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Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians

	Median Wage (USD, 2024)	Projected Job Openings (2023-2033)	Projected Growth (2023-2033)
National Statistics	$38,420	2100	1.6%
State Statistics	-	-	-
City Statistics	-	-	-

Statistics

National

State

City

State

City

$38,420

Median Wage (USD, 2023)

2100

Projected Job Openings (2023-2033)

1.6%

Projected Growth (2023-2033)

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.

Experience Requirements Overview

Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Education, Training and Experience

Required Level of Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

Related Work Experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years

On-Site or In-Plant Training: Up to and including 1 month

On-the-Job Training: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year

Detailed Work Activities

Repair medical or dental assistive devices.
Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.
Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment.
Shape glass or similar materials.
Construct customized assistive medical or dental devices.
Inspect finished products to locate flaws.
Clean workpieces or finished products.
Select production equipment according to product specifications.
Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements.
Polish materials, workpieces, or finished products.
Operate grinding equipment.
Shape glass or similar materials.
Solder parts or workpieces.
Repair medical or dental assistive devices.
Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.
Set equipment controls to meet cutting specifications.
Weigh finished products.
Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
Remove workpieces from molds.
Draw guide lines or markings on materials or workpieces using patterns or other references.
Immerse objects or workpieces in cleaning or coating solutions.
Operate painting or coating equipment.

Work Values

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Working Conditions

Recognition

Relationships

Support

Independence

Tasks

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.
Clean finished lenses and eyeglasses, using cloths and solvents.
Mount, secure, and align finished lenses in frames or optical assemblies, using precision hand tools.
Examine prescriptions, work orders, or broken or used eyeglasses to determine specifications for lenses, contact lenses, or other optical elements.
Adjust lenses and frames to correct alignment.
Select lens blanks, molds, tools, and polishing or grinding wheels, according to production specifications.
Position and adjust cutting tools to specified curvature, dimensions, and depth of cut.
Assemble eyeglass frames and attach shields, nose pads, and temple pieces, using pliers, screwdrivers, and drills.
Set dials and start machines to polish lenses or hold lenses against rotating wheels to polish them manually.
Repair broken parts, using precision hand tools and soldering irons.
Immerse eyeglass frames in solutions to harden, soften, or dye frames.
Lay out lenses and trace lens outlines on glass, using templates.
Control equipment that coats lenses to alter their reflective qualities.
Remove lenses from molds and separate lenses in containers for further processing or storage.

Work Styles

Achievement/Effort

Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

Persistence

Initiative

Leadership

Cooperation

Concern for Others

Social Orientation

Self-Control

Stress Tolerance

Adaptability/Flexibility

Dependability

Attention to Detail

Integrity

Independence

Innovation

Analytical Thinking

Data Source: This page includes information from the O*NET 30.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This page includes Employment Projections program, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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