Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians vs Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners
Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index
A factual, source-backed comparison of Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians and Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”
At a glance
| Dimension | Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians | Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $38,420 | $48,970 |
| Employment | 18,740 | 5,730 |
| Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection | About average (+2.3%) | Declining (-7.8%) |
| Annual openings · BLS projection | 2,400 | 500 |
| Typical education · O*NET | Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. | Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. |
| AI exposure · published exposure studies | Low · 15th pct | Low · 29th pct |
| Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk | 16th pct · 14% of tasks | 22nd pct · 17% of tasks |
| Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index | — | — |
| Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman | Yes | No |
Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.
Skills
Shared: Production and Processing, Near Vision, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Finger Dexterity, Manual Dexterity, Control Precision, Deductive Reasoning, Mechanical, Mathematics, Operation and Control, Problem Sensitivity, Operations Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Information Ordering, Visualization, Selective Attention, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Judgment and Decision Making, Written Comprehension, Category Flexibility, Flexibility of Closure, Perceptual Speed, Rate Control, Reaction Time, English Language, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Inductive Reasoning, Multilimb Coordination.
Specific to Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
- Time Management
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- Wrist-Finger Speed
- Visual Color Discrimination
- Speech Recognition
- Active Listening
- Speaking
Specific to Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners
- Equipment Maintenance
- Repairing
- Equipment Selection
- Troubleshooting
- Static Strength
- Hearing Sensitivity
- Auditory Attention
- Complex Problem Solving
Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).
Tools & technology
Shared: Spreadsheet software , Electronic mail software .
Specific to Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
Specific to Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners
Full profiles
This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians or Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.
More comparisons
Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.
- Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians vs Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
- Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians vs Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians vs Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters
- Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians vs Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairers
- Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians vs Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians vs Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
- Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians vs Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians vs Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Singulariki. "Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians vs Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/ophthalmic-laboratory-technicians-vs-tool-grinders-filers-and-sharpeners
Singulariki. (2026). Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians vs Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/ophthalmic-laboratory-technicians-vs-tool-grinders-filers-and-sharpeners
@misc{singulariki-ophthalmic-laboratory-technicians-vs-tool-grinders-filers-and-sharpeners,
title = {Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians vs Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/compare/ophthalmic-laboratory-technicians-vs-tool-grinders-filers-and-sharpeners}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.