Takeover Tracker
27%medium risk
Respiratory Therapists
vs

60 shared · 22 different

core competencies

41%medium risk
Ophthalmic Medical Technologists

Side-by-Side Comparison

MetricRespiratory TherapistsOphthalmic Medical Technologists
Risk Score27.1%41.5%
Risk TierMedium RiskMedium Risk
Risk Percentile25th84th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)3 / 156 / 15
Median Salary$80,450$48,790
Employment136K174K

Skill Comparison

|

Sorted by largest difference

Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material
Controlling Machines and Processes
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
Handling and Moving Objects
Customer and Personal Service
Psychology
Analyzing Data or Information
Clerical
Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People
Chemistry

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Respiratory Therapists

36%

total discount

Ophthalmic Medical Technologists

31%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Respiratory Therapists

3 of 15 at risk
88%Relay blood analysis results to a physician.
86%Maintain charts that contain patients' pertinent identification and therapy information.
80%Enforce safety rules and ensure careful adherence to physicians' orders.
49%Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur.
47%Read prescription, measure arterial blood gases, and review patient information to assess patient condition.

Ophthalmic Medical Technologists

6 of 15 at risk
88%Take and document patients' medical histories.
88%Calculate corrections for refractive errors.
86%Measure visual acuity, including near, distance, pinhole, or dynamic visual acuity, using appropriate tests.
51%Measure and record lens power, using lensometers.
51%Conduct visual field tests to measure field of vision.

Wage Comparison

Ophthalmic Medical Technologists earns -$31,660(-39%) vs Respiratory Therapists
Respiratory TherapistsOphthalmic Medical Technologists
10th
$61,900$37,290
25th
$68,410$40,740
Median
$80,450$48,790
75th
$95,530$62,280
90th
$108,820$81,290

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Respiratory Therapists2028–2035
Ophthalmic Medical Technologists2028–2035
20242030203520402045

Respiratory Therapists has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Ophthalmic Medical Technologists.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

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

Respiratory Therapists

$58,672

from $80,450

Ophthalmic Medical Technologists

$28,547

from $48,790

After adjusting for AI risk, Respiratory Therapists offers $30,125 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

1%

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

0

Unique to Respiratory

0

Unique to Ophthalmic

Combined Protection Strategy

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

Creativity
Decision Complexity
Fine Manipulation
Social Intelligence
Respiratory TherapistsOphthalmic Medical Technologists
Find transitions from Respiratory TherapistsFind transitions from Ophthalmic Medical Technologists