Optical Lab Technician job description
219 verified openings in Opticians & Optical
A lens blank is clamped into a chuck and ground to the prescribed curve, and then an edger shapes it to fit a frame. Optical lab technicians run that sequence, and they are the reason an order written at the optician's counter comes back as a pair of glasses. BLS calls the job ophthalmic laboratory technician and counted 18,660 of them in May 2025, with a median of $39,460. One in ten earned under $33,530, and one in ten above $57,380. The Handbook projects the occupation at 18,600 jobs in 2025 and 19,000 in 2035, with automation in lens making limiting the gains.
Core Duties and Responsibilities
O*NET's top task is mounting lens blanks in the holding tools of cutting, polishing, grinding, or coating machines. Inspection runs right alongside it: checking blanks for flaws, then weighing and measuring finished lenses against the specifications with precision instruments. Technicians set up the machines, pick blanks, molds, and wheels for each job, and read prescriptions and work orders, or a broken pair of glasses, to know what to make. At the finishing end they shape lenses to the frame, mount and align them, clean the result, and assemble frames with pliers, screwdrivers, and drills. Coating lenses and dyeing frames appear among the supplemental tasks.
Common Skills and Technologies
The top skills are machine skills, led by operation and control and by watching gauges and output for problems, with time management close behind. Postings name SAP software plus the familiar Microsoft Office programs.
Education, Training, and Career Path
O*NET places the job in Job Zone Two. Most respondents, about 56 percent, said a high school diploma is enough, and far fewer named a certificate or degree. Most technicians learn on the job, according to the Handbook, starting as helpers and taking on harder work as they go, though some community colleges teach surfacing and finishing. Certification is optional. In large labs a technician can rise to supervisor and train new hires, and some go on to own a lab. Titles incumbents reported include surfacing technician, edger technician, and finishing lab technician.
Sources: O*NET 30.0, 51-9083.00 Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians, https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/51-9083.00. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, 51-9083, https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Dental and Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians and Medical Appliance Technicians, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/dental-and-ophthalmic-laboratory-technicians-and-medical-appliance-technicians.htm.