Written by Drew Caldwell
Founder & President, OjO Recruitment Agency
Last updated: October 2026
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At a Glance: Choosing an Oculoplastic Surgeon Opportunity
The right oculoplastic surgeon job or partnership opportunity should offer the functional oculoplastic, cosmetic, and reconstructive case mix you enjoy, colleagues you trust, the ability to grow and be mentored and build the career and life you want. Before accepting an offer, look closely at the oculoplastic patient mix, surgical volume and OR/in-office procedure room access, team and aesthetic support, compensation and partnership terms, and call responsibilities.
For the surgeon you are today, and the one you’re becoming.
Oculoplastic surgeons are among the rarest specialists in medicine. There are fewer than 700 ASOPRS fellowship-trained oculoplastic surgeons in the entire United States — roughly one for every half a million Americans. If you’re reading this, you’re one of them. That rarity means you’re in demand, and that demand is only going to grow.
A study published in the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s journal projects a 24% increase in demand for ophthalmologists over the next decade, against a 12% decline in supply. General ophthalmologists are increasingly consumed by high-volume cataract and anterior segment care, leaving less room for minor eyelid procedures or complex periorbital cases — and more of that care lands, by referral, in your hands.
Think about what your rarity means in a patient’s life. You’re often the surgeon standing between someone and blindness, when a tumor or trauma threatens the eye itself. You’re the one who reconstructs an eyelid after skin cancer surgery, so a patient can close their eye to sleep and blink to protect their vision, not just heal a scar. You restore sight in patients whose eyelids have drooped so severely they can no longer see over them. You give a child born with a congenital eyelid anomaly the ability to look up, see the world clearly, and express themselves with the open, natural gaze every child deserves. And when a patient comes to you simply wanting to look as rested and alert as they feel, you can give them that too — with the same precision and care.
Very few surgeons can do this work. Fewer still get to do all of it well. So this decision isn’t just about which job pays better. It’s about where your particular, scarce skill set gets to do its best work — and where the practice itself is built to grow alongside you.
Career changes and job discussions are deeply personal, and the ideal opportunity is different for every surgeon reading this. Some of you are finishing fellowship and picturing your first real practice position. Others of you have been doing this work for years and are starting to wonder, quietly, whether there’s a better fit elsewhere. Wherever you’re starting from, the question underneath is the same: what does the work actually need to look like for you to build the career you’re imagining?
Maybe reconstructive work is what energizes you most — orbital trauma, tumor removal, lacrimal repair. You might love the technical precision of ptosis and functional eyelid surgery, or want to build a thoughtful cosmetic practice alongside it. Or you may already know exactly which mix of these you’re happiest doing — and that clarity is worth holding onto as you look at practice opportunities.
Job listings like “Oculoplastic Surgeon Needed” can refer to very different jobs. One practice has a steady flow of ptosis, eyelid lesions, and tearing patients. Another wants someone to develop a regional orbital or reconstructive service. A third group may have ambitions for a growing cosmetic practice, but hasn’t yet built the referral pipeline, marketing, or patient flow to support it. None of those is automatically the right or wrong opportunity — what matters is whether the role fits the surgeon you are today as well as future you want to create for yourself.
What kind of oculoplastics practice do you want?
Would you enjoy a practice focused on functional eyelid surgery? How much lacrimal, orbital, trauma, or skin cancer reconstruction do you want? Would you like cosmetic blepharoplasty, injectables, and facial aesthetic work to be an occasional part of your week or a substantial part of your career?
Think about the setting, too. A multispecialty ophthalmology group can offer familiar colleagues and internal referrals. A dedicated oculoplastics practice may give you more intensive mentoring, and partners who share your surgical interests. A hospital or academic center may bring more complex disease, teaching, research opportunities, or multidisciplinary care. A physician-owned practice and a larger organization may differ in how decisions are made and how a new service grows. The name of the setting tells you only so much — ask to see how the work is actually done.
Some oculoplastic surgeons enjoy keeping comprehensive ophthalmology work in their week; others want to focus entirely on oculoplastics. That distinction matters when you join a multispecialty group that is still building its oculoplastics service. The practice may have patients to send you right away, but it can take time for referrals to grow. Seeing comprehensive patients in the meantime may give you a fuller schedule and steadier earnings—if that’s work you enjoy. Ask how much oculoplastics volume exists today, what the group is doing to grow it, and how your schedule might change as it does.
Where will your cases come from?
“Strong referral base” sounds reassuring. Ask detailed questions about what it actually means for your schedule.
How many oculoplastics patients does the group currently see or refer elsewhere? Which conditions are most common? Are colleagues ready to refer those patients to you, and how will the handoff happen? Is an established surgeon in the group retiring or reducing work, or perhaps the region is losing a surgeon — if so, which patients and referring relationships could realistically transition?
Look beyond the practice’s own doctors. Depending on the role, referrals may come from local optometrists, ophthalmologists, dermatologists, Mohs surgeons, ENT physicians, hospitals, and other clinicians. Find out which relationships already exist and which you’d be expected to cultivate. If the group talks about untapped demand, ask what they’ve observed or tracked — not only what they hope will happen.
An existing patient need is encouraging, so is a practice whose belief in that unmet demand is strong enough to invest in building the service from scratch. They’re different starting points, and knowing which one you’re walking into changes what your first few years will actually look like. Ask what your clinic and surgical volume might look like in the first twelve months, and who will help you reach the next stage.
Will you have the space, staff, and surgical access to do the work?
Think through a real patient visit. Who takes clinical photographs and arranges visual field testing when it’s needed for functional eyelid cases? Who helps with documentation, authorizations, procedure scheduling, and follow-up? Is there someone who understands the difference between an insurance-covered functional visit and an elective cosmetic consultation? Will you play a meaningful role in training staff so your workflow runs efficiently, or are you stepping into processes that are already set?
Then look at the places where you’d operate. Which procedures can be done in the office, and what office procedure space and instruments are available? Which cases would go to an ASC or hospital, and how dependable is your OR time? If you want to do orbital surgery, trauma, or extensive reconstruction, ask about privileges, anesthesia support, surgical staff, and the other specialists you may need beside you.
If the group wants you to develop new work, ask what it’s prepared to add. A promise to buy equipment or create block time is most useful when you know who will make the decision, and when. You shouldn’t have to discover after joining that the patients are there but the infrastructure needed to treat them is not.
What if you want to build a cosmetic practice?
“Opportunity to grow cosmetics” can mean several things. Perhaps the practice already has patients asking about eyelid surgery and injectables. Perhaps it has a cosmetic coordinator, consultation space, and a way to introduce your work to its community. Or perhaps the idea is still in the early stages.
Ask what patients are requesting now, which services the group hopes to offer, and what oculoplastic service gaps exist in the regional market. Who handles calls and consultations, and how much time would you have to listen to a patient’s goals, explain options, and follow up? Is there a plan and a budget to introduce your services to existing patients and appropriate referring doctors? Does the practice understand the time and attention involved in building this part of the work?
You may want a busy aesthetic practice. You may prefer functional and reconstructive care with only occasional cosmetic cases. Either option is worth considering early on — it helps you and the practice see whether you’re imagining the same future.
How will the job fit the life you want?
Work-life balance is one of the top priorities for the candidates we work with, and call is often at the center of it. Does the position include practice call, hospital or emergency department call, trauma coverage, or urgent postoperative problems? How often, and who can help when a case needs another specialist or a trip to the OR? What happens when you take vacation or need time for your family?
Spend time with the people you’d work beside: the ophthalmologists, optometrists, technicians, surgical coordinators, administrators, and, if possible, outside referring doctors. How are cases shared? Can colleagues talk through a difficult case? Do they respect the time needed for a careful reconstructive or cosmetic consultation?
It’s also worth asking about the administrative and marketing aspects of a successful plastics service line. Does the team have experience introducing a new oculoplastic surgeon to a community? If this is new territory for them, how open are they to your ideas for getting the service off the ground?
For many surgeons we work with, location isn’t a secondary consideration — it’s the first box that has to be checked. Good schools, proximity to family, climate, cost of living, a partner’s own career: these aren’t extras layered on top of a great offer, they’re often the whole point of making a move. A beautiful practice and a generous package can’t answer every question about where you and your family will actually feel at home.
How should you compare compensation and partnership?
Compensation conversations can feel transactional- even a little uncomfortable and intimidating, but the best ones reveal how a practice thinks about supporting your work — both now and as your caseload grows. Start with the guaranteed pay, but ask what sits behind it. How and when do productivity incentives begin? Are they based on collections, RVUs, or another measure?
If plastics will be a new service line for the practice, ask how you’ll be supported financially in the early months or first year, while the specialty is still building volume. How will the practice support your schedule while referrals grow? If the position blends insurance-covered surgery with elective cosmetic work, how is each part counted in the compensation plan?
Look at the full offer: benefits, time off, CME, relocation or sign-on bonuses, stipends, loan repayment, call responsibilities, and any resources promised for building the service. If the group projects your future income, ask which patients and procedures already exist and which depend on new growth. The assumptions should be clear enough that you can work through them together.
If partnership interests you, ask what you might own and when. Will a buy-in include the medical practice, an ASC, real estate, or other assets? Would you be a minority shareholder or a full equity owner? How would this transaction be valued, and what decisions would you have a voice in? Some excellent positions are employed roles without ownership; others offer a meaningful partnership path. What matters most is whether the arrangement fits your goals and is explained plainly. Our ophthalmology partnership guide can help you dig deeper.
What should a fellow look for in a first oculoplastics job?
Your fellowship gives you remarkable training. Your first position should give you room to keep growing. Ask which surgeons you can call for advice, how more complex cases are handled, and whether the practice will support the areas of oculoplastics you most want to develop.
Find out how your schedule will be built. Will partners introduce you to patients and referring doctors? Are the OR access, staff, and equipment ready? If a practice promises mentorship or a large referral base, ask for examples of how its last new associate was supported — a specific plan is easier to trust than a flattering description.
You don’t have to decide today exactly what your practice will look like in ten years. You do deserve a first job that lets you do good work, ask questions, and become the surgeon you want to be. Our ophthalmology interview guide offers more questions to take on a visit.
What if you’re an experienced surgeon considering a move?
By now you know which cases give you energy and which parts of a workday you’d like to leave behind. Perhaps you want a different surgical mix, more dependable support, more flexibility in scheduling, a role with improved financial upside, a clearer ownership path, or colleagues who will build something with you. Perhaps you want to live closer to family, or you’re picturing a great new role in your dream location.
Be specific about what would make leaving your current patients and team worthwhile. From what we’ve seen, a long list of boxes usually needs to be checked before a move makes sense to a physician — this isn’t a decision most surgeons take lightly, and it shouldn’t be. Ask why the opening exists, how quickly a caseload could develop or transition, and which decisions you’d control. If cosmetic growth is part of the appeal, ask what the practice has already done to support it. If you hope to bring your own referral relationships, talk carefully about what a transition would involve, and have appropriate counsel review your current agreements.
A move can be right even when you’re doing well where you are. Give yourself time to learn whether this particular opportunity offers the work, financial upsides and life you’re hoping to find.
Questions to ask about an oculoplastic surgeon job
- What proportion of my work would be functional eyelid, lacrimal, orbital, reconstructive, and cosmetic care?
- How many oculoplastics patients are referred out today, and for which conditions?
- What cases are already available, and which would I be expected to develop?
- If another surgeon is leaving, how would patient and referral relationships transition?
- Which physicians and optometrists in the group expect to refer patients to me?
- Where would I perform office procedures, ASC cases, and hospital surgery — and what OR time is available?
- Who would handle clinical photography, visual fields when needed, authorizations, scheduling, and cosmetic inquiries?
- What equipment, staffing, and outreach support would the practice provide in my first year?
- What does call cover, and how are urgent or complex cases supported?
- How are functional surgery and elective cosmetic services reflected in my compensation?
- What opportunities are there to teach, lead, build a service, or become a partner?
- Why is the position open, and what would a good first year look like to the group?
You don’t need to cover all of these questions in one meeting. As the relationship develops, the answers should become more specific — if a detail matters to your decision, it’s reasonable to keep asking until you understand it.
Frequently asked questions about oculoplastic surgeon jobs
Do I need an ASOPRS-approved fellowship for every oculoplastics job?
No. Some positions specifically require a two-year ASOPRS-approved fellowship, particularly when the group seeks a particular background for its service. Others are open to ophthalmologists who completed a one-year oculoplastics fellowship. Read the actual requirements, then talk through your case experience and the work the practice needs.
Will I be expected to do cosmetic procedures?
It depends on the job. Some practices hope to build a significant cosmetic service; others mainly need functional eyelid, lacrimal, orbital, or reconstructive care. Ask what patients request now, what area demographics support, what the group plans to develop, and what you want your own practice to include.
Can I build an oculoplastics practice within a multispecialty ophthalmology group?
Yes. Colleagues may already see patients who need your care, and a group can help introduce you to its patients and referring doctors. Find out how many cases are currently referred out, how internal referrals would work, and what support the group can provide beyond its own patient base.
Do oculoplastic surgeon jobs offer partnership?
Some do. Partnership may involve the practice, an ASC, real estate, or other interests, and the timeline and buy-in vary. Ask what has happened for previous associates and what the written terms would mean for you — a clearly defined, transparent ownership path should be presented to you.
Can OjO help if I’m not actively job searching?
Absolutely. You can tell us what you enjoy now and what kind of opportunity might make you curious. A confidential conversation doesn’t require you to apply for a job, and we love sharing information, knowledge and insights from our nearly 2 decades of experience in ophthalmology recruitment.
How OjO helps oculoplastic surgeons explore jobs
We begin by listening. Tell us about the cases you love, the work you hope to do more of, and what would have to be true for a new position to feel right for you to make a move. We’ll ask about the places you might call home, the people you hope to work with, and what you want an ordinary week to feel like.
Then we can help you look closely at opportunities: the patients who are already there, the work still to be built, the practical support behind the offer, and the questions worth asking before you commit. We work with practices nationwide and handle career conversations discreetly. Our services are free to physician candidates — you’re welcome to talk with us even if you’re only beginning to consider a change. Browse OjO’s current ophthalmology jobs or tell us what you’re looking for. Our services are free to physician candidates, and a conversation can remain confidential.
Let’s talk about the jobs and partnerships that fit you as a person and as a provider
Maybe you’re nearing the end of fellowship. Maybe you’ve built a good practice and are wondering what the next chapter could look like. Either way, we’d be glad to hear what matters to you and help you explore opportunities thoughtfully.
Feel free to schedule a conversation or reach out confidentially to Drew Caldwell at OjO for assistance in your job or partnership opportunity search: Drew@ojorecruiting.com
About the Author
Drew Caldwell is the Founder & President of OjO Recruitment Agency and has spent more than 17 years specializing in ophthalmology and optometry recruitment. OjO works with ophthalmologists, optometrists, private practices, private equity backed organizations health systems, academic centers, and other eye-care employers nationwide.