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Ophthalmic Medical Technicians Occupation Detailed Description

Ophthalmic Medical Technicians career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians

The main tasks and work activities of Ophthalmic Medical Technicians are to administer non-intravenous medications, operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment, test patient vision, instruct patients in the use of assistive equipment. In general, for the Ophthalmic Medical Technicians, active Listening, speaking, writing, reading Comprehension and other 7 skills are required.
Ophthalmic Medical Technicians Job Description
EducationMost occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Related ExperiencePrevious work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Job TrainingEmployees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
ExampleThese occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include hydroelectric production managers, travel guides, electricians, agricultural technicians, barbers, court reporters, and medical assistants.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians jobs. 59.09% of Ophthalmic Medical Technicians have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 27.27% of Ophthalmic Medical Technicians have Post-Secondary Certificate.
Less than a High School Diploma
0.00%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
59.09%
Post-Secondary Certificate
27.27%
Some College Courses
4.55%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
9.09%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
0.00%

Tasks and Work Activities of Ophthalmic Medical Technicians

  • Administer topical ophthalmic or oral medications.
  • Assess refractive conditions of eyes, using retinoscopes.
  • Assist patients to insert or remove contact lenses.
  • Call patients to inquire about their post-operative status or recovery.
  • Clean or sterilize ophthalmic or surgical instruments.
  • Conduct ocular motility tests to measure function of eye muscles.
  • Conduct visual field tests to measure field of vision.
  • Instruct patients in the care and use of contact lenses.
  • Maintain ophthalmic instruments or equipment.
  • Measure and record lens power, using lensometers.
  • Measure visual acuity, including near, distance, pinhole, or dynamic visual acuity, using appropriate tests.
  • Operate ophthalmic equipment, such as autorefractors, phoropters, tomographs, or retinoscopes.
  • Take anatomical or functional ocular measurements of the eye or surrounding tissue, such as axial length measurements.
  • Take and document patients' medical histories.
  • Adjust or make minor repairs to spectacles or eyeglasses.
  • Assist patients to select eyewear.
  • Assist physicians in performing ophthalmic procedures, including surgery.
  • Conduct binocular disparity tests to assess depth perception.
  • Conduct tonometry or tonography tests to measure intraocular pressure.
  • Measure corneal curvature with keratometers or ophthalmometers to aid in the diagnosis of conditions, such as astigmatism.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Performing for or Working Directly with the PublicPerforming for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
  • Assisting and Caring for OthersProviding personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
  • Documenting/Recording InformationEntering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Updating and Using Relevant KnowledgeKeeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Interacting With ComputersUsing computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsDeveloping constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Training and Teaching OthersIdentifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and EventsIdentifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Administer non-intravenous medications.
  • Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment.
  • Test patient vision.
  • Instruct patients in the use of assistive equipment.
  • Monitor patients following surgeries or other treatments.
  • Sterilize medical equipment or instruments.
  • Clean medical equipment or facilities.
  • Maintain medical equipment or instruments.
  • Record patient medical histories.
  • Measure the physical or physiological attributes of patients.
  • Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals.
  • Fit eyeglasses, contact lenses, or other vision aids.
  • Recommend types of assistive devices.
  • Assist healthcare practitioners during surgery.

Skills and Abilities for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians

  • Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
  • WritingCommunicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Service OrientationActively looking for ways to help people.
  • Social PerceptivenessBeing aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Active LearningUnderstanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • CoordinationAdjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Written ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Written ComprehensionThe ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Finger DexterityThe ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Arm-Hand SteadinessThe ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Selective AttentionThe ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Inductive ReasoningThe ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Far VisionThe ability to see details at a distance.
  • Category FlexibilityThe ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Ultrasonic examination equipmente.g. A-scan biometers
  • Eye charts or vision cardse.g. Amsler grids
  • Ophthalmic lensometerse.g. Automated lensometers
  • Combination refractor keratometerse.g. Autorefractors
  • Ultrasonic examination equipmente.g. B-Scan biometers
  • Ultrasonic examination equipmente.g. Bio-microscopes
  • Ophthalmic spectrophotometerse.g. Brightness acuity testers
  • Binocular vision test sets or accessoriese.g. Color blindness tests
  • Combination refractor keratometerse.g. Combination refractor keratometers
  • Thickness measuring devicese.g. Corneal pachymeters
  • Corneal topographerse.g. Corneal topographers
  • Opticians tools or accessoriese.g. Digital pupillometers
  • Chart projectors or accessoriese.g. Eye chart projectors
  • Opticians tools or accessoriese.g. Flat nose pliers
  • Photo attachments for microscopese.g. Fundus cameras
  • Eye occluderse.g. Handheld occluders
  • Exophthalmometerse.g. Hertel exophthalmometers
  • Lid plates for ophthalmic surgerye.g. Jaeger lid plates
  • Laser fax machinee.g. Laser facsimile machines
  • Ophthalmic prismse.g. Loose prisms
  • Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge 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.
  • Medicine and DentistryKnowledge 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.
  • English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • MathematicsKnowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.