Prevailing Wage for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
Prevailing wage requirements for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians (SOC 29-2057) set the minimum salary a sponsoring employer must pay on an H-1B, E-3, or green card petition. Whether your title reads Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technician or Certified Ophthalmic Surgical Assistant, DOL assigns four experience-based wage levels, and the floor shifts considerably depending on which U.S. city the worksite sits in.
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Entry-level ophthalmic technicians with limited hands-on experience, typically working under close supervision on routine clinical tasks such as basic visual acuity testing or patient intake. Most candidates entering the field directly after completing a formal ophthalmic technician training program file at Level 1.
Technicians with a few years of verified clinical experience who perform standard ophthalmic testing with minimal supervision. Level 2 is the most common filing level for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians, covering COT-credentialed professionals handling a broad but established scope of diagnostic procedures.
Experienced technicians who independently manage complex diagnostic workups, may train junior staff, and apply specialized skills such as surgical assisting or advanced imaging. Candidates holding a Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technician credential with multi-specialty practice experience typically qualify at this level.
Fully competent senior technicians with comprehensive ophthalmic clinical expertise, recognized as subject-matter authorities within their practice. Roles involving lead-technician responsibilities, protocol development, or supervision of other ophthalmic assistants across a multi-provider setting fall at Level 4.
Prevailing Wage for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians by OES area
Each shape is a DOL OES area, the unit prevailing wage is published for.
What’s an OES area?
The Department of Labor publishes prevailing wages for geographic zones called OES areas. Every U.S. county belongs to exactly one, and the wage floor applies across the whole area. A worker in Oakland gets the San Francisco metro wage, not a separate Oakland wage.
Top 10 cities · Level 1
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See which U.S. employers are actively hiring for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Verify your credential maps to the right level
Ophthalmic technician credentials span COA, COT, and COMT tiers. Employers sometimes file all three under Level 1 to minimize wage obligations. If you hold a COT or higher, confirm the LCA wage level actually reflects that credential before accepting an offer.
Watch for surgical-assistant title aliasing
Certified Ophthalmic Surgical Assistant roles occasionally get filed under a surgical-technologist SOC rather than 29-2057, landing outside this occupation's prevailing wage floor entirely. Ask the employer which SOC code appears on the Labor Condition Application before signing.
Compare California metro wages before relocating
Santa Rosa and Vallejo show the sharpest wage gap between Level 1 and Level 4 in this occupation. If you are considering a Bay Area position, the L3 and L4 floors there can run significantly higher than the national median, giving you real negotiating leverage.
Find sponsors with ophthalmic technician hiring history on Migrate Mate
Ophthalmology practices and ambulatory surgery centers dominate sponsorship for this role. Migrate Mate shows which employers have historically sponsored ophthalmic technicians and lets you filter by location and visa type so you can target practices with an active filing track record.
Jobs for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for Ophthalmic Medical TechniciansPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 29-2057.00 alongside Ophthalmic Medical Technicians, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technician (Certified Ophthalmic Medical Tech) Prevailing Wage
Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technician (Certified Ophthalmic Medical Tech) Prevailing Wage
Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technician (Certified Ophthalmic Medical Tech) positions fall under SOC 29-2057.00 (Ophthalmic Medical Technicians). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Certified Ophthalmic Surgical Assistant Prevailing Wage
Certified Ophthalmic Surgical Assistant Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Certified Ophthalmic Surgical Assistant for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 29-2057.00 (Ophthalmic Medical Technicians). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Certified Ophthalmic Technician (COT) Prevailing Wage
Certified Ophthalmic Technician (COT) Prevailing Wage
Certified Ophthalmic Technician (COT) is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 29-2057.00 (Ophthalmic Medical Technicians). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Certified Ophthalmic Technician-Surgical Assistant (COT-SA) Prevailing Wage
Certified Ophthalmic Technician-Surgical Assistant (COT-SA) Prevailing Wage
Certified Ophthalmic Technician-Surgical Assistant (COT-SA) positions fall under SOC 29-2057.00 (Ophthalmic Medical Technicians). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Health Technician (Health Tech) Prevailing Wage
Health Technician (Health Tech) Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Health Technician (Health Tech) for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 29-2057.00 (Ophthalmic Medical Technicians). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Ophthalmic Assistant Prevailing Wage
Ophthalmic Assistant Prevailing Wage
Ophthalmic Assistant is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 29-2057.00 (Ophthalmic Medical Technicians). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Ophthalmic Diagnostic Sonographer Prevailing Wage
Ophthalmic Diagnostic Sonographer Prevailing Wage
Ophthalmic Diagnostic Sonographer positions fall under SOC 29-2057.00 (Ophthalmic Medical Technicians). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Ophthalmic Medical Assistant Prevailing Wage
Ophthalmic Medical Assistant Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Ophthalmic Medical Assistant for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 29-2057.00 (Ophthalmic Medical Technicians). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Ophthalmic Medical Technician (Ophthalmic Medical Tech) Prevailing Wage
Ophthalmic Medical Technician (Ophthalmic Medical Tech) Prevailing Wage
Ophthalmic Medical Technician (Ophthalmic Medical Tech) is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 29-2057.00 (Ophthalmic Medical Technicians). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Ophthalmic Tech (Ophthalmic Technician) Prevailing Wage
Ophthalmic Tech (Ophthalmic Technician) Prevailing Wage
Ophthalmic Tech (Ophthalmic Technician) positions fall under SOC 29-2057.00 (Ophthalmic Medical Technicians). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics across hundreds of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. For SOC 29-2057, it calculates four wage levels based on the distribution of wages actually paid to ophthalmic technicians in a given area. Employers sponsoring a worker under H-1B, E-3, or PERM must pay at least the level that matches the offered position's experience and responsibility requirements.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which one applies to my offer?
Level 1 covers entry positions under close supervision, Level 2 covers qualified technicians working with routine independence, Level 3 reflects experienced professionals with specialized skills or some training responsibilities, and Level 4 applies to fully competent senior or lead technicians. Your level is determined by the job duties on the LCA, not your personal credentials alone. Review the OFLC Wage Search definition for each level and compare it against the actual duties listed in your offer letter and the Labor Condition Application.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same ophthalmic technician role vary so much by city?
DOL calculates prevailing wages from regional OES survey data, so the floor reflects what local employers actually pay in that labor market. A practice in Santa Rosa operates in a high-cost California market with strong competition for credentialed technicians, while a clinic in Texarkana or Albany draws from a much lower-wage local pool. Critically, the wage on an LCA must correspond to the actual worksite city, not the employer's headquarters, so a multi-location ophthalmology group must use the wage for whichever office you will physically work in.
What happens if an employer offers me less than the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
An LCA certified by DOL legally binds the employer to pay at least the prevailing wage for the worksite and level listed. If the offered salary falls below that floor, USCIS will deny the H-1B or E-3 petition because the LCA itself will not certify. For PERM-based green cards, OFLC will reject the application. In short, a below-floor offer cannot proceed through the sponsorship process without the employer raising the salary to at least the applicable prevailing wage.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for an ophthalmic technician role in a specific U.S. city?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool, enter SOC code 29-2057, select the metropolitan area matching your worksite, and choose the appropriate wage level. This gives you the official DOL figure an employer must meet. To identify which ophthalmology practices and eye-care groups have sponsored this role in that metro before, Migrate Mate filters by role and location and shows each employer's historical sponsorship counts, so you can target your search toward practices with a real track record.
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