An optometrist is an eye doctor who is a graduate of an accredited doctor of optometry program and has passed all appropriate state licensing exams. Optometrists treat conditions and diseases of the eyes, as well as the body's entire vision system. This may include prescribing corrective lenses or pharmaceuticals to treat conditions such as nearsightedness or glaucoma. Optometrists do not perform surgery, however -- that is the job of the ophthalmologist; nor do they the dispense corrective lenses that they prescribe -- that is the job of the optician.
The mean annual wage for the 27,950 optometrists practicing in America as of May 2011 was $107,720, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The top 10 percent of eye doctors earned $183,980 or more, with the top quarter earning $124,120 and higher. The bottom 10 percent, on the other hand, earned $51,690 or less, with the lowest quarter earning $71,880 or lower.
Salary by Industry
Optometrists tend to work in either doctors' offices or stores and clinics that have vision treatment as part of their service offerings. Most optometrists worked in either eye doctors' offices or as part of a physician's office. The 17,130 members of the former group earned a mean annual wage of $105,780, according to the bureau. Meanwhile, the 5,220 members of the latter group earned $123,720 a year on average -- the highest average salary for the profession as a whole. The 3,140 eye doctors working for clinics in healthcare stores such as drugstores earned a mean annual wage of $102,440.
Salary by State
South Dakota was the most lucrative state for an eye doctor to practice in, with a mean annual wage of $148,640, according to the bureau. California, on the other hand, was the best state in terms of employment, with 3,170 optometrists there earning $101,030 a year on average.
According to the bureau, the profession of optometry is expected to see 33 percent growth between 2010 and 2020, far above average. However, the bureau includes a note in its report that the relatively small number of eye doctors means this growth will add up to around 11,300 jobs. As eye problems tend to increase as people get older, the aging of the baby boom generation during this time period may be a factor in the rapid expansion of the profession.
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