PathLensSOUTH AFRICA · CLEARER PATHS. BRIGHTER OPTIONS.
Orthoptist
OFO Code: 226702
Last checked 7 October 2026
1. Occupation identity
- OFO code
- 226702
- Occupation
- Orthoptist
- Classification
- OFO 2021
- Major group
- PROFESSIONALS
- Unit group
- 2267 · Optometrists and Ophthalmic Opticians
Official description
Optometrists and ophthalmic opticians provide diagnosis, management and treatment services for disorders of the eyes and visual system. They counsel on eye care and prescribe optical aids or other therapies for visual disturbance.
More official OFO detail
- Testing visual function using specialised instruments and equipment for measuring visual acuity and refractive error, function of visual pathways, visual fields, eye movements, freedom of vision and intraocular pressure
- Detecting and diagnosing eye movement disorders and defects of binocular function, and planning and managing treatment programs, including counselling patients in eye exercises to coordinate movement and focusing of eyes
- Consulting with and referring patients to ophthalmologists or other health professionals if additional medical treatment is necessary
- Prescribing corrective eyeglasses, contact lenses and other vision aids, and checking optical devices for performance, safety, comfort and lifestyle
- Detecting, diagnosing and managing eye disease, including prescribing medications for the treatment of eye disease
- Advising on visual health matters such as contact lens care, vision care for the elderly, optics, visual ergonomics, and occupational and industrial eye safety
- Examining patients’ eyes and conducting diagnostic tests to assess ocular health and determine the nature and extent of vision problems and abnormalities
2. Demand status
Demand evidence unavailable
No approved governed OIHD graph relationship is available on this deployment for this OFO code.
PathLens does not fall back to legacy specimen demand flags when governed evidence is unavailable.
A national demand signal is not a promise of a vacancy in your town.
3. Salary evidence
No approved governed salary observation or sourced snapshot salary record is available for this OFO code yet.
Open remuneration history & calculator →4. Quick EE check
How much might Employment Equity matter in this job context?
Answer three quick questions for a rough read. This is workforce context, not a hiring decision.
Select the employer size and your profile to get a quick read.
5. Qualification
Qualification evidence pending.
Understand NQF levels, institutions & recognition → Build my qualification pathway →6. Study funding
Check all funding options, eligibility & obligations →A funding match will only be shown once a recognised qualification or study route has been identified.
7. Industry, sector and provincial context
National occupation classification. Industry and provincial context are shown only where a separate official source supports the link.
No source-backed modern OFO↔SIC 7 industry link has been ingested for this occupation yet. PathLens does not infer one from the job title.
Browse the official South African industry classification →8. Next steps — official links
9. Decision tools
10. Sources for this page
- DHET Organising Framework for Occupations (OFO 2021) · Ingested · identity spine active
Canonical OFO identity data has been ingested and validated. 1511 occupation records are recorded in the ingest artifact. - DHET Occupations in High Demand · Validated pipeline · graph publication not confirmed
The governed OIHD pipeline is active, but a successful populated graph run is not currently confirmed on this deployment. - Critical Skills List · Monitored · occupation linkage pending
Official migration sources are monitored, but PathLens does not infer visa eligibility or occupation-level eligibility from monitoring alone. - QCTO qualifications and occupational certificates · Candidate staging ready · not published
Qualification staging and human review are implemented; no qualification↔OFO relationship is published without an explicit source identifier or governed human review. - Stats SA Quarterly Labour Force Survey · Acquisition active · no approved evidence on this deployment
Official QLFS artifact discovery is active. Dataset-specific schema, weighting, reliability and review gates remain separate; a discovered artifact or executable estimator does not itself create a public claim. - SETA Sector Skills Plans / hard-to-fill vacancy tables · Partial · explicit source links only
PathLens preserves explicit source-backed SETA/activity links where present and does not infer modern SIC relationships from occupation titles.