Optometrist
Optometrists test vision and eye health, then prescribe glasses, contact lenses or other treatment for what they find.
- Median salary*
- $96,200
3.8%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 5,200
2.0%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +32.9%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Low
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 40/wk
matches all-jobs average
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
Optometrists are usually the first stop for eye care in Australia. They run comprehensive examinations, test visual acuity and eye function, and diagnose refractive errors, eye conditions and signs of disease, referring patients to an ophthalmologist when a condition needs surgery or specialist care. Most work in independent practices, optical retail chains, hospitals or community health settings, and registration with the Optometry Board of Australia requires an accredited optometry degree plus ongoing continuing professional development.
How much do optometrists earn?
The median full-time salary for an optometrist is $96,200 per annum, before tax, up $19,900 since 2018.
Pay depends heavily on the setting. Corporate optical chains often pay a base salary plus a bonus tied to practice performance or product sales, while independent practices and hospital or community health roles usually pay a straight salary. Endorsement for scheduled medicines, locum work and rural or remote postings can all lift earnings, and owning or taking a partnership in a practice is where the ceiling sits.
What does an optometrist do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Running vision and refraction tests to work out exactly what a patient needs corrected
- Examining the retina and measuring eye pressure, which can catch glaucoma or diabetic changes before a patient notices anything wrong
- Talking patients through their results and what those results mean for driving, screens, work or school
- Fitting and adjusting prescriptions for glasses and contact lenses, and advising on low-vision aids
- Writing referrals to an ophthalmologist or GP when something needs specialist attention
What skills do optometrists need?
Employers look for clinical assessment and treatment, patient care and support, health education and advice, backed by phoropter fluency and strong written communication.
Specialist skills
- Clinical assessment and treatment
- Patient care and support
- Health education and advice
- Regulatory compliance
Software and tools
- phoropter
- slit lamp
- tonometer
- autorefractor
- optical coherence tomography (OCT)
General skills
- Written communication
- Attention to detail
- Problem solving
- Stakeholder management
Is the job growing?
About 5,200 people work as optometrists in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 32.9% over the decade to 2035. That's very strong growth. Few roles in Australia are expanding this fast, and it points to solid demand for years to come.
How do you become an optometrist?
Here's the path most optometrists take, step by step.
- 1Complete an accredited optometry degree
This is normally a five-year path: a Bachelor of Vision Science followed by a Master of Optometry, or an accredited double degree. It includes clinical placements in practices, hospitals and community clinics, and the course has to be accredited by the Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand for registration to follow.
- 2Register with the Optometry Board of Australia
Registration is handled through AHPRA and is required before you can practise or call yourself an optometrist. You will need the accredited qualification plus evidence of English proficiency if your studies were overseas, and you renew each year.
- 3Consider endorsement for scheduled medicines
Extra approved training lets you prescribe topical medicines for conditions such as conjunctivitis and some forms of dry eye. It is not compulsory, but it widens the cases you can manage without sending the patient elsewhere, and some employers look for it.
- 4Set up a Medicare provider number and keep up CPD
A provider number is what lets you bill consultations under Medicare, and most employers arrange it for you when you start. Annual continuing professional development keeps your registration current, and your employer or professional association usually helps you track it.
Ready to apply as an optometrist?
Whether you're working toward becoming an optometrist or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can an optometrist move to?
None of the roles optometrists typically move into pay more than the role itself. Orthoptist is the closest match. If a bigger salary is the goal, moving up into a senior or principal position within the role is usually the faster route than moving sideways.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orthoptist Optometrists bring eye examination and vision assessment skills to orthoptic work, needing little extra training. | −$5,200 | 63% | minimal |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as an optometrist?
The typical optometrist is 38 years old; 57% are women, 50% work full-time, and full-timers average 40 hours a week.
- 38
- Median age
- 57%
- Female share
- 50%
- Full-time
- +0h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being an optometrist?
The day is built around booked appointments, usually 15 to 30 minutes each, running back to back in a consulting room with the lights down. A large share of patients just need a new prescription, but the reason the role exists is picking up the ones whose eyes are changing for a medical reason, which means staying alert through a long list of routine checks. That mix suits people who like solving a problem in one visit and seeing the same families come back year after year.
What people like
- You often solve the problem in the one visit. A refraction, a pressure check and a look at the retina usually give a complete answer the same day, and the patient walks out with glasses or a plan.
- The technical side keeps the work interesting. Slit lamps, retinal imaging and OCT scans mean you are reading images and measurements, not just testing letters on a chart, and disease often shows up there first.
- Patients are usually well and mobile. This is scheduled primary care rather than hospital work, so people arrive on their own, often for something straightforward, and go home again.
- The hours are predictable. Appointments are booked in advance, evenings and Saturdays are shared across the team, and genuine emergencies are rare.
What people find hard
- The schedule leaves little slack. Short consultation times mean one complicated patient or a late arrival pushes the whole afternoon back, and there is no real way to catch up except working through the break.
- Sales targets sit alongside the health work. Some retail practices set targets for frames and lens upgrades, which can feel at odds with being the person who just told someone their eyes are healthy.
- A lot of the day is routine. Most patients need a refraction and a new prescription, so the interesting pathology is a small fraction of the list, and the repetition can wear thin.
- You refer more than you treat. Once you find something significant, surgery and much of the ongoing medical management belong to an ophthalmologist, so the case often leaves your room.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ optometrists?
Health Care and Social Assistance employs the largest share of optometrists.
Top employing industries
- 1Health Care and Social Assistance
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 55.3% | |
|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate | 38.7% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 2.3% | |
| Year 12 or below | 1.4% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 0.5% |
Will AI replace optometrists?
Optometry rates low for AI exposure because the work is hands on and clinical: someone has to position the patient, run the tests, read the results in the context of that person's history and decide what happens next. Automated refraction, retinal cameras and software that screens for diabetic retinopathy already handle parts of the measurement and screening in some practices, and they are becoming more common. What they change is how quickly you can gather information, not who examines the eye or takes responsibility for the diagnosis.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Eye health examination and diagnosisWorking through a slit lamp view, a pressure reading and an OCT scan to decide whether a change is normal ageing, glaucoma or something needing urgent referral depends on judgement built from examining thousands of eyes.35%low
- Vision testing and refractionAn autorefractor gives a starting measurement and shortens the process, but you still refine it by hand and check the result against what the patient actually reports.25%moderate
- Contact lens fitting and aftercareLens choice turns on the shape of the eye, the tear film, wearing habits and comfort, and how a lens behaves on the eye over a week is something only a fitting and follow-up can show.20%low
- Patient advice, referrals and record keepingSoftware can draft referral letters and recall reminders, but explaining what a diagnosis means for driving, screens or work, and deciding what to send to a GP or ophthalmologist, stays with you.20%moderate
Common questions about becoming an optometrist
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do optometrists earn?
The median for full-time optometrists is $96,200 per year before tax. What you actually earn depends on whether you are on a straight salary in an independent practice or community health role, or a base plus performance bonus in a retail chain, and on whether you take on a partnership or ownership stake later.
How do you become an optometrist?
You complete an accredited optometry degree, usually five years through a Bachelor of Vision Science and a Master of Optometry, then register with the Optometry Board of Australia through AHPRA. Registration is what allows you to practise and to use the title, and you renew it each year with continuing professional development.
Are optometrists in demand?
Optometrists are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 32.9% over the decade to 2035 over the same period. The growth follows an ageing population and more people living with diabetes and other conditions that need regular eye checks, so the work is fairly evenly spread across metropolitan and regional areas.
Will AI replace optometrists?
Not in the near term. Automated refraction, retinal cameras and software that grades diabetic retinopathy are already used in some practices, but they produce measurements and images that a clinician still has to interpret for that particular patient. The hands-on examination, the decision about what a change means and the conversation with the patient stay with the optometrist.
What can an optometrist move into?
Some move into orthoptic work, where the eye examination and vision assessment skills carry across with minimal extra training, or into optical dispensing, though that direction requires requalifying in the other direction. The more common progression is buying into or opening a practice, and ownership or partnership is usually where earnings grow.
Can optometrists prescribe medication?
Only with endorsement for scheduled medicines, which requires approved extra training on top of the degree. Endorsed optometrists can prescribe topical medicines for conditions such as bacterial conjunctivitis and some forms of dry eye, which reduces how often those patients need to be sent to a GP or ophthalmologist.
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