Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
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.
18,660 people do this job in the US. $39,460 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 7%
- 0%
- 93%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 3%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 7%. Today's estimate: 7%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 18 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set up machines to polish, bevel, edge, or grind lenses, flats, blanks, or other precision optical elements.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 12% | 21 min8 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Mount, secure, and align finished lenses in frames or optical assemblies, using precision hand tools.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 11% | 17 min7 min to 29 min | Stays with people | |
| Inspect, weigh, and measure mounted or unmounted lenses after completion to verify alignment and conformance to specifications, using precision instruments.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 9% | 17 min7 min to 29 min | Stays with people | |
| Adjust lenses and frames to correct alignment.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 8% | 13 min4 min to 21 min | Stays with people | |
| Shape lenses appropriately so that they can be inserted into frames.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 7% | 13 min4 min to 21 min | Stays with people | |
| Assemble eyeglass frames and attach shields, nose pads, and temple pieces, using pliers, screwdrivers, and drills.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 7% | 15 min7 min to 25 min | Stays with people | |
| Examine prescriptions, work orders, or broken or used eyeglasses to determine specifications for lenses, contact lenses, or other optical elements.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 7% | 10 min4 min to 17 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Position and adjust cutting tools to specified curvature, dimensions, and depth of cut.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 6% | 17 min7 min to 29 min | Stays with people | |
| Inspect lens blanks to detect flaws, verify smoothness of surface, and ensure thickness of coating on lenses.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 6% | 10 min4 min to 17 min | Stays with people | |
| Repair broken parts, using precision hand tools and soldering irons.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Select lens blanks, molds, tools, and polishing or grinding wheels, according to production specifications.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 10 min4 min to 17 min | Stays with people | |
| Mount and secure lens blanks or optical lenses in holding tools or chucks of cutting, polishing, grinding, or coating machines.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 7 min3 min to 13 min | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand11% now, 11% by 2028
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic18% now, 18% by 2028
- Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners6% now, 6% by 2028
- Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters1% now, 1% by 2028
- Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairers6% now, 7% by 2028
- Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic18% now, 18% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).