Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician is a professional role in the Production job family, focused on Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician work. Pay for this title reflects both its level and its scope; see our Title Level and Organization Responsibility guides for how WePayFairly defines them.
What Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians do
Typical education: High School Diploma
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.
Top skills:Operation and ControlTime ManagementQuality Control AnalysisOperations MonitoringReading ComprehensionMonitoring
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician salary by industry
Sectors 31, 32, and 33 – Manufacturing
7,590 workers
$47,500
Health Care and Social Assistance
4,710 workers
$44,500
Sectors 44 and 45 – Retail Trade
4,500 workers
$40,500
Wholesale Trade
1,490 workers
$43,500
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
140 workers
$39,500
Federal, State, and Local Government, excl. State & Local Schools & Hospitals & USPS
110 workers
$66,000
Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)
110 workers
$66,000
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
How this role compares
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician pays 19% below the average across 105 roles in the Production job family (family average $55,000).
