Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
Occupation · SOC 51-9083.00
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.
Also called: Lab Technician (Laboratory Technician) · Optical Lab Technician (Optical Laboratory Technician) · Optical Technician · Surfacing Technician · Edger Technician · Finishing Lab Technician · Lens Grinder and Polisher · Line Operator · Polisher · Artificial Glass Eye Maker · Artificial Plastic Eye Maker · Bench Hand
Job family: Production Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-51-9083-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+2.3% by 2034)
- 2,400 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $38,420/yr
- Can largely be done remotely (teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (94th); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (22nd)
22nd-percentile task overlap — yet about 2,400 openings a year (+2.3% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Low | 32nd | -0.6 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 24th | 0.2 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 15th | 0.1 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.1), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.2). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.
Mixed signals. Today's AI/LLM studies show relatively low exposure for this job, but the older (2013) Frey–Osborne work rated it higher for computerization and robotics. Different eras, different technologies — the AI measures above reflect the current state.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 1.0 · 94th percentile among occupations · High
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Inspect, weigh, and measure mounted or unmounted lenses after completion to verify alignment and conformance to specifications, using precision instruments. | 0.6% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +2.3% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 2,400 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 19,600 → 20,000 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians sits at the 16th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
14% mean task exposure (2025)
16th percentile of 427 placed occupations
+7 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Craft and Related Workers not Elsewhere Classified · 7549 | 14% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 18 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Mount and secure lens blanks or optical lenses in holding tools or chucks of cutting, polishing, grinding, or coating machines. Core · importance 4.8
- Inspect lens blanks to detect flaws, verify smoothness of surface, and ensure thickness of coating on lenses. Core · importance 4.7
- Set up machines to polish, bevel, edge, or grind lenses, flats, blanks, or other precision optical elements. Core · importance 4.7
- Inspect, weigh, and measure mounted or unmounted lenses after completion to verify alignment and conformance to specifications, using precision instruments. Core · importance 4.7
- Shape lenses appropriately so that they can be inserted into frames. Core · importance 4.7
- Clean finished lenses and eyeglasses, using cloths and solvents. Core · importance 4.6
- Mount, secure, and align finished lenses in frames or optical assemblies, using precision hand tools. Core · importance 4.6
- Examine prescriptions, work orders, or broken or used eyeglasses to determine specifications for lenses, contact lenses, or other optical elements. Core · importance 4.6
- Adjust lenses and frames to correct alignment. Core · importance 4.5
- Select lens blanks, molds, tools, and polishing or grinding wheels, according to production specifications. Core · importance 4.5
- Position and adjust cutting tools to specified curvature, dimensions, and depth of cut. Core · importance 4.5
- Assemble eyeglass frames and attach shields, nose pads, and temple pieces, using pliers, screwdrivers, and drills. Core · importance 4.4
- Immerse eyeglass frames in solutions to harden, soften, or dye frames. Supplemental · importance 4.3
- Set dials and start machines to polish lenses or hold lenses against rotating wheels to polish them manually. Core · importance 4.3
- Lay out lenses and trace lens outlines on glass, using templates. Supplemental · importance 4.3
- Control equipment that coats lenses to alter their reflective qualities. Supplemental · importance 4.2
- Repair broken parts, using precision hand tools and soldering irons. Core · importance 3.7
- Remove lenses from molds and separate lenses in containers for further processing or storage. Supplemental · importance 3.3
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Tint lenses according to customer specifications.
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.
- Solder parts or workpieces.
- 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.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Production and Processing | 3.9 | |
| Mechanical | 3.4 | |
| Mathematics | 3.3 | |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.1 | |
| Administration and Management | 3.0 | |
| English Language | 3.0 |
Abilities
| Near Vision | 3.8 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.6 | |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.6 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.5 | |
| Control Precision | 3.5 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.4 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.3 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.1 | |
| Visualization | 3.1 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.1 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.0 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.0 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.0 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.0 | |
| Rate Control | 3.0 | |
| Reaction Time | 3.0 | |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 3.0 | |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 3.0 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.0 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 2.9 | |
| Oral Expression | 2.9 | |
| Written Expression | 2.9 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 2.9 | |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.9 |
Transferable skills
| Operation and Control | 3.3 | |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.1 | |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.1 | |
| Time Management | 3.1 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 |
Essential skills
| Reading Comprehension | 3.0 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.0 | |
| Monitoring | 3.0 | |
| Active Listening | 2.9 | |
| Speaking | 2.9 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Tools & technology
| Example | Category | |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Outlook | Electronic mail software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Presentation software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | Hot technology |
| SAP software | Enterprise resource planning ERP software | Hot technology |
| Electronic medical record EMR software | Medical software | |
| Eyeglass design software | Computer aided design CAD software |
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Preparation level
- SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Health Professions and Related Programs . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| High School Diploma | 56.4% | |
| Some College Courses | 14.6% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 8.8% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 6.5% | |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 4.8% | |
| Bachelor's Degree | 3.7% | |
| Master's Degree | 3.7% | |
| First Professional Degree | 1.4% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 6.4 | |
| Conventional | 4.1 | |
| Investigative | 2.9 | |
| Social | 1.9 | |
| Artistic | 1.7 |
Interest areas
| Mechanics/Electronics | 4.0 | |
| Physical/Manual Labor | 3.4 | |
| Engineering | 3.0 | |
| Construction/Woodwork | 2.3 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 2.0 | |
| Health Care Service | 1.7 | |
| Physical Science | 1.7 | |
| Medical Science | 1.5 |
Work styles
| Attention to Detail | 3.0 | |
| Dependability | 2.3 | |
| Cautiousness | 2.0 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $31,250 |
| 25th percentile | $35,580 |
| Median (50th) | $38,420 |
| 75th percentile | $45,410 |
| 90th percentile | $55,480 |
| People employed | 18,740 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing · Sector | 7,780 | $40,800 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 4,750 | $38,370 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 3,940 | $35,970 |
| Offices of Optometrists · National industry | 2,590 | $37,660 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 1,800 | $37,770 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | — | $40,040 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | — | $40,040 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Offices of Optometrists · National industry | 139.7× | 2,590 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 5.02× | 7,780 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 2.45× | 1,800 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 2.08× | 3,940 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 1.69× | 4,750 |
Related occupations
Part of the Healthcare & Human Services career cluster.
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand · 51-9022.00 Compare →
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4033.00 Compare →
- Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners · 51-4194.00 Compare →
- Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters · 51-2061.00 Compare →
- Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairers · 49-9061.00 Compare →
- Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4035.00 Compare →
- Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic · 51-9195.00 Compare →
- Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · 51-4122.00 Compare →
- Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4081.00 Compare →
- Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4034.00 Compare →
- Opticians, Dispensing · 29-2081.00 Compare →
- Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · 51-9032.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand Compare →
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Compare →
- Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners Compare →
- Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters Compare →
- Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairers Compare →
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- High school diploma or equivalent · typical entry level
- Job zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Health Professions and Related Programs · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 16th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians show 22nd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 2,400 annual U.S. openings
- Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians rank in the 22nd percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 2,400 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be about average (+2.3%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $38,420, across about 18,740 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians show 22nd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 2,400 annual U.S. openings • Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians rank in the 22nd percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 2,400 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be about average (+2.3%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $38,420, across about 18,740 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-9083-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
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
Plain
Singulariki. "Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians." 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/roles/role-51-9083-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-9083-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-51-9083-00,
title = {Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians},
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/roles/role-51-9083-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.