Ophthalmologist
What the work is
Provides diagnostic, treatment and preventative medical and surgical services related to diseases, injuries and deficiencies of the human eye and associated structures.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Conducts comprehensive eye examinations to assess eye health, and diagnose and treat eye conditions
- Prescribes and administers medications and treatment for eye diseases and injuries
- Performs surgical procedures on the eye such as cataract removal or laser eye surgery
- Orders and interprets diagnostic tests and collaborates with other Health Professionals to manage patients' overall health
- Prescribes and fits corrective lenses such as glasses or contact lenses
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a hospital imaging department that supports the emergency department, wards and local GPs. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A scan that looked ordinary gives a clear answer, and a patient gets the right care sooner
- A trainee finally sees what you have been pointing at on the screen
- A referring doctor rings back to say your report changed their plan
Hard days
- A queue of urgent scans grows while a worried family waits in the corridor for news
- You spot something nobody was looking for and have to decide how to raise it
- Long hours alone in a dim room with a screen, a phone and a pager that never stops
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 264934, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.