What You Need to Know About Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians

Position Description 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.

Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician Responsibilities

• Mount, secure, and align finished lenses in frames or optical assemblies, using precision hand tools.
• Select lens blanks, molds, tools, and polishing or grinding wheels, according to production specifications.
• Set dials and start machines to polish lenses or hold lenses against rotating wheels to polish them manually.
• Lay out lenses and trace lens outlines on glass, using templates.
• Clean finished lenses and eyeglasses, using cloths and solvents.
• Examine prescriptions, work orders, or broken or used eyeglasses to determine specifications for lenses, contact lenses, or other optical elements.

What Skills Do You Need to Work as an Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician?

When polled, Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:

Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Types of Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician Jobs

• Prism Measurer
• Lens Mounter
• Contact Lens Blocker
• Driller
• Precision Optical Goods Worker

Is There Job Demand for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians?

In the United States, there were 29,100 jobs for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians in 2016.

New jobs are being produced at a rate of 11.8% which is lower than average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 3,400 new jobs for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 3,700 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians are Florida, New York, and Texas.

Watch out if you plan on working in Vermont, Massachusetts, or South Dakota. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician Average Salary

The average yearly salary of an Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician ranges between $22,360 and $50,200. The median salary for this occupation is $31,830.

Below is a list of the median annual salaries for jobs of this type in different U.S. states.

Annual Mean Salary by State

State	Annual Mean Salary
New Hampshire	$45,730
Maryland	$44,310
Vermont	$42,780
Colorado	$42,060
Illinois	$38,860
Washington	$38,660
Connecticut	$37,240
Oregon	$37,100
Massachusetts	$36,810
Rhode Island	$36,710
California	$36,400
New York	$36,040
Indiana	$35,880
West Virginia	$35,270
New Jersey	$35,000
Ohio	$34,680
Minnesota	$34,370
Iowa	$34,370
Michigan	$34,300
Tennessee	$34,240
Arizona	$34,010
North Dakota	$33,940
Maine	$33,640
New Mexico	$33,570
Oklahoma	$33,550
South Carolina	$33,300
Virginia	$33,210
Pennsylvania	$33,130
Missouri	$33,120
Mississippi	$32,550
Nebraska	$32,550
Florida	$32,490
South Dakota	$32,180
Montana	$32,090
Wisconsin	$31,340
Georgia	$31,240
Texas	$31,050
Kansas	$30,430
North Carolina	$29,870
Arkansas	$29,770
Nevada	$29,690
Alabama	$29,230
Utah	$28,570
Kentucky	$27,630
Louisiana	$26,240

What Tools do Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians Use?

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians may use on a daily basis:

• Microsoft Excel
• Eyeglass design software
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Outlook

Becoming an Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician

What education or degrees do I need to become an Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician?

How Long Does it Take to Become Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician?

Where Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians Work

Other Jobs You May be Interested In

Those interested in being an Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician may also be interested in:

• Prepress Technicians and Workers
• Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons