Your work. Your records.
Optometrist Workplace Records
Optometrists may combine examinations, patient follow-up, documentation, and optical services under different business arrangements. An employment concern should focus on your actual responsibilities and agreements while leaving patient information in approved clinical systems.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Work allocation
List examination sessions and non-appointment responsibilities for the period in question.
Practice arrangement
Organize your personal agreement, payment notices, and schedule-setting instructions.
Patient privacy
Describe clinical workload without patient names, examination findings, or prescription details.
Start with the work you actually do
Diagnose, manage, and treat conditions and diseases of the human eye and visual system. Examine eyes and visual system, diagnose problems or impairments, prescribe corrective lenses, and provide treatment. May prescribe therapeutic drugs to treat specific eye conditions.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Optometrists (29-1041.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Examine eyes, using observation, instruments, and pharmaceutical agents, to determine visual acuity and perception, focus, and coordination and to diagnose diseases and other abnormalities, such as glaucoma or color blindness.Source task 337 · updated 08/2021
- Analyze test results and develop a treatment plan.Source task 338 · updated 08/2021
- Prescribe, supply, fit and adjust eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other vision aids.Source task 339 · updated 08/2021
- Prescribe medications to treat eye diseases if state laws permit.Source task 340 · updated 08/2021
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Optometrists (SOC 29-1041). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $50.35 | $69.75 | $80.23 | $145,090 |
| Alaska | $64.66 | $81.88 | $97.84 | $170,310 |
| Arizona | $50.23 | $58.78 | $79.34 | $122,250 |
| Arkansas | $40.45 | $59.84 | $70.96 | $124,470 |
| Connecticut | $64.15 | $72.28 | $75.85 | $150,340 |
| Delaware | $51.87 | $77.54 | $84.49 | $161,270 |
| Florida | $59.00 | $72.92 | $80.42 | $151,670 |
| Georgia | $50.41 | $61.94 | $76.51 | $128,830 |
| Hawaii | $58.17 | $74.34 | $77.92 | $154,620 |
| Idaho | $31.06 | $49.71 | $74.57 | $103,390 |
| Indiana | $49.44 | $65.14 | $77.80 | $135,500 |
| Iowa | $43.43 | $60.28 | $67.61 | $125,380 |
| Kansas | $57.17 | $66.63 | $77.05 | $138,580 |
| Kentucky | $46.77 | $61.95 | $80.78 | $128,860 |
| Louisiana | $48.69 | $56.76 | $71.17 | $118,060 |
| Maine | $55.71 | $74.09 | $85.40 | $154,110 |
| Michigan | $60.10 | $65.21 | $77.87 | $135,650 |
| Minnesota | $60.51 | $76.30 | $83.83 | $158,700 |
| Mississippi | $45.37 | $51.96 | $79.59 | $108,070 |
| Missouri | $49.87 | $64.33 | $76.86 | $133,810 |
| Montana | $29.27 | $50.14 | $63.74 | $104,280 |
| Nebraska | $36.55 | $60.12 | $78.25 | $125,040 |
| New Hampshire | $56.53 | $60.36 | $74.80 | $125,560 |
| New Mexico | $52.53 | $69.55 | $85.61 | $144,660 |
| New York | $61.49 | $77.47 | $84.49 | $161,140 |
| North Carolina | $59.25 | $77.67 | $93.17 | $161,560 |
| North Dakota | $52.88 | $63.51 | $73.06 | $132,110 |
| Ohio | $44.98 | $64.83 | $78.39 | $134,850 |
| Oklahoma | $36.87 | $46.80 | $71.95 | $97,350 |
| Pennsylvania | $53.36 | $65.10 | $78.79 | $135,400 |
| Rhode Island | $54.85 | $64.67 | $80.74 | $134,520 |
| South Dakota | $45.36 | $49.19 | $64.04 | $102,320 |
| Tennessee | $30.53 | $64.51 | $77.00 | $134,170 |
| Texas | $48.90 | $60.58 | $74.56 | $126,000 |
| Utah | $24.06 | $57.25 | $77.08 | $119,070 |
| Vermont | $61.06 | $66.01 | $79.51 | $137,290 |
| Virginia | $51.40 | $63.25 | $78.79 | $131,570 |
| West Virginia | $47.46 | $56.74 | $77.80 | $118,010 |
| Wisconsin | $54.63 | $67.17 | $82.35 | $139,720 |
| Wyoming | $24.93 | $53.56 | $65.41 | $111,400 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Separate appointment and administrative work
Describe examination sessions, documentation, follow-up, and other assigned duties as separate work periods. If your schedule changed, note who directed the change and when. Appointment counts alone may not capture administrative work or explain how your duties were allocated.
Describe the practice arrangement
Identify the organization named on your own agreement and payment documents, the practice where you worked, and who set your schedule. Note any ownership or outside-service arrangement relevant to the concern. The professional title alone does not determine employment classification or coverage.
Keep clinical details out of the chronology
Do not copy patient charts, examination images, prescriptions, or identifying appointment lists for a personal employment folder. Use general descriptions of sessions or responsibilities and identify the approved record location. Keep your own compensation notices and employment communications separate from clinical records.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
Call now(800) 800-5555Current service-state coverage
AK, AL, AR, AZ, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV, WY. Eligibility is evaluated individually; this list does not promise representation.
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