How To Become An Ophthalmic Photographer: What It Is and Career Path

What is an ophthalmic photographer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Ophthalmic photographers take photographs of patients' eyes so that doctors can more easily diagnose eye diseases. They work in tandem with ophthalmologists, who are doctors that treat eye diseases. Ophthalmic photographers need to know how to use specialized photographic equipment that is able to take detailed photos of an eye's inner structure, which you can't exactly do with a regular camera. They use techniques like angiography, tomography, and biomicrography to take photos of patients' eyes. Besides the technical skills needed to take and develop detailed photos, ophthalmic photographers need to have excellent customer service skills to interact with patients and comfort them during stressful eye exams.

At most practices, the minimum requirement to be an ophthalmic photographer is an associate's degree. Some choose to go on to get a bachelor's degree as well. Some ophthalmic photographers get certified by the Ophthalmic Photographers' Society or similar organizations.

Before becoming an ophthalmic photographer, some people work as technicians or photographers' assistants. Once they're qualified, they earn an average salary of $51,594 a year.

ScoreOphthalmic PhotographerUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $51,409

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

4.5

Growth Rate 9%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 7.10%

Black or African American 6.41%

Hispanic or Latino 15.50%

Unknown 5.72%

White 65.02%

Gender

female 60.00%

male 40.00%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress Level

4.5

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.5

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

1.9

Work Life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an ophthalmic photographer

Explore ophthalmic photographer education requirements

Most common ophthalmic photographer degrees

Bachelor's

66.7 %

Associate

18.4 %

Master's

4.6 %

Start to develop specific ophthalmic photographer skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	29.50%
Patient Care	15.55%
Visual Fields	5.76%
Diagnostic Tests	5.11%
Fluorescein Angiography	4.72%

Complete relevant ophthalmic photographer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New ophthalmic photographers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an ophthalmic photographer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real ophthalmic photographer resumes.

Research ophthalmic photographer duties and responsibilities

Coordinate and manage providing and dressing the customers with old western costumes in preparation of taking their photos.
Measure intraocular pressure using tonopen and corneal thickness with pachymeter.
Assist with current and new employee training of EHR and diagnostic viewing softwares.
Assist in office procedures and various clinical duties such as patients work ups and signing up patients for procedures.

Prepare your ophthalmic photographer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your ophthalmic photographer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an ophthalmic photographer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Ophthalmic Photographer Resume templates

Build a professional Ophthalmic Photographer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Ophthalmic Photographer resume.

Apply for ophthalmic photographer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an ophthalmic photographer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams