Headline risk
11%
Low RiskOphthalmic laboratory technicians
United States AI Work Index tracks this occupation on the shared structural baseline and then layers on local demand resilience, wages, and confidence.
Why This Score
Share of job tasks that overlap with current AI capabilities
Median annual wage
Projected employment change over 10 years
Typical preparation needed for this occupation
Occupation profile
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.
Task evidence
100% weighted task match · 0% effective coverage
Scores combine AI task overlap, human advantages, and local demand. How it works
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 38,420
Employment 2024
19.6K
Projected Change (2024–34)
2.3%
Openings (2024–34)
2.4K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Overall employment of dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians is projected to grow 1 percent from 2024 to 2034, decline.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Mount and secure lens blanks or optical lenses in holding tools or chucks of cutting, polishing, grinding, or coating machines. AI use: 0%
- 2. Examine prescriptions, work orders, or broken or used eyeglasses to determine specifications for lenses, contact lenses, or other optical elements. AI use: 0%
- 3. Inspect lens blanks to detect flaws, verify smoothness of surface, and ensure thickness of coating on lenses. AI use: 0%
- 4. Clean finished lenses and eyeglasses, using cloths and solvents. AI use: 0%
- 5. Shape lenses appropriately so that they can be inserted into frames. AI use: 0%
- 6. Mount, secure, and align finished lenses in frames or optical assemblies, using precision hand tools. AI use: 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 42.3 · 75K employed
Under 25: 7% · 25–54: 67% · 55+: 25%
Related
No direct US role match is available yet for this occupation.
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Mapping quality
major_group_fallback · employment series present
Narrative & sources
Dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians make or repair dentures, eyeglasses, prosthetics, and related products.
Dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians usually work in clean, well-lighted spaces and may spend time standing or bending. Most work full time, and schedules may vary.
To enter the occupation, dental or ophthalmic laboratory technicians or medical appliance technicians typically need at least a high school diploma or equivalent. They typically receive on-the-job training to attain competency.
The median annual wage for dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians was $45,820 in May 2024.
Overall employment of dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians is projected to grow 1 percent from 2024 to 2034, decline.
Published limitations
This page shows the local country layer, not realised individual job outcomes. The global structural baseline is shared across countries; only the local demand and wage layer changes here.
Built from O*NET occupation descriptions, task statements, technology skills, work context, Job Zones, Anthropic task penetration, BLS OEWS wages, BLS projection tables, BLS ORS requirements, BLS OOH narrative content, BLS skills data, and BLS CPS occupation age tables.