Skilled Trades
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
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.
Median salary
$38,420
Typical range
$31k – $55k
Job outlook
+2% (about average)
AI exposure
Plan a path to Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
Education
Typical entry: No degree required
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
Entry / Junior
$31,250
~2 yrs to advance
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
Established
$38,420
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
Senior
$46,950
Key skills
A typical day
- •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.
- •Inspect, weigh, and measure mounted or unmounted lenses after completion to verify alignment and conformance to specifications, using precision instruments.
- •Shape lenses appropriately so that they can be inserted into frames.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Skilled Trades
Explore all- Purdue University50% admit · $78,000 grad pay
- Ohio State University53% admit · $68,000 grad pay
- Pennsylvania State University55% admit · $70,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.