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AI exposure Healthcare practitioners and technical

Will AI replace ophthalmic medical technicians?

Ophthalmic Medical Technicians. US occupation 29-2057.

0.0%

of the time ophthalmic medical technicians spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of ophthalmic medical technicians' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.

Ranked 346 of 756 US occupations. No AI use seen in the work yet, along with 410 other occupations.No handover started yet, along with 410 other occupations.

Average US job 7.7%

Among the least exposed jobs there are.Still waiting for liberation.

What AI already does for ophthalmic medical techniciansWhat ophthalmic medical technicians no longer do alone

O*NET lists 20 tasks for ophthalmic medical technicians. AI use at work shows up in 1 of them, though too little of the job's time goes on them to register in the exposure figure. Each score runs from 0.5, where every observed use helps a person with the task, to 1, where every use does the task outright.

  1. Take and document patients' medical histories.Core task automated and assisted 0.72

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

19 of the 20 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Administer topical ophthalmic or oral medications.Core task
  • Assess refractive conditions of eyes, using retinoscopes.Core task
  • Assist patients to insert or remove contact lenses.Core task
  • Assist physicians in performing ophthalmic procedures, including surgery.Core task
  • Call patients to inquire about their post-operative status or recovery.Core task
  • Clean or sterilize ophthalmic or surgical instruments.Core task
Show the other 13
  • Conduct binocular disparity tests to assess depth perception.Core task
  • Conduct ocular motility tests to measure function of eye muscles.Core task
  • Conduct tonometry or tonography tests to measure intraocular pressure.Core task
  • Conduct visual field tests to measure field of vision.Core task
  • Instruct patients in the care and use of contact lenses.Core task
  • Maintain ophthalmic instruments or equipment.Core task
  • Measure and record lens power, using lensometers.Core task
  • Measure corneal curvature with keratometers or ophthalmometers to aid in the diagnosis of conditions, such as astigmatism.Core task
  • Measure visual acuity, including near, distance, pinhole, or dynamic visual acuity, using appropriate tests.Core task
  • Operate ophthalmic equipment, such as autorefractors, phoropters, tomographs, or retinoscopes.Core task
  • Take anatomical or functional ocular measurements of the eye or surrounding tissue, such as axial length measurements.Core task
  • Adjust or make minor repairs to spectacles or eyeglasses.
  • Assist patients to select eyewear.

How that compares

Among the 65 healthcare practitioners and technical occupations, ophthalmic medical technicians rank 42. The group averages 4.1%, and its most exposed job is Medical Records Specialists at 66.7%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Level with 0.0%

  1. 346Occupational Therapy Assistants 0.0%
  2. 346Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators 0.0%
  3. 346Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians 0.0%

What this does and does not mean

Exposure is observed use, not a forecast. Anthropic maps work conversations with Claude onto the tasks O*NET lists for each job and asks, of the tasks AI could speed up, which are actually being used for at work. A use that does the task outright counts in full and a use that assists a person counts half. The task scores are averaged into the occupation figure by the share of time spent on each task.

A high figure means AI is already part of how this work gets done. It does not mean anyone has been replaced. Anthropic's own reading of the labour market finds no systematic rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting exposed jobs.No measurable rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting these jobs. Gap years for everyone. Labor market impacts, 5 March 2026.

Task list and titles from O*NET 31.0 by the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Scores from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Checked 1 November 2026. How the ranking works.