Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
Also called: Lab Technician (Laboratory Technician), Optical Lab Technician (Optical Laboratory Technician), Optical Technician, Surfacing TechnicianCut, 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.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 2 of its 18 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 2.2% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 1.3% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.4 hires for every 10 job openings in durable goods manufacturing, which employs about 37% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.4 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $37,010 | $30,240 to $39,370 | 190 |
| Arizona | $38,620 | $35,780 to $45,090 | 150 |
| Arkansas | $37,060 | $35,350 to $39,460 | 170 |
| California | $47,410 | $40,300 to $70,410 | 1,630 |
| Colorado | $48,540 | $47,080 to $57,920 | 320 |
| Connecticut | $62,410 | $52,420 to $85,940 | 170 |
| Florida | $38,020 | $35,390 to $45,360 | 1,230 |
| Georgia | $45,050 | $38,100 to $46,880 | 960 |
| Idaho | not published | not published | 40 |
| Illinois | $36,840 | $35,980 to $41,690 | 830 |
| Indiana | $37,360 | $36,120 to $44,450 | 330 |
| Iowa | $33,910 | $30,360 to $37,140 | 100 |
| Kansas | $44,920 | $41,220 to $45,990 | not published |
| Kentucky | $36,650 | $34,290 to $36,650 | 610 |
| Louisiana | $37,160 | $34,680 to $40,490 | 300 |
| Maine | $43,520 | $34,260 to $49,630 | 50 |
| Maryland | $47,100 | $39,260 to $56,500 | 360 |
| Massachusetts | $43,100 | $36,570 to $48,140 | not published |
| Michigan | $45,490 | $39,780 to $49,380 | 330 |
| Minnesota | $40,280 | $37,720 to $46,990 | 1,110 |
| Mississippi | $35,230 | $29,850 to $44,000 | 220 |
| Missouri | $38,740 | $33,520 to $42,610 | 360 |
| Nebraska | $40,640 | $40,640 to $47,220 | 170 |
| Nevada | $38,990 | $35,790 to $45,010 | 240 |
| New Hampshire | $59,460 | $45,020 to $72,920 | 180 |
| New Jersey | $47,420 | $37,380 to $47,640 | not published |
| New Mexico | $38,590 | $36,520 to $43,870 | 130 |
| New York | $42,450 | $38,190 to $45,870 | 1,250 |
| North Carolina | $44,140 | $36,640 to $51,340 | 210 |
| Ohio | $46,320 | $38,990 to $47,280 | 560 |
| Oklahoma | $35,620 | $30,100 to $39,070 | 210 |
| Oregon | $45,780 | $41,170 to $50,480 | 250 |
| Pennsylvania | $37,680 | $35,040 to $42,220 | 510 |
| Puerto Rico | $24,420 | $24,420 to $28,450 | 1,360 |
| Rhode Island | $47,440 | $47,060 to $51,800 | 70 |
| South Carolina | $34,140 | $26,430 to $47,700 | 130 |
| Tennessee | $37,370 | $36,430 to $41,140 | 130 |
| Texas | $37,920 | $34,130 to $44,300 | 3,380 |
| Virginia | $34,170 | $31,780 to $39,020 | 470 |
| Washington | $49,230 | $46,210 to $52,810 | 260 |
| West Virginia | $37,140 | $35,900 to $37,170 | not published |
| Wisconsin | $42,920 | $35,860 to $45,820 | 200 |
Nationally: $39,460. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 2 of its 18 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Mount and secure lens blanks or optical lenses in holding tools or chucks of cutting, polishing, grinding, or coating machines. | Not published |
| AI + software | Examine prescriptions, work orders, or broken or used eyeglasses to determine specifications for lenses, contact lenses, or other optical elements. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect lens blanks to detect flaws, verify smoothness of surface, and ensure thickness of coating on lenses. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean finished lenses and eyeglasses, using cloths and solvents. | Not published |
| Not much | Shape lenses appropriately so that they can be inserted into frames. | Not published |
| Not much | Mount, secure, and align finished lenses in frames or optical assemblies, using precision hand tools. | Not published |
See all 18 tasks
| Not much | Set up machines to polish, bevel, edge, or grind lenses, flats, blanks, or other precision optical elements. | Not published |
| Not much | Adjust lenses and frames to correct alignment. | Not published |
| Not much | Assemble eyeglass frames and attach shields, nose pads, and temple pieces, using pliers, screwdrivers, and drills. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect, weigh, and measure mounted or unmounted lenses after completion to verify alignment and conformance to specifications, using precision instruments. | Not published |
| AI + software | Select lens blanks, molds, tools, and polishing or grinding wheels, according to production specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Set dials and start machines to polish lenses or hold lenses against rotating wheels to polish them manually. | Not published |
| Not much | Position and adjust cutting tools to specified curvature, dimensions, and depth of cut. | Not published |
| Not much | Repair broken parts, using precision hand tools and soldering irons. | Not published |
| Not much | Lay out lenses and trace lens outlines on glass, using templates. | Not published |
| Not much | Immerse eyeglass frames in solutions to harden, soften, or dye frames. | Not published |
| Not much | Control equipment that coats lenses to alter their reflective qualities. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove lenses from molds and separate lenses in containers for further processing or storage. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 18 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 18 tasks fall under 17 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- #38 Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shape materials to create products | |||
| Position materials or components for assembly | |||
| Position workpieces or materials on equipment | |||
| Maintain medical equipment or instruments | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects | |||
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment |
Show all 17 activities
| Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects | |||
| Inspect completed work or finished products | |||
| Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment | |||
| Operate cutting or grinding equipment | |||
| Prepare industrial materials for processing or use | |||
| Join parts using soldering, welding, or brazing techniques | |||
| Operate industrial processing or production equipment | |||
| Remove workpieces from production equipment | |||
| Fabricate medical devices |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for ophthalmic laboratory technicians specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 3,156 moves out
- 1 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 12%
- 2 Teachers and Instructors, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 9%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 4 Computer Occupations, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 3,102 moves in
- 1 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 20%
- 2 Teachers and Instructors, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 3 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 3%
- 4 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 3%
- 5 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 5% less than high school
- 56% high school
- 9% postsecondary certificate
- 15% some college
- 7% associate's
- 4% bachelor's
- 4% master's
- 1% professional doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 32 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 5% less than high school
- 29% high school
- 30% some college
- 15% associate's
- 16% bachelor's
- 3% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians” · 825 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians”
1 program: Ophthalmic Laboratory Technology/Technician.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 8 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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