Optometrists

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Examine eyes, using observation, instruments, and pharmaceutical agents, to determine visual acuity and perception, focus, and coordination and to diagnose diseases and other abnormalities, such as glaucoma or color blindness.
• Prescribe medications to treat eye diseases if state laws permit.
• Provide patients undergoing eye surgeries, such as cataract and laser vision correction, with pre- and post-operative care.
• Consult with and refer patients to ophthalmologist or other health care practitioner if additional medical treatment is determined necessary.
• Prescribe, supply, fit and adjust eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other vision aids.
• Analyze test results and develop a treatment plan.
• Prescribe therapeutic procedures to correct or conserve vision.
• Provide vision therapy and low-vision rehabilitation.
• Consult with and refer patients to ophthalmologist or other health care practitioner if additional medical treatment is determined necessary.
• Educate and counsel patients on contact lens care, visual hygiene, lighting arrangements, and safety factors.
• Remove foreign bodies from the eye.
• Prescribe, supply, fit and adjust eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other vision aids.
• Analyze test results and develop a treatment plan.

Skills

• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.

Abilities

• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

Knowledge

• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Education

Education

Doctoral or professional degree

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

No on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

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Education and Training Opportunities

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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

157650/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

75.79/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

1,800

Yearly Projected Openings

140

Personality

Investigative: People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out. They do well at jobs that need:

• Attention to Detail
• Concern for Others
• Dependability
• Integrity
• Analytical Thinking
• Cooperation

Tools

• Binocular vision test sets
• Blood pressure cuff kits
• Color perception testing lanterns
• Corneal topographers
• Depth perception apparatus
• Desktop computers
• Eye charts or vision cards
• Eye occluders
• Fundus cameras
• Keratometers
• Lens measuring equipment
• Loupes
• Medical acoustic stethoscopes
• Notebook computers
• Ophthalmic eye test lenses
• Ophthalmic instrument table accessories
• Ophthalmic irrigation or aspiration supplies
• Ophthalmic lachrymal probes
• Ophthalmic lens holder
• Ophthalmic lensometers
• Ophthalmic prisms
• Ophthalmic retinoscope accessories
• Ophthalmic retinoscopes
• Ophthalmic slit lamps
• Ophthalmic surgical knives or blades
• Ophthalmic tonometers
• Ophthalmic transilluminators
• Ophthalmoscopes or otoscopes or scope sets
• Opticians tools
• Personal computers
• Phoropter units
• Photo attachments for microscopes
• Scleral shells
• Thickness measuring devices

Technology

• Accounting software
• Calendar and scheduling software
• Data base user interface and query software
• Internet browser software
• Medical software
• Spreadsheet software
• Word processing software