Procedural specialty
Ophthalmology: Salary, Residency & Career Guide
Vision and eye disease care combining outpatient diagnosis, microsurgery and longitudinal follow-up.
Typical Training
3+1 years
Clinical PGY-1 plus three years of ophthalmology; SF Match.
Attending Compensation
$487,438
Average Total Compensation
Employment outlook
+5%
Projected Job Growth
Relative Competitiveness Index
Not Available
Separate match, fellowship pathway, or no comparable NRMP cohort.
Start in Medical School
M1 to M4 Preparation
Practical experience, projects and rotation planning.
See the Medical School RoadmapAttending Compensation and State Wages
U.S. Attending Compensation
$487,438
Average Total Compensation
BLS State Median Wages (Separate Data Series)
Highest published state medians. Select another state above for its figure.
Resident Pay by Institution
Clinical PGY-1 plus three years of ophthalmology; SF Match..
2026–27 salaries, five published training-institution examples.
Selected institution
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
$77,049/ year
Pay varies by institution and postgraduate year.
Schedules and Work Setting
Schedule and Call
Cataract and glaucoma clinics have scheduled sessions and surgery days; eye trauma, acute retinal detachment and hospital consultations create after-hours duties in some practices.
Practice Settings
Outpatient eye clinics, ambulatory eye surgery centers, hospital eye trauma consultation.
Procedures and Clinical Work
- Cataract surgery
- Laser procedures
- Glaucoma diagnosis and care
- Retinal disease assessment
Fellowship Training
Fellowship Expectation Index
4 / 5
Fellowship Options
Common Fellowship Duration: 1–2 year(s) beyond residency. Retina commonly takes two years; cornea, glaucoma and many other fellowships take one.
Many ophthalmologists pursue glaucoma, cornea, retina, pediatric ophthalmology or oculoplastic fellowship, although general comprehensive practice is viable after residency.
Direct Practice
Comprehensive ophthalmology, cataract surgery and broad outpatient eye care.
Specialized Practice
Retina surgery, complex glaucoma and other subspecialty practice frequently involve additional training.
Choosing a Path
Decide whether you prefer high-volume comprehensive practice or a narrower surgical and referral service.
Potential Fellowship Pathways
- Retina/vitreous surgery
- Glaucoma
- Cornea
- Pediatric ophthalmology
- Oculoplastics
Preparing in M1 Through M4
An eye clinic might see cataract surgery, glaucoma monitoring, diabetic retinopathy and a sudden retinal detachment referral on the same day. Compare clinic, imaging and OR work.
Research or QI
A diabetic eye screening outreach project, cataract outcomes registry or glaucoma adherence study offers measurable patient results.
Common Mistake
Applying based on love of microsurgery without observing the volume of diagnostic clinic care, counseling and repeat follow-ups.
Preparation by Year
- 1Shadow comprehensive ophthalmology and an ophthalmic surgery day, including preoperative discussions and postoperative care.
- 2Learn the SF Match timetable and identify a faculty mentor before the early application cycle.
Ask a resident this: How many cataracts does a resident perform as primary surgeon, and how much glaucoma, retina and general clinic exposure is included?
MD vs DO Match Outcomes
Ophthalmology uses the SF Match, not the NRMP Main Residency Match.
Applicant Considerations
Ophthalmology uses the SF Match, so NRMP main-match MD/DO preferred-specialty rates cannot be displayed as though comparable.
DO Application Strategy
Check the SF Match outcome data and whether target departments have trained DO residents. Obtain a practical ophthalmology mentor and identify institution-specific exam policies.
Job Outlook
+5%
Projected Employment Growth
2025 to 2035, BLS occupational projection
Regional hiring depends on employers, workforce supply and patient demand.
AI and the Specialty
Potential Workflow Changes
Retinal image analysis and screening already feature AI products; therapeutic decisions and microsurgery remain clinical.
Sources & Data Notes
Reviewed . National attending compensation uses Doximity's 2026 specialty survey (2025 pay) where available, then verified specialty-specific Medscape, Marit or Salary.com estimates. Doximity, Medscape and Marit report total compensation; Salary.com models base salary. Survey averages, modeled salaries and BLS wage medians measure different populations and must not be interpreted as identical metrics. BLS May 2025 state wages are shown separately and exclude self-employed physicians. The ophthalmology BLS category excludes pediatric ophthalmologists. State figures may be missing, top-coded, or suppressed. Job outlook uses BLS 2025–2035 occupational projections; it is not a local vacancy forecast. Resident stipend examples reflect published institutional scales for 2026 to 2027, by postgraduate year, not specialty. Stanford includes housing in its reported base salary; other institutions handle allowances differently.
The Relative Competitiveness Index uses a fixed score of 25 plus 1.75 times the 2024 U.S. MD preferred-specialty unmatched percentage, rounded, then applies the same 1.225 multiplier to every specialty. Neurological Surgery is 98/100; the score is not the applicant's chance of matching. It is not a 2026 estimate or DO-specific score. The MD and DO percentages compare different unadjusted applicant cohorts who ranked that specialty first. They do not account for application strategy, program selection, scores, or geography. Ophthalmology and urology have separate specialty match processes; other pathways may lack suitable NRMP cohorts.
The 1–5 Fellowship Expectation Index is an editorial assessment of customary career paths, not a measured participation rate or requirement. For residency profiles, compact training labels put specialty years before the clinical base or preliminary year; e.g. 3+1 means three specialty years and one clinical base year, even though the clinical year comes first. Fellowship-defined careers are presented in the separate fellowship explorer. Schedules, procedural scope, preparation suggestions, and potential AI effects depend on the program and practice setting; they are qualitative descriptions, not guaranteed outcomes or forecasts of physician replacement.
For Ophthalmology: Doximity 2026, Average Total Compensation, reported under “Ophthalmology.” The national estimate must not be treated as a state-specific compensation figure.
Ophthalmology: Editorial estimate of how fellowship shapes a career path. No observed fellowship uptake percentage is implied. Specialty-specific roadmaps describe illustrative activities, not mandatory publication, shadowing-hour, rotation, or skill requirements. Common fellowship routes: Retina commonly takes two years; cornea, glaucoma and many other fellowships take one.