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Optometrists

ANZSCO ID 251411

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Overview

Snapshot

Employed
4,200
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
66%
Female Share
53%
Average age
41
About this data

Summary

Optometrists perform eye examinations and vision tests to determine the presence of visual, ocular and other abnormalities, ocular diseases and systemic diseases with ocular manifestations, and prescribe lenses, other optical aids, therapy and medication to correct and manage vision problems and eye diseases.

Tasks

  • Examines patients' eyes and sets tests to determine the nature and extent of vision abnormalities.

  • Assesses ocular health and visual function by measuring visual acuity and refractive error, as well as testing the function of visual pathways and fields, eye movements, freedom of vision and intraocular pressure, and performs other tests.

  • Detects, diagnoses and manages eye disease.

  • Refers patients to, and receives referrals from other health providers, and prescribes medications for the treatment of eye disease.

  • Diagnoses eye movement disorders and defects of binocular function.

  • Prescribes lenses, contact lenses and low vision aids, and checks suitability.

  • Prescribes exercises to co-ordinate eye movement and focusing.

  • Manages programmes for eye movement disorders, and instructs patients in the use of corrective techniques and eye exercises.

  • Advises on visual health matters such as contact lens care, vision care for the elderly, optics, visual ergonomics, and occupational and industrial eye safety.

  • Conducts preventative screening programs.

  • Conducts rehabilitation programs for the visually impaired.

Characteristics

Job Type
Professionals
Skill Level
Very high skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
2514 Optometrists and Orthoptists
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
Interests
  • Practical
  • Analytical
  • Helping
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary
  • Light

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Optometrists and Orthoptists, under the outlook section.

Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 66% of people employed as Optometrists work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is the same as the all jobs average.

    Full-time workers work an average of 42 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.

Industries

Main industries

1
Health Care and Social Assistance
96.5%
2
Retail Trade
1.3%
3
Education and Training
0.7%
4
Financial and Insurance Services
0.5%
5
Other industries
0.7%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

34.4% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

25.6% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

21.6% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

5.7% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

8.5% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.9% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.6% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.7% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Optometrists All Jobs Average
NSW 34.4 31.6
VIC 25.6 25.6
QLD 21.6 20.0
SA 5.7 7.0
WA 8.5 10.8
TAS 1.9 2.0
NT 0.6 1.0
ACT 1.7 1.9


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
41
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
53%
All Jobs Average is 48%

  • The median age of Optometrists is 41 years. This is similar to the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 25 to 34 years.

    Females make up 53% of the workforce. This is 5 percentage points above the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Optometrists All Jobs Average
15-19 0.2 5.0
20-24 7.4 9.3
25-34 27.9 22.9
35-44 24.0 22.0
45-54 21.9 21.6
55-59 10.3 9.0
60-64 5.6 6.0
65 and Over 2.8 4.2
Median Age 41 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.

Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

A bachelor degree in vision science or clinical optometry or alternatively, a bachelor degree in medical science followed by a masters degree in vision science is needed to work as an Optometrist.

Registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency is required.

Visit

  • Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Optometrists All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 22.1 10.1
Bachelor degree 71.8 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 3.9 11.6
Certificate III/IV 0.2 21.1
Year 12 1.7 18.1
Year 11 0.1 4.8
Year 10 and below 0.2 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.

Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Optometrists and Orthoptists who are caring and empathetic and can work well in a team, with the ability to communicate with a diverse range of people.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 68%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 63%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 63%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 59%

    Science

    Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

  • 59%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 55%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 55%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 54%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 52%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 52%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 52%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 50%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 48%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 46%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 45%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.

  • 45%

    Systems evaluation

    Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

  • 43%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 43%

    Systems analysis

    Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.

  • 43%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 41%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 77%

    Medicine and dentistry

    Diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.

  • 70%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 67%

    Biology

    Plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, how they rely on and work with each other and the environment.

  • 64%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 58%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 58%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 58%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 58%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 57%

    Chemistry

    Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.

  • 57%

    Therapy and counselling

    Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.

  • 56%

    Sales and marketing

    Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • 54%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 53%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 49%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 48%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 47%

    Physics

    The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.

  • 41%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 39%

    Production and processing

    Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.

  • 35%

    Sociology and anthropology

    Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

  • 33%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 73%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 73%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 71%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 66%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 64%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 64%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 63%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 61%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 59%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 59%

    Control precision

    Quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

  • 59%

    Flexibility of closure

    See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.

  • 57%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 57%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 55%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 54%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 54%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 50%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 48%

    Perceptual speed

    Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • 45%

    Colour discrimination

    Notice differences between colours, including shades of colour and brightness.

  • 43%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 78%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 77%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 75%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 73%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 71%

    Making sense of information and ideas

    Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.

  • 70%

    Documenting or recording information

    Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

  • 69%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 68%

    Working with the public

    Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.

  • 67%

    Helping and caring for others

    Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.

  • 65%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 64%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 64%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 63%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 60%

    Coordinating the work of a team

    Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.

  • 60%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

    Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.

  • 58%

    Giving expert advice

    Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.

  • 58%

    Guiding and directing staff

    Guiding and directing staff, including setting and monitoring performance standards.

  • 55%

    Training and teaching others

    Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.

  • 55%

    Checking compliance with standards

    Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

  • 53%

    Providing office support

    Doing day-to-day office work such as filing and processing paperwork.

Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 86%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 76%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 71%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 48%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 38%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 14%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.

  • 88%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 86%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 86%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.

  • 86%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 81%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 67%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.

Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:

  • 98%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 94%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 94%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 93%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 93%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 92%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 92%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 90%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 90%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 90%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 88%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 87%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

    Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.

  • 82%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 82%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 80%

    Disease or infection

    Be exposed to disease or infections.

  • 80%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 77%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 73%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 71%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

  • 71%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 29-1041.00 - Optometrists.

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