Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
Health ScienceO*NET 51-9083.00United States
Cut, grind, and polish eyeglasses, contact lenses, or other precision optical elements. Assemble and mount lenses into frames or process other optical elements.
- Median annual earnings
- $39,248
- Projected change
- +6.3%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 20.99K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
61.2% of the workforce
Growing to 22.3K by 2035
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These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What ophthalmic laboratory technicians do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Mount and secure lens blanks or optical lenses in holding tools or chucks of cutting, polishing, grinding, or coating machines.
- Inspect lens blanks to detect flaws, verify smoothness of surface, and ensure thickness of coating on lenses.
- Set up machines to polish, bevel, edge, or grind lenses, flats, blanks, or other precision optical elements.
- Shape lenses appropriately so that they can be inserted into frames.
- Inspect, weigh, and measure mounted or unmounted lenses after completion to verify alignment and conformance to specifications, using precision instruments.
- Clean finished lenses and eyeglasses, using cloths and solvents.
- Mount, secure, and align finished lenses in frames or optical assemblies, using precision hand tools.
- Examine prescriptions, work orders, or broken or used eyeglasses to determine specifications for lenses, contact lenses, or other optical elements.
- Adjust lenses and frames to correct alignment.
- Select lens blanks, molds, tools, and polishing or grinding wheels, according to production specifications.
- Position and adjust cutting tools to specified curvature, dimensions, and depth of cut.
- Assemble eyeglass frames and attach shields, nose pads, and temple pieces, using pliers, screwdrivers, and drills.
- Set dials and start machines to polish lenses or hold lenses against rotating wheels to polish them manually.
- Repair broken parts, using precision hand tools and soldering irons.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $32,523
- 25th percentile
- $35,816
- 50th percentile
- $39,248
- 75th percentile
- $47,649
- 90th percentile
- $59,869
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $39,248 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+6.3%faster than average
202520,991 jobs
2035 projected22,304 jobs
1,313 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 61.2%
- Some college
- 14.6%
- Certificate
- 8.8%
- Associate degree
- 6.5%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 5.1%
- Bachelor's degree
- 3.7%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Medical Laboratory Technicians257 postings
- 02Ophthalmic Assistants45 postings
- 03Optical Laboratory Technicians8 postings
- 04Opticians/Optical Sales Associates5 postings
- 05Manufacturing Technicians4 postings
- 06Clinical Laboratory Technicians2 postings
- 07Ophthalmic Technicians/Scribes2 postings
- 08Opticians/Optometric Technicians2 postings
- 09Assembly Technician Leads1 postings
- 10Shipping and Receiving Representatives1 postings
Top employers
- 01Eyemart Express219 postings
- 02National Vision9 postings
- 03Abb Optical Group5 postings
- 04Pearle Vision4 postings
- 05University of Washington3 postings
- 06Abb Concise2 postings
- 07Eye Care For The Adirondacks2 postings
- 08Newsom Eye And Laser Center2 postings
- 09Premier Vision2 postings
- 10Spherion Staffing2 postings
- 11Stamford Ophthalmology2 postings
- 12Teradyne2 postings
- 13Actalent1 postings
- 14Aerotek1 postings
- 15American Polylite1 postings
- 16Atlas Eye Center1 postings
- 17Bostonsight1 postings
- 18Cambay Healthcare1 postings
- 19Chenoweth Eye Center1 postings
- 20Corona Optique1 postings
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