding the technical expertise of peers. "
Detail oriented. ophthalmic technicians are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to ophthalmic technician responsibilities, because "medical assistants need to be precise when taking vital signs or recording patient information." An ophthalmic technician resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "gathered detailed patient history and obtained any pertinent information, mri reports, required by physician prior to examination. "
Interpersonal skills. ophthalmic technician responsibilities often require "interpersonal skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "medical assistants need to be able to discuss patient information with other medical personnel, such as physicians." This resume example shows what ophthalmic technicians do with interpersonal skills on a typical day: "demonstrated excellent interpersonal skills while educating patients on health care needs and conditions. "
The three companies that hire the most ophthalmic technicians are:
- SightMD26 ophthalmic technicians jobs
- Kaiser Permanente18 ophthalmic technicians jobs
- Legacy Health16 ophthalmic technicians jobs
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Compare different ophthalmic technicians
Ophthalmic technician vs. Certified retinal angiographer
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, ophthalmic technician responsibilities require skills like "patients," "ophthalmology," "visual acuity," and "surgery." Meanwhile a typical certified retinal angiographer has skills in areas such as "fundus photography," "iv," "fa," and "blood pressure." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that certified retinal angiographers earn slightly differ from ophthalmic technicians. In particular, certified retinal angiographers are 9.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an ophthalmic technician. Additionally, they're 1.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Ophthalmic technician vs. Paraoptometric
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, ophthalmic technician responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "patient care," "ophthalmology," "surgery," and "diagnostic tests." Meanwhile, a paraoptometric has duties that require skills in areas such as "blood pressure," "oct," "dr," and "insurance claims." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Paraoptometrics earn similar levels of education than ophthalmic technicians in general. They're 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Ophthalmic technician vs. Certified ophthalmic surgical assistant
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an ophthalmic technician is likely to be skilled in "ophthalmology," "visual acuity," "diagnostic tests," and "exam rooms," while a typical certified ophthalmic surgical assistant is skilled in "in-office," "emergency surgical procedures," "medical office procedures," and "oct."
Certified ophthalmic surgical assistants typically earn similar educational levels compared to ophthalmic technicians. Specifically, they're 3.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Ophthalmic technician vs. Certified ophthalmic assistant
Types of ophthalmic technician
Updated January 8, 2025
