A study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Optometry on April 27, 2026 entitled Malpractice payments by optometrists in the United States: An analysis of the National Practitioner Data Bank from 1996 to 2023 reported that “[m]alpractice payments involving optometrists remain infrequent and financially modest compared with other health professions, with most claims arising from diagnostic rather than procedural issues. There is no evidence that expanding optometric privileges, including lasers, injections, or oral medications, has increased malpractice risk. Advances in education, technology, and interprofessional collaboration likely underpin this stability. Ongoing monitoring of NPDB data will help ensure that optometry’s growing clinical role continues to align with patient safety and professional accountability.
Despite major expansions in optometric scope of practice, including therapeutic drug use, injections, and in-office laser procedures, little is known about how these changes affect malpractice liability. Understanding national malpractice trends can inform legislation, education, and risk-mitigation strategies as optometry continues to assume broader clinical responsibilities.”
The study’s investigators found a total of 1,040 malpractice payments were recorded from 1996 to 2023. The mean malpractice payment was $220,918, and ranged from $300 to $2.95 million. The average provider age was 43 years; 56% of patients were over 50 years old; and, the failure to diagnose accounted for 40% of primary allegations. Inflation-adjusted total payments demonstrated a significant upward trend that became nonsignificant after excluding 2021–2023. No significant change in annual case numbers was found.
Among 11 states with expanded optometric authority, no statistically significant increase in malpractice cases occurred post-expansion except in Indiana. Expanded-scope states mirrored national trends in both payment frequency and amount.
From 2000 to 2020, optometrists faced 2,798 malpractice cases, with 30% of those resulting in monetary payments. Failure to diagnose a patient accounted for nearly 45% of malpractice claims. Retinal detachment, glaucoma, and tumors are the three most commonly overlooked diagnoses by optometrists.
The five most common claims alleged in medical malpractice claims against optometrists are: failure to diagnose, delay in diagnosis, wrong diagnosis, improper management, and failure to refer.
Optometrists diagnose, manage, and treat conditions and diseases of the human eye and visual system, including examining eyes and prescribing corrective lenses. Optometrists typically need a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree, which take 4 years of graduate-level study to complete. Every state requires optometrists to be licensed. In 2024, there were 47,800 optometrists in the United States. Their median pay was $134,830 per year.
Employment of optometrists is projected to grow 8 percent from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations. About 2,400 openings for optometrists are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
If you or a family member suffered serious injury or other harm that may be due to optometrist malpractice in the United States, you should promptly find a medical malpractice attorney in your state who may investigate your optometrist malpractice claim for you and represent you or your family member in an optometrist medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
Visit our website or call us toll-free in the United States at 800-295-3959 to find optometry malpractice lawyers in your state who may assist you.
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