← All 785 jobsFile 29-2081
Opticians, Dispensing
Lightly edited
AI performs some of this work. Most of it still needs a person. The BLS expects 4.2% more of these jobs by 2035, faster than the 3.5% average.
Clinical work often uses specialised medical AI tools that consumer Copilot data does not see, so this file probably understates how much AI touches it.
- Rank
- #297 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +4.2% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $47,260 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 74,300 in the US, with about 5,600 openings a year
The work, 14 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
Still yours: Fabricate medical devices16%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Advise others on products or services11%
AI performed this in about 1 in 42 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
Still yours: Fit assistive devices to patients or clients11%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Perform administrative or clerical activities9%
AI performed this in about 1 in 401 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
Still yours: Train others to use equipment or products8%
AI does this in desk jobs, but in this one it is mostly hands-on.
Still yours: Sell products or services7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Examine people or animals to assess health conditions or physical characteristics6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain health or medical records5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate medical equipment5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Collect information about patients or clients5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Verify personal information5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 782 conversations, and it got them there 83% of the time.
AI helps with this: Execute financial transactions4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,073 conversations, and it got them there 93% of the time.
AI helps with this: Purchase goods or services4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 214 conversations, and it got them there 91% of the time.
AI does this: Train others on health or medical topics3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,890 Copilot conversations and completed it 95% of the time.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 104 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 5,600 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 32% of the workDental Assistants11% AI does, against 24% here+7.4% by 2035 · $48,070 · Postsecondary certificate
- Shares 28% of the workOphthalmic Medical Technicians6% AI does, against 24% here+21.4% by 2035 · $45,570 · Postsecondary certificate
- Shares 26% of the workPharmacy Technicians14% AI does, against 24% here+6.4% by 2035 · $45,750 · High school diploma
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Health front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.14, higher than 46% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Clinical work often uses specialised medical AI tools that consumer Copilot data does not see, so this file probably understates how much AI touches it.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 29-2081 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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