What do they do?

Cut, grind, and polish eyeglasses, contact lenses, or other precision optical elements. Assemble and mount lenses into frames or process other optical elements. Includes precision lens polishers or grinders, centerer-edgers, and lens mounters.

Also known as:

Edger, Edger Technician, Finishing Lab Technician, Lab Technician (Laboratory Technician), Lens Grinder and Polisher, Line Operator, Optical Lab Technician (Optical Laboratory Technician), Optical Technician, Polisher, Surfacing Technician

Typical Wages

Projected Growth Rate

Employment of Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians is projected to grow 2 percent from 2020 to 2030, more slowly than average compared to all occupations.

Projected Employment in OH

No Data Available
  • 2.9%

    Change

    Ranks #40 in job growth rate
    220

    Job Openings

    Ranks #5 in net job growth

Colleges with the most graduates that become Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians

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Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (1%)
  • Master's degree  (2%)
  • Bachelor's degree  (16%)
  • Associate's degree  (18%)
  • Some college, no degree  (32%)
  • High school diploma equivalent  (27%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (4%)

Typical College Majors

Most Popular Majors that prepare Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians

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People in this career often know a lot about:

  • Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
  • Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
  • Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
  • Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment.
  • Inspect finished products to locate flaws.
  • Shape glass or similar materials.
  • Weigh finished products.
  • Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
  • Clean workpieces or finished products.
  • Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.
  • Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements.
  • Repair medical or dental assistive devices.
  • Select production equipment according to product specifications.
  • Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.
  • Set equipment controls to meet cutting specifications.
  • Construct customized assistive medical or dental devices.
  • Immerse objects or workpieces in cleaning or coating solutions.
  • Polish materials, workpieces, or finished products.
  • Operate grinding equipment.
  • Draw guide lines or markings on materials or workpieces using patterns or other references.
  • Operate painting or coating equipment.
  • Solder parts or workpieces.
  • Remove workpieces from molds.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 28.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

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