Optometrist burnout is no longer an anecdotal concern, it is a documented, measurable pattern. Peer-reviewed research published in the Journal of Optometry in 2025 found that more than half of U.S. optometrists — 53.6% — reported symptoms of burnout.Understanding what is driving this is the first step toward building something better. And the data makes the root causes clear. 

What the data says about OD burnout 

The nationwide burnout study referenced above, conducted in September 2024 with 1,436 optometrist respondents, found that burnout severity was directly tied to the number of clinic days worked. This is a meaningful signal: the more time ODs spend in high-volume clinical environments, the greater the burnout risk. The study also found that electronic health record (EHR) use was independently associated with higher burnout rates. 

A separate analysis published in Optometry and Vision Science in 2026 tracked burnout trends among VA optometrists over six years. It found that mean burnout rates rose from 36.9% in 2018 to 47% between 2022 and 2024, a trajectory that shows no sign of reversing on its own. 

These numbers matter because they reframe the conversation. Burnout in optometry is not a personal failing or a sign of weakness. It is a predictable response to a system that has steadily shifted administrative weight onto the clinician without a corresponding increase in support. 

The administrative burden is not a minor inconvenience 

The front desk is usually the first place pressure shows up. 

For many ODs, the most corrosive part of the workday has little to do with patient care. It is the time spent on tasks that exist entirely in the gap between clinical work and the insurance and administrative machinery surrounding it. 

According to an AMA survey on prior authorization, the average physician practice spends the equivalent of 12 hours per week on prior authorization workflows alone, and 95% of physicians reported that these requirements significantly increase burnout. Across healthcare, this burden is structural, not incidental. 

The downstream impact on clinical care is well documented. The same AMA survey found that 94% of physicians report that prior authorization causes delays in patient care, and 78% say it sometimes or often results in patients abandoning a recommended treatment entirely. 

For optometrists specifically, this dynamic is compounded by the realities of reimbursement. A 2023 income survey by Review of Optometry found that declining insurance reimbursements were one of the top two factors cited by ODs who reported income declines. leading many practices to increase patient volume to compensate, which only accelerates the burnout cycle. 

The problem is not that optometrists lack dedication. It is that the operational structures around them have been allowed to expand unchecked, consuming the time and attention that should go to patients.   

The result is a pattern that shows up consistently in the research: more clinic days, more administrative tasks, more EHR burden, more burnout. And a profession that, for the first time, is struggling to attract the next generation of practitioners. 

The autonomy question, and what it means for recruitment 

The burnout problem is not just a retention issue. It is shaping how students and early-career ODs evaluate the profession itself. When the dominant model of practice means high patient volume, insurance-driven workflows, and diminishing clinical independence, the value proposition of optometry weakens at the recruitment stage. 

This is not speculation. As early as 2024, researchers tracking Medicare opt-out rates published findings in PLOS ONE showing a significant rise in optometrists opting out of Medicare since 2012. While the study notes that reasons cannot be determined from administrative data alone, it flags administrative burden and declining reimbursements as plausible contributing factors and describes the trend as a potential threat to patient access. 

The trajectory is clear: when the structures of a profession become unsustainable, the people in that profession find ways out, or never enter in the first place. Addressing this requires more than individual coping strategies. It requires rethinking the operational model that surrounds the OD. 

How virtual assistants support a healthier practice model 

This is where Teem’s virtual assistants for optometry come in, not as an automation tool, but as a real extension of your team. 

Teem’s virtual assistants are dedicated and reliable professionals who work remotely to take over the administrative workflows that consume OD time without adding clinical value. That means insurance verification, scheduling coordination, patient communication, recall outreach, and documentation support, handled consistently, without pulling your in-office team away from the patients in front of them. 

Protecting the OD’s most valuable asset: attention 

When an OD is not context-switching between clinical work and administrative firefighting, the quality of care improves. Appointments are less rushed. Clinical decisions have room to breathe. The doctor-patient relationship, the thing that makes optometry worth practicing, has space to actually form. 

This is not about replacing people. It is about aligning tasks with the right people. Your ODs should be diagnosing, treating, and building relationships. Your in-office team should be focusing on the patients physically present in the practice. And the administrative layer that keeps everything running should be supported by a reliable, trained team that does not add to the overhead. 

A model built for autonomy, not dependency 

The practices that work with Teem are not outsourcing their culture or their care standards. They are adding capacity, deliberately, on their own terms. Whether an OD is running a private practice, exploring a direct care model, or working within a larger group, the goal is the same: more time practicing optometry the way they were trained to practice it. 

That is the future worth building toward. Not a profession where talented clinicians leave because the operational burden became too heavy. But one where the support systems around the OD are strong enough that they can do what they do best. 

If you believe optometry deserves better, more autonomy, more sustainable practice models, and more room for real patient care, Teem would love to be part of that conversation. 

Give your ODs their time back  

Teem’s virtual assistants handle the administrative work so your doctors can focus on what matters most: patient care.