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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 (BLS)

$39,460

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$34k – $57k

Job outlook

+2% (about average)

AI exposure

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Education

Typical entry: No degree required

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How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$100–$2,600

Time to qualify

3.1 yr

Renewal

$50/yr

  1. 1

    Registered apprenticeship (paid)

    Experience

    Earn-while-you-learn training — apprentices are paid during the program; fees are tools/books, not tuition.

    $0–$2,000 · 36 months · varies by state source

  2. 2

    Journeyman exam & state/local license

    License

    Most states and municipalities test and license journeyman-level trades workers.

    $100–$600 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians

    Entry / Junior

    $33,530

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians

    Established

    $39,460

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians

    Senior

    $48,420

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

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.