Takeover Tracker
31%medium risk
Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
vs

45 shared · 21 different

core competencies

24%low risk
Dental Assistants

Side-by-Side Comparison

MetricOphthalmic Medical TechniciansDental Assistants
Risk Score31.5%24.2%
Risk TierMedium RiskLow Risk
Risk Percentile48th17th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)5 / 154 / 15
Median Salary$44,080$47,300
Employment77K375K

Skill Comparison

|

Sorted by largest difference

Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
Handling and Moving Objects
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
Training and Teaching Others
Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People
Coaching and Developing Others
Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information
Documenting/Recording Information
Developing and Building Teams
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Ophthalmic Medical Technicians

30%

total discount

Dental Assistants

34%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Ophthalmic Medical Technicians

5 of 15 at risk
86%Take and document patients' medical histories.
78%Measure visual acuity, including near, distance, pinhole, or dynamic visual acuity, using appropriate tests.
78%Conduct visual field tests to measure field of vision.
78%Conduct binocular disparity tests to assess depth perception.
51%Measure and record lens power, using lensometers.

Dental Assistants

4 of 15 at risk
86%Record treatment information in patient records.
86%Order and monitor dental supplies and equipment inventory.
82%Take and record medical and dental histories and vital signs of patients.
65%Schedule appointments, prepare bills and receive payment for dental services, complete insurance forms, and maintain records, manually or using computer.
49%Pour, trim, and polish study casts.

Wage Comparison

Dental Assistants earns +$3,220(+7%) vs Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
Ophthalmic Medical TechniciansDental Assistants
10th
$34,210$36,190
25th
$37,100$39,520
Median
$44,080$47,300
75th
$49,730$56,910
90th
$60,810$61,780

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Ophthalmic Medical Technicians2028–2035
Dental Assistants2028–2035
20242030203520402045

Dental Assistants has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Ophthalmic Medical Technicians.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

Salary weighted by displacement risk: salary × (1 − risk%)

Ophthalmic Medical Technicians

$30,199

from $44,080

Dental Assistants

$35,839

from $47,300

After adjusting for AI risk, Dental Assistants offers $5,640 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

1%

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

0

Unique to Ophthalmic

0

Unique to Dental

Combined Protection Strategy

Regardless of which path you choose, focus on these protective factors

Fine Manipulation
Creativity
Regulatory Barriers
Social Intelligence
Ophthalmic Medical TechniciansDental Assistants
Find transitions from Ophthalmic Medical TechniciansFind transitions from Dental Assistants