Also called: Optical Lab Technician
Grinds, cuts, and assembles prescription lenses into eyeglass frames.
Runs lens-surfacing machines, edges lenses to fit frames, applies coatings, and checks each pair for accuracy before it ships.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school diploma; trained on the job.
Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Shrinking (about -2% over 10 years). Declining with lab automation.
High risk for 10 years. Lens surfacing, edging and coating are largely automated in big labs, and openings are shrinking; quality checks remain.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at optical labs or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Physics (optics), Shop or manufacturing CTE, Algebra.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-9083.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.