Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians

Median salary

$39,460

Average salary

$43,190

Employment

18,660

Projected growth

2.3% growth

Annual openings

2,400

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians 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.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: 4%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Production and Processingimportance 3.9/5
Mechanicalimportance 3.4/5
Mathematicsimportance 3.3/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.1/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.0/5
English Languageimportance 3.0/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 2.8/5
Education and Trainingimportance 2.7/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Indoors, Environmentally Controlled5.0/5
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.6/5
Time Pressure4.6/5
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.3/5
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.3/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.2/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Helpers--Production Workers93% skill match
Floor Sanders and Finishers92% skill match
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic92% skill match
Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall92% skill match
Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers92% skill match
Semiconductor Processing Technicians92% skill match
Motorboat Operators92% skill match
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders92% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Operation and Controlimportance 3.3/5
Operations Monitoringimportance 3.1/5
Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.1/5
Time Managementimportance 3.1/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5
Service Orientationimportance 2.8/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.6/5
Coordinationimportance 2.6/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Electronic medical record EMR software
Eyeglass design software

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Cautiousness
Perseverance
Achievement Orientation
Integrity
Cooperation

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalMedium
InvestigativeLow
SocialLow
ArtisticLow
EnterprisingLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 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.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where ophthalmic laboratory technicians make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).