Optical Laboratory Technician Career & Jobs: Training, Salary & Certification Requirements

If you use contact or eyeglasses, you already know what a relief it can be to have a piece of equipment that can restore your sight. We rely on our sense of sight to operate cars safely and read our favorite book, and when it’s not working the way that it should, we can experience frustration and even head pain. Have you ever stopped to think about how it is that these marvelous glasses are able to correct your vision so perfectly? The professional responsible for following the eye doctor’s prescription to create your customized eye glasses is known as an optical laboratory technician, and they are trained to create lenses that follow your doctor’s prescription and fit the new lenses into the frames that you have chosen.

Salary Outlook

Average Annual Salary
$26,300
Salary Range
$21,300 - $34,800

Work Environment

Although they are very instrumental in developing the corrective eye wear that patients depend on to restore their sight, the optical laboratory technician doesn’t interact with the people that will be wearing their glasses very often. It is more common for the optical laboratory technician to work in the office or lab of a private optometrist’s office or an eye care retail store. They might be asked to work nights and weekends and spend most of their time sitting and standing in front of various machines.

High School Preparation

Those students who think that they might enjoy the career of an optical laboratory technician should spend their high school career becoming more familiar with the principles of biology, anatomy and mechanical engineering. Supporting courses for this line of work include algebra, chemistry, geometry, mechanical drawing, and computer skills.

Requirements

Individuals that aspire to start a career as an optical laboratory technician are encouraged to enroll in an appropriate associates degree program or certification for eye care specialists. Although it is possible to be trained as an optical laboratory technician without any prior experience, employers usually look more favorably on candidates that can demonstrate some experience or competency in the health care industry.

Career Outlook

Although it’s true that more elderly people are living well into their eighties and nineties now, and they will require qualified technicians to make and repair their corrective eyewear, more of the industry is being encouraged to adopt automated technology that will essentially replace the optical laboratory technician. However, there are specialty tasks that a machine will never be able to perform, and these will still need to be completed by a live technician. Those that make themselves familiar with programming and using these automated machines will be the most competitive candidates.

Professional Organizations

Association of Technical Personnel in Ophthalmology
2025 Woodlane Drive
St. Paul, MN 55125-2995
Phone: (651) 731-7239
www.atpo.org