Optometrist
Healthcare
Diagnose, manage, and treat conditions and diseases of the human eye and visual system. Examine eyes and visual system, diagnose problems or impairments, prescribe corrective lenses, and provide treatment. May prescribe therapeutic drugs to treat specific eye conditions.
Picture the job
Where you'd usually workA clinic or consultation room
- Mostly indoors
- Sitting for most of the day
- Dealing with customers or the public
- Regular working hours
An illustration of a typical workplace, not a photo. The work-style notes come from US O*NET data, so read them as a guide.
In Malaysia
In Malaysia, optometrists hold a 4-year degree, not a US-style Doctor of Optometry. They are separate from opticians (juruoptik, diploma-level), who are registered under the same Act. Most work in optical retail chains and eye centres, and some in MOH hospitals as Pegawai Optometri, who refer pathology to ophthalmologists.
- How people get into it here
- SPM (science stream) → Foundation/Matriculation/STPM → Bachelor of Optometry (Hons), 4 years (e.g. UKM, IIUM, UiTM, MSU, SEGi, UCSI) → registration with the Malaysian Optical Council.
- Registration required
- Majlis Optik Malaysia (Malaysian Optical Council), under the Optical Act 1991
- Government post
- Pegawai Optometri Gred U9 (SSPA), Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia · starts at RM2,580 a month
Sources:hq.moh.gov.myspa.gov.my
Pay in Malaysia
We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.
Where to check:
- JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
- DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
- SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
How far is this from you?
Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.
1
Entry straight after SPM
2
SPM + sijil / short TVET course
3
Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)
4
Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)
Typical entry
Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route
How to get here
Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.
Asasi / Foundation
One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.
Diploma
Skill-first qualification. Work after, or enter degree Year 2. Polytechnics keep it affordable.
Check what you may qualify for
Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.
Quick answers
How do you become an Optometrist in Malaysia?
SPM (science stream) → Foundation/Matriculation/STPM → Bachelor of Optometry (Hons), 4 years (e.g. UKM, IIUM, UiTM, MSU, SEGi, UCSI) → registration with the Malaysian Optical Council. Registration with Majlis Optik Malaysia (Malaysian Optical Council), under the Optical Act 1991 is required to practise.
What should I study to become an Optometrist?
Related fields of study: Allied Health. SPM subjects that help most: Biology, Chemistry, Additional Science and English.
How much does an Optometrist earn in Malaysia?
We don't yet have a Malaysian source we can cite for Optometrist pay, so we show no figure.
What you'd do all day
The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.
Also known as
What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.
Subjects that matter here
The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.
What you'd need to know
The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.
- Medicine and Dentistry96%
BiologyChemistry
- Biology90%
BiologyAdditional Science
- Customer and Personal Service88%
- English Language78%
English
- Mathematics72%
Additional MathematicsMathematics
- Education and Training71%
Tools you'd use
Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.
What the work feels like
Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.
- Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
- Contact with other peopleConstant contact
- Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
- Leading or coordinating othersHigh
- Handling conflict situationsOften
- Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
- Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
- Noisy environmentAlmost never
AI and demand for this job
A few real, dated data points, not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.
Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)
This estimate is from 2023, already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.
What beginner adverts asked for
We read 20 internship and fresh-graduate adverts in related fields (August 2026). A small sample from one job site, not every vacancy.
9 of 20 were internships
Allowance or pay, when stated
RM800 – RM2,000
16 of 20 adverts printed an amount: usually between RM800 and RM2,000 a month. Many print none.
Languages named
Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin
An empty line means the adverts did not say, not that employers have no requirement. Check each employer's own advert before you plan around it.
Related careers
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About this information
This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.
O*NET occupation: Optometrists
Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org