Find where each eye points
While the patient stares at a target, cover one eye and use prisms to measure alignment.
Career profile
Orthoptist
Orthoptists test eye movement and how eyes work together, helping treat misalignment and double vision.
A tiny change in eye position can reshape your sense of someone's sight. Precise measuring and patience coax answers from nervous adults or squirmy kids.
A day in the life
Fit the test to the child
Switch to pictures if letters don't suit a young child, and adjust your directions so they can finish.
Compare results with the chart
If gains stall against the chart, rethink the nonsurgical plan and discuss changes with the ophthalmologist.
Explain the plan to a family
Walk a family through the findings and what treatment involves, like why their child wears an eye patch.
Quick facts
Bachelor's + 2 years
United States · 2026-10-04
Not available
Pay varies by position; compare the local salary and hourly ranges below.
Not available
Explore openings in the locations where you could realistically work.
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Bachelor's + 2 yearsThe usual route adds an orthoptic fellowship with clinical training after college.
Pay
Not availablePay varies by position; compare the local salary and hourly ranges below.
Outlook
Not availableExplore openings in the locations where you could realistically work.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You enjoy noticing small differences and checking what they mean.
- You can explain the same idea differently when someone does not understand.
- You are interested in how vision develops and how the eyes work together.
Things to weigh
- You work close to patients and repeat precise tests throughout the day.
- A frightened or distracted child can make measurements difficult; patience is part of getting a useful result.
Where AI may help
Experimental virtual reality headsets track eye position and calculate alignment measurements. They could help automate part of the examination.
What people still lead
You still need to judge the patient's responses, interpret findings and explain the treatment plan.
What we can’t predict yet
How much hands-on testing these devices can replace depends on their reliability across different patients and kinds of misalignment.
Pay in context
Earnings
Compare pay together with scheduled hours. A full-time salary and a part-time hourly rate answer different questions about your income.
A full-time children's hospital role
In Boston, an Orthoptist I role lists $74,090–$118,550 in annual base pay for 40 hours a week—about $35.62–$57.00 an hour using 2,080 hours a year. This is a position's advertised range.
A part-time medical-office role
In Daly City, California, an orthoptist role lists $39.51–$51.13 an hour for 24 hours a week. Benefits are separate from this base-pay range.
What changes the offer
Experience, skills and location can affect offers. These two ranges do not establish that hospitals pay more or less than medical offices.
Getting started
Complete an orthoptic fellowship after college
- What the route involves
- Complete a 24-month accredited program combining coursework with supervised patient examinations.
- What it can lead to
- With your director's recommendation, you become eligible for the American Orthoptic Council (AOC) written and oral/practical exams. Passing earns the Certified Orthoptist (CO) credential.
Apply for advanced standing from eye-care work
- What the route involves
- If you hold a bachelor's degree and current Certified Ophthalmic Technician (COT) or Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technologist (COMT) certification, apply for advanced standing.
- What it can lead to
- An approved shorter program can prepare you for the same AOC certification examinations.
- What to check
- You still complete at least 12 months. The program director decides eligibility and the training time you need.
Most students enter after a bachelor's degree. Some experienced eye-care personnel qualify for a shorter version of the same training.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization. This path also has a credential or licensing boundary; see the requirements and limits.
Build consistency
Get dependable measurements and write records that let the next clinician understand what changed.
Handle more complex cases
Deepen your assessment and treatment skills as you encounter different eye-movement problems. Keep your certification current through continuing education.
Teach or lead
Develop toward teaching residents and orthoptic students or coordinating a clinic.
- Contribute to clinical research and present or publish findings.
Where you can work
Teaching hospitals
Patient appointments can share your working week with resident teaching and research. You may need to explain your examination methods as well as perform them.
- Indoors
Private ophthalmology practices
Your role may extend from examining patients and explaining treatment to coordinating the clinic or managing office work.
- Indoors
- Office
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Watch an educational demonstration of an orthoptist measuring eye alignment. Make two columns: what the examiner observes and what they must interpret. Notice whether that mix of precise measurement and patient communication interests you.
Stay safe: Observe the demonstration; do not use it to test or diagnose someone.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. 29-1299.02 — Orthoptists. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- American Association of Certified Orthoptists. Orthoptics and Orthoptists. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- American Orthoptic Council. Become an Orthoptist. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- American Orthoptic Council. Scope of Practice for Certified Orthoptists. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- International Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology. Certifications. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- University of Iowa. Certified Orthoptist Training — About the Program. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- Boston Children's Hospital. Orthoptist I — 81157BR. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- Kaiser Permanente. Orthoptist — Daly City — 1434977. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Wages — Orthoptists. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Projections and Worker Characteristics. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- American Journal of Ophthalmology. Evaluation of a Novel Virtual Reality Simulated Alternate Cover Test to Assess Strabismus: A Prospective, Masked Study. Accessed 2026-10-04.