Takeover Tracker
31%medium risk
Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
vs

53 shared · 16 different

core competencies

43%medium risk
Pharmacy Technicians

Side-by-Side Comparison

MetricOphthalmic Medical TechniciansPharmacy Technicians
Risk Score31.5%43.1%
Risk TierMedium RiskMedium Risk
Risk Percentile48th88th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)5 / 1510 / 15
Median Salary$44,080$43,460
Employment77K488K

Skill Comparison

|

Sorted by largest difference

Getting Information
Documenting/Recording Information
Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
Handling and Moving Objects
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
Training and Teaching Others
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
Education and Training
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
Assisting and Caring for Others

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Ophthalmic Medical Technicians

30%

total discount

Pharmacy Technicians

31%

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.

Pharmacy Technicians

10 of 15 at risk
87%Price and file prescriptions that have been filled.
86%Enter prescription information into computer databases.
85%Establish or maintain patient profiles, including lists of medications taken by individual patients.
85%Operate cash registers to accept payment from customers.
84%Order, label, and count stock of medications, chemicals, or supplies and enter inventory data into computer.

Wage Comparison

Pharmacy Technicians earns -$620(-1%) vs Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
Ophthalmic Medical TechniciansPharmacy Technicians
10th
$34,210$35,100
25th
$37,100$36,920
Median
$44,080$43,460
75th
$49,730$48,580
90th
$60,810$59,450

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Ophthalmic Medical Technicians2028–2035
Pharmacy Technicians2028–2035
20242030203520402045

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

Risk-Adjusted Salary

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

Ophthalmic Medical Technicians

$30,199

from $44,080

Pharmacy Technicians

$24,746

from $43,460

After adjusting for AI risk, Ophthalmic Medical Technicians offers $5,453 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

1%

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

0

Unique to Ophthalmic

0

Unique to Pharmacy

Combined Protection Strategy

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

Fine Manipulation
Regulatory Barriers
Creativity
Decision Complexity
Ophthalmic Medical TechniciansPharmacy Technicians
Find transitions from Ophthalmic Medical TechniciansFind transitions from Pharmacy Technicians