Skills
Optometrist Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in optometrists, and how to build and show them.
What skills do optometrists need?
Optometrists need technical skills such as refraction, eye disease diagnosis, and contact lens fitting, plus people skills like communication and attention to detail. They also use tools such as Phoropter and Slit lamp.
Technical (hard) skills
- Refraction
- Eye disease diagnosis
- Contact lens fitting
- Diagnostic imaging
- Pharmacology
- Binocular vision
People (soft) skills
- Communication
- Attention to detail
- Patience
- Empathy
Tools, equipment and technology
- Phoropter
- Slit lamp
- Tonometer
- Retinal camera
- OCT scanner
- Electronic health records
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how optometrists put their skills to work:
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Refraction” and “Eye disease diagnosis.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “communication,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as NBEO exams near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our optometrist glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Optometrist training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.