How Much Does an Ophthalmologist Earn? A Comprehensive Guide

How much does an ophthalmologist earn? Understanding ophthalmologist compensation, including average salary and benefits, is crucial for career planning. HOW.EDU.VN provides insights into earning potential and market trends, empowering informed decisions. Explore ophthalmology salaries and ophthalmology compensation packages.

1. Understanding Ophthalmologist Compensation: Methodology

The following salary data for ophthalmologists was collected from 87 anonymous contributions to our database from mid-2023 to mid-2024. While a larger sample size is generally preferable for robust statistical analysis, acquiring data in highly specialized medical fields can be challenging. Unless otherwise noted, the statistics presented below pertain to full-time practicing ophthalmologists, defined as those working 36 or more hours per week. Smaller data sets may be less representative of the overall specialty landscape. We encourage you to visit the free doctor salary and negotiation database for additional comparison points relevant to your unique situation. We are committed to updating this page with new data as it becomes available, enabling us to refine our insights and expand our analysis.

Please contribute your physician salary and negotiation data to help other physicians in your specialty.

2. Average Ophthalmologist Salary: An Overview

The average annual salary for ophthalmologists, based on all contributions to our database, is $484,000. This figure includes both full-time and part-time practitioners. Note that this figure represents attending physicians only; resident and fellow data have been excluded. An average annual salary can be misleading, as various factors influence physician compensation. The following analysis provides a more detailed breakdown of ophthalmologist salaries based on key variables.

2.1. Full-Time Ophthalmologist Salary Expectations

To provide a more accurate representation of earning potential, it is helpful to differentiate between full-time and part-time salaries. For our analysis, a full-time ophthalmologist is defined as one working 36 hours or more per week. The average annual salary for a full-time ophthalmologist is $509,000. Salary ranges vary significantly based on a number of factors, some of which include:

The highest reported salaries reach approximately $1,500,000 per year.
The lowest reported salaries fall in the $200,000 per year range.
The median salary is $450,000.

The compensation earned by ophthalmologists is closely linked to the practice environment they choose.

2.2. Part-Time Ophthalmologist Salary Expectations

A number of ophthalmologists in our database reported working part-time, with the majority working between 31 and 35 hours per week. For the purpose of this analysis, part-time ophthalmologists are defined as attending physicians working between 16 and 35 hours per week. The average annual salary for a part-time ophthalmologist is $329,000.

3. Ophthalmologist Salaries by Specialization

Physician specialization often plays a crucial role in determining salary. The following provides a qualitative analysis of salary trends based on subspecialty, based on the data points provided by physicians in our database. While we do not have sufficient data to provide definitive average salaries for all subspecialties, the following trends are notable.

Cornea Specialists: With one exception, ophthalmologists specializing in cornea reported annual salaries between $300,000 and $400,000. This is significantly lower than the average across all ophthalmologists. The outlier, a 1099 physician, reported a salary of $700,000. Employment type can significantly impact earnings.
Glaucoma Specialists: While one of the lowest reported salaries came from a glaucoma specialist, this individual was an active-duty military member. Practice environment significantly affects salaries. Overall, this subspecialty tends to pay on the higher side, with the remaining reported salaries ranging from $500,000 to $800,000 per year.
Pediatric Ophthalmologists: All current data for pediatric ophthalmologists falls below the overall average for ophthalmologists, ranging from $250,000 to $500,000.
Retina Specialists: The average salary for ophthalmologists specializing in retina was $699,000 per year, 37% higher than the overall average across ophthalmologists. Two of the three highest reported salaries came from doctors in this subspecialty.
Vitreoretinal Surgeons: Reported salaries range widely from $570,000 to $900,000, but all reported salaries for vitreoretinal surgeons were higher than the average across all ophthalmologists.

4. Gender-Based Salary Differences in Ophthalmology

Our data also allows for a comparison of average salaries between male and female ophthalmologists. Female ophthalmologists reported an average salary of $459,000. Male ophthalmologists reported an average salary of $549,000. Overall, the average salary for male doctors in our data set was 20% higher than that of their female colleagues. Interestingly, male ophthalmologists were significantly more likely to be owners or partners in their practice. 36% of male ophthalmologists were owners/partners, while only 16% of female ophthalmologists were.

5. Impact of Practice Environment on Ophthalmologist Salary

The practice environment significantly impacts an ophthalmologist’s earning potential. We’ve broken down average pay by reported workplace to assess these differences.

Group Private Practice (Non-Private Equity Backed): $544,000
Group Private Practice (Private Equity Backed): $692,000
Academic Hospital Employee: $384,000

Of the practice environments where we had enough data to calculate an average, ophthalmologists working for academic hospitals reported the lowest average salary, 42% less than colleagues working for non-PE backed group practices and 80% less than colleagues working for PE backed group practices. These positions often qualify for Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), which can be a significant benefit in the overall compensation package.

We generally see the reverse trend between non-private equity versus private equity-backed group private practice where doctors outside of private equity generally make more. For our current ophthalmologist dataset, physicians working with a PE-backed group average 27% more. It’s quite possible that the majority of our respondents working for PE-backed companies were also owners and not employees who were partners at the time of sale to private equity, which may skew the averages.

Contribute your physician salary and compensation data today to help future updates. While we didn’t have enough data points to assess an average, both of our lowest reported salaries were active duty military members. The data for our solo private practice ophthalmologists had a much wider range. While most of the current reported salaries were around $375,000, we also had a seven-figure solo private practice ophthalmologist.

5.1. Factors Influencing High Earnings in Ophthalmology

Six of our ophthalmology contributions reported salaries exceeding $900,000. These high earners shared several characteristics:

Employment in private practice (either solo or group).
Partnership or ownership status.
Specialization in a surgical subspecialty.
Minimum of five years of experience post-training.

6. Ophthalmologist Salary by Employment Type

Physician compensation is significantly affected by their employment type. We’ve examined salary variations based on different employment models.

1099 Independent Contractor Ophthalmologists: We don’t have enough data points to assess an average, but noted that the range between the highest and lowest salaries reported for 1099 was more than $400,000, suggesting other factors may play more significance in determining salaries for this employment type.

Locums: One of our lowest reported salaries was for a locums physician, though they didn’t state how often they typically do locums work or how long their contracts typically last, so it’s difficult to determine if locums was their full-time job or a side gig. We have a separate locums pay and compensation data set, and have looked at the statistics on locum tenens compensation for doctors separately, where there is much more data about this.

W-2 Employed Ophthalmologists: On average, W-2 employee ophthalmologists made $476,000 a year, which is less than the overall average for full-time ophthalmologists.

Partners/Owners: Partners/owners reported an average salary of $610,000 a year, which was 28% higher than W2 employees. The partners/owners averaged a slightly higher average number of hours worked weekly, but only by about 5% versus the 28% higher salary. The partner or owner track can be a great way to increase your earnings potential as an ophthalmologist, if you don’t mind the additional administrative roles that accompany the title. Several of these partners may also have ownership in an ambulatory surgery center (ASC).

7. Geographic Variations in Ophthalmologist Salary

Our ophthalmologist data spans the entire country. However, we lack sufficient data points to provide average salaries by state. We aim to provide this analysis in future updates as our data set grows.

8. Impact of Hours Worked on Ophthalmologist Earnings

Medicine is often perceived as a field where income directly correlates with effort. Therefore, we analyzed the relationship between average salaries and reported hours worked by ophthalmologists.

16-35 hours a week average – $329,000
36-40 hours a week average – $515,000
41-45 hours a week average – $466,000
46-50 hours a week average – $460,000
51+ hours a week average – $682,000

While doctors in ophthalmology who work the most generally make the most and those who work the least make the least, we interestingly see a reverse trend around 36-50 hours a week among the dataset we currently have. This suggests that other factors drive salaries for ophthalmologists more than hours worked. There may also be more practice owners in the 36-40 hour a week bucket, who have chosen to either cut back clinically or focus more on the business side of their practices.

8.1. Average Weekly Working Hours for Ophthalmologists

The majority of ophthalmologists work 36-45 hours a week on average. Along with the average hours worked a week, doctors contributing to our database also indicate how much time they spend charting. Ophthalmologists spend less time charting at home than many of the other specialties featured in our how much doctors make by specialty series, but 33% still reported spending at least one hour a week charting at home on top of the hours worked above. If you find yourself spending a lot of time at home charting, an AI scribe may be able to dramatically decrease the amount of time you spend charting. We have a free trial and a long-standing discount on an AI scribing solution in our practice resources for physicians, in case you need one]

9. Trends in Ophthalmologist Salary Over Time

Our analysis includes data collected from mid-2023 to mid-2024, reflecting our most recent salary and compensation database. We also examined data from our previous salary database, initiated in 2018, to identify trends in average pay for ophthalmologists over time. To ensure data comparability, we focused on ophthalmologists beyond residency/fellowship who worked an average of 36+ hours per week. Data from 2023 combines information from both the old and new databases, with entries cut off at the transition point to prevent overlap or duplication.

2018-2019: $400,000
2020-2021: $383,000 (4% decrease)
2022-2023: $458,000 (20% increase)
2024: $509,000 (11% increase)

Overall, we see salaries in ophthalmology increasing over time. There was a dip in 2020-2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, which we’ve seen across several specialties, especially those with elective surgeries that were suspended during the pandemic. We see a sharp increase in salaries in 2022-2023 with pay rebounding after the pandemic, as well as a continued increase in salaries for 2024. With more and more salary transparency, we hope to see this trend continue.

10. Additional Components of Ophthalmologist Compensation Packages

Beyond base salary, compensation packages for ophthalmologists often include additional benefits. We plan to delve into complete compensation packages in future analyses, but for now, we’ve included some key insights:

10.1. Sign-On and Relocation Bonuses

25% of our ophthalmologists reported receiving a sign-on bonus, with the average amount of $20,000. Signing bonuses ranged from $5,000 – $45,000. Learn more about sign-on bonuses for physicians. 33% reported receiving a relocation bonus. The average amount was around $9,000. Relocation bonuses ranged from $2,000 – $20,000.

10.2. Vacation Days

The average number of vacation days annually was 22 days, with 20 days being the median. Some doctors commented that their vacation is an overall pool of paid time off, including their sick days and CME, while others had separate buckets. Others commented that they have unlimited time off, but this was typically because they worked under a straight production compensation model.

10.3. CME Stipends

58% of our ophthalmology doctors reported receiving some sort of CME stipend, with the average annual stipend being around $5,200. Stipends ranged everywhere from $1,000 up to $25,000.

10.4. Student Loan Debt

While student loans are not a part of compensation, student loan debt forgiveness can be a benefit with many positions. Of our physicians who reported their student loan debt at graduation, the average debt was $220,000. Learn more about doctor student loans. If you’ve been considering refinancing to help with the debt burden, you can also explore our student loan refinancing options.

11. Additional Insights from Ophthalmologists

As part of our salary and compensation data contributions, members of our physician online community can provide additional comments. As we compiled the data, we also looked for additional insights provided by other ophthalmologists that could be valuable for job selection and contract negotiations. A few that might be of use:

12. Strategies to Increase Your Ophthalmologist Salary

If the information above has you questioning your current salary, there are a few different ways to increase your income as an ophthalmologist. Remember to look at the overall picture, considering all the factors included above and others, such as other compensation in the overall employment package such as amount of PTO, call responsibilities, 401(k) match, etc. Salary is a key component to physician compensation, but it isn’t the only part of a well-negotiated physician employment contract.

If you like where you work but don’t love the pay, consider setting aside a time to talk with management. If you are a valued part of their team, they may be willing to work with you to renegotiate your contract versus risking you leaving. Be practical in what you’re expecting and respectful in your request. Diving deeper into the salary and compensation data for physicians for comparable situations can help you get a target idea of what to try to renegotiate for. Looking for additional career opportunities can also help. Sometimes, an employer may either not be able to or just not willing to work with you to get you to where you should be. That doesn’t mean every job will come with the same constraints. Interviewing for a few other positions can give you a feel of what the market looks like from the employer’s perspective by what employers are willing to offer. Explore open opportunities on our Physician Side Gigs job board, and explore all our physician career resources and education to help you navigate the job search process.

While we think the data above and in our database can be a great tool during the negotiation process, we almost always also recommend hiring a local contract review attorney for physicians to review your contract. They will have invaluable experience when it comes to negotiating physician contracts, including understanding what red flags to watch out for. If you’re looking to increase your income as an ophthalmologist but are already at or above your market’s rate, you have options in this situation as well. Explore popular medical and non-medical side gigs for doctors for ideas on other ways to increase your income.

13. Additional Resources for Ophthalmologists

Explore our related articles and resources on doctor compensation and salaries. If you haven’t recently, please take a few minutes to contribute! The data provided is used only for the purpose of our database to help physicians like yourself negotiate better compensation by helping provide salary transparency with relevant data. The data is completely anonymous and is only available to members of our Physician Side Gigs Facebook group. Contribution links can be found on our compensation data for physicians page. Looking for a new career opportunity? Explore the Physician Side Gigs job board for current opportunities. If you need guidance on negotiating your next contract for the best possible deal, check out: Also check out common medical and non-medical physician side gigs.

14. Expert Consultations at HOW.EDU.VN

Navigating the complexities of ophthalmologist compensation requires expert guidance. At HOW.EDU.VN, we connect you with leading Doctors who provide personalized advice tailored to your unique situation. Whether you are seeking to optimize your current contract, explore new career opportunities, or understand the nuances of compensation packages, our team of over 100 renowned Doctors is here to support you.

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Personalized Strategies: Receive advice tailored to your specific goals and circumstances.
Up-to-Date Market Insights: Stay informed on current salary trends and negotiation tactics.
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Comprehensive Guidance: Gain insights into contract negotiation, career advancement, and more.

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15. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the average salary for an ophthalmologist in the United States?

The average salary for an ophthalmologist in the United States is approximately $484,000 per year, including both full-time and part-time practitioners. However, this can vary widely based on factors such as location, experience, specialization, and practice setting.

2. How does specialization affect an ophthalmologist’s salary?

Specialization can significantly impact an ophthalmologist’s earning potential. For example, retina specialists often earn more than general ophthalmologists due to the complexity and demand for their services.

3. What is the difference in salary between male and female ophthalmologists?

According to our data, male ophthalmologists earn approximately 20% more than female ophthalmologists on average. This may be due to factors such as differences in practice ownership and years of experience.

4. How does the practice environment affect an ophthalmologist’s salary?

Ophthalmologists working in private equity-backed group practices tend to earn more than those in academic hospitals. Those working in academic hospitals reported 42% less than colleagues working for non-PE backed group practices. This is often offset by benefits like eligibility for Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).

5. What are the typical benefits included in an ophthalmologist’s compensation package?

Typical benefits include sign-on bonuses, relocation assistance, vacation time, CME stipends, health insurance, retirement plans, and malpractice insurance coverage.

6. How can an ophthalmologist increase their salary?

Strategies to increase salary include negotiating a better contract, pursuing additional training or specialization, seeking opportunities in higher-paying locations or practice settings, and exploring side gigs to supplement income.

7. What is the role of a contract review attorney in negotiating an ophthalmologist’s salary?

A contract review attorney can help ensure that the ophthalmologist’s contract is fair and equitable. They can identify potential red flags, negotiate favorable terms, and protect the ophthalmologist’s interests.

8. How has the salary for ophthalmologists changed over time?

Salaries for ophthalmologists have generally increased over time, with a dip during the COVID-19 pandemic followed by a strong rebound in recent years.

9. What is the average student loan debt for ophthalmologists?

The average student loan debt for ophthalmologists is approximately $220,000. This can significantly impact their financial planning and career decisions.

10. Where can I find expert advice on ophthalmologist compensation and career planning?

how.edu.vn offers expert consultations with experienced Doctors who can provide personalized advice on ophthalmologist compensation, contract negotiation, and career planning. Our Doctors can help you make informed decisions and achieve your professional goals.