Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric

Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

O*NET-SOC code: 29-1241.00

Diagnose and perform surgery to treat and help prevent disorders and diseases of the eye. May also provide vision services for treatment including glasses and contacts.

Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Moderate· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery high
Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
Source dataset (XLSX download)
Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745
Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
Source dataset (CSV download)
Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.27–0.29· 2 ISCO-08 groups
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
Source dataset (PDF download)

What kind of figure this source publishes

The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.

ILO value for each linked ISCO-08 group

ISCO-08 2211Generalist Medical Practitioners0.29
ISCO-08 2212Specialist Medical Practitioners0.27

Task-level exposure

Show 14 hidden tasks

18 rated tasks · 14 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (77.8%)

β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.

Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
All rated tasks are in the O*NET 31.0 task list.

Source: OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
Release: gh-main-0471612
License: MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI

Tasks of O*NET-SOC 2010 occupation 29-1069.06 Ophthalmologists, linked to this occupation by the O*NET-SOC 2010 to 2019 crosswalk

Task (O*NET 20.1)	Claude.aiRaw / share %
Educate patients about maintenance and promotion of healthy vision. 29-1069.06	0.006341.4
Develop or implement plans and procedures for ophthalmologic services. 29-1069.06	0.003523.3
Develop treatment plans based on patients' histories and goals, the nature and severity of disorders, and treatment risks and benefits. 29-1069.06	0.003321.6
Diagnose or treat injuries, disorders, or diseases of the eye and eye structures including the cornea, sclera, conjunctiva, or eyelids. 29-1069.06	0.002113.8

Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.

Task (O*NET 27.2)	βE1 + 0.5 × E2
Document or evaluate patients' medical histories. O*NET Task ID 17167	1.0
Provide ophthalmic consultation to other medical professionals. O*NET Task ID 17159	0.5
Refer patients for more specialized treatments when conditions exceed the experience, expertise, or scope of practice of practitioner. O*NET Task ID 17160	0.5
Develop or implement plans and procedures for ophthalmologic services. O*NET Task ID 17162	0.5
Educate patients about maintenance and promotion of healthy vision. O*NET Task ID 17163	0.5
Conduct clinical or laboratory-based research in ophthalmology. O*NET Task ID 17164	0.5
Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of health professionals to provide optimal patient care. O*NET Task ID 17165	0.5
Prescribe corrective lenses such as glasses or contact lenses. O*NET Task ID 17168	0.5
Prescribe or administer topical or systemic medications to treat ophthalmic conditions and to manage pain. O*NET Task ID 17169	0.5
Perform, order, or interpret the results of diagnostic or clinical tests. O*NET Task ID 17170	0.5
Develop treatment plans based on patients' histories and goals, the nature and severity of disorders, and treatment risks and benefits. O*NET Task ID 17171	0.5
Prescribe ophthalmologic treatments or therapies such as chemotherapy, cryotherapy, or low vision therapy. O*NET Task ID 17174	0.5
Perform comprehensive examinations of the visual system to determine the nature or extent of ocular disorders. O*NET Task ID 17175	0.5
Diagnose or treat injuries, disorders, or diseases of the eye and eye structures including the cornea, sclera, conjunctiva, or eyelids. O*NET Task ID 17176	0.5
Show 4 more tasks ▾Show less ▴

β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.

Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Anthropic Economic Index, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page

All O*NET 31.0 task statements (18)

All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.

Task (O*NET 31.0)	Type
Provide ophthalmic consultation to other medical professionals.	Core
Refer patients for more specialized treatments when conditions exceed the experience, expertise, or scope of practice of practitioner.	Core
Develop or implement plans and procedures for ophthalmologic services.	Core
Educate patients about maintenance and promotion of healthy vision.	Core
Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of health professionals to provide optimal patient care.	Core
Provide or direct the provision of postoperative care.	Core
Document or evaluate patients' medical histories.	Core
Prescribe corrective lenses such as glasses or contact lenses.	Core
Prescribe or administer topical or systemic medications to treat ophthalmic conditions and to manage pain.	Core
Perform, order, or interpret the results of diagnostic or clinical tests.	Core
Develop treatment plans based on patients' histories and goals, the nature and severity of disorders, and treatment risks and benefits.	Core
Perform laser surgeries to alter, remove, reshape, or replace ocular tissue.	Core
Perform ophthalmic surgeries such as cataract, glaucoma, refractive, corneal, vitro-retinal, eye muscle, or oculoplastic surgeries.	Core
Prescribe ophthalmologic treatments or therapies such as chemotherapy, cryotherapy, or low vision therapy.	Core
Perform comprehensive examinations of the visual system to determine the nature or extent of ocular disorders.	Core
Diagnose or treat injuries, disorders, or diseases of the eye and eye structures including the cornea, sclera, conjunctiva, or eyelids.	Core
Instruct interns, residents, or others in ophthalmologic procedures and techniques.	Supplemental
Conduct clinical or laboratory-based research in ophthalmology.	Supplemental

Anthropic, "What work can robots do?"2026-09

0.03/ 3· Robot exposure index

0 none3 unstructured settings

Scale, basis and source

Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time

Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks

Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.

Source dataset

The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.

Tier of each physical task

Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)

E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site

Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.

Task (O*NET 29.3)	Robot environment tier
Provide or direct the provision of postoperative care.	E0 none
Prescribe or administer topical or systemic medications to treat ophthalmic conditions and to manage pain.	E0 none
Perform, order, or interpret the results of diagnostic or clinical tests.	E0 none
Perform laser surgeries to alter, remove, reshape, or replace ocular tissue.	E1 purpose-built robot settings
Perform ophthalmic surgeries such as cataract, glaucoma, refractive, corneal, vitro-retinal, eye muscle, or oculoplastic surgeries.	E0 none
Perform comprehensive examinations of the visual system to determine the nature or extent of ocular disorders.	E0 none
Diagnose or treat injuries, disorders, or diseases of the eye and eye structures including the cornea, sclera, conjunctiva, or eyelids.	E0 none
Conduct clinical or laboratory-based research in ophthalmology.	E0 none

Employment outlook (BLS)

Employment, 2025: 10K
Projected employment, 2035: 10K
Change (2025–35): +4.5%
Median annual wage, 2025: $300,080
Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree

lowest $30,890median wage across 825 detailed occupations, BLS EP 2025–35highest $559,030

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 — Employment by detailed occupation, 2025 and projected 2035

Korea classification links (KSCO)

Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.

KSCO code	KSCO title	Relation	Status
24116	안과 및 이비인후과 전문 의사	This occupation is narrower	confirmed

Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)

ILO occupational description

AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.

ISCO-08 2211Generalist Medical Practitioners
ISCO-08 2212Specialist Medical Practitioners

Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits

ESCO occupational vocabulary

Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.

specialised doctorESCO 2212.1This occupation is narrower
Specialised doctors prevent, diagnose and treat diseases depending on their medical or surgical specialty.
optometristESCO 2267.1Overlapping, not the same
Optometrists examine and test eyes to identify abnormalities, visual problems, or disease. They prescribe and fit lenses such as spectacles and contacts, and offer advice on visual problems. They may also refer patients to a medical practitioner. Their scope of practice and title varies according to national regulations.
orthoptistESCO 2267.2Overlapping, not the same
Orthoptists diagnose and treat anomalies of binocular vision. They examine, assess and treat vision impairments, squint, amblyopia and eye motility disorders. Orthoptists apply these methods in particular in the fields of paediatrics, neurology, neuro-ophthalmology, ophthalmology, orthoptics, optometry, pleoptics and strabology assessing functional diseases of the eye for improving functional disorders of the visual system. They also provide counselling, preventive measures and training activities and may refract and prescribe glasses, such as prism corrective glasses.

Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)

License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)

View original

ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.

France classification links (ROME)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.

ROME code	ROME title (French)	Relation
J1134	Ophtalmologue	Same scopeprovisional

Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.

ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)

Spain classification links (CNO-11)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

CNO-11 code	CNO-11 title (Spanish)	Relation
2112	Otros médicos especialistas	This occupation is narrower

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)

Germany classification links (KldB)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

KldB code	KldB title (German)	Relation
81444	Fachärzte/-ärztinnen in den Bereichen Hautkrankheiten, Sinnes- und Geschlechtsorgane - hoch komplexe Tätigkeiten	This occupation is narrowerprovisional

Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)

Japan classification links (JSCO)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

JSCO code	JSCO title (Japanese)	Relation
121	医師	This occupation is narrowerprovisional

Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)

Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources