Ophthalmic laboratory technicians
SOC Code: 51-9083
Ophthalmic laboratory technicians carries a 24% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $38,420 and +2.3% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 19,600 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 24% AI exposure, Ophthalmic laboratory technicians sits 13 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 13% of them. It ranks among the more AI-resilient roles in the dataset.
Career outlook score
47/100
Ophthalmic laboratory technicians, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage F $38,420
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth D +2.3%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) A 24% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Ophthalmic laboratory technicians in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry with non-declining BLS pace
Ophthalmic laboratory technicians keeps an HS / some college bar (333 of 832) and sits in Average (378 of 832). Lower formal gates with a non-shrinking employment line - skill and AI desks matter more than credentials here.
Where Ophthalmic laboratory technicians sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Ophthalmic laboratory technicians sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
24% Among the lowest lower than 87% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Ophthalmic laboratory technicians vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Ophthalmic laboratory technicians is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Ophthalmic laboratory technicians's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 51-9083) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Ophthalmic laboratory technicians be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Ophthalmic laboratory technicians. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Mount and secure lens blanks or optical lenses in holding tools or chucks of cutting, polishing, grinding, or coating machines.
- 2. Inspect lens blanks to detect flaws, verify smoothness of surface, and ensure thickness of coating on lenses.
- 3. Set up machines to polish, bevel, edge, or grind lenses, flats, blanks, or other precision optical elements.
- 4. Inspect, weigh, and measure mounted or unmounted lenses after completion to verify alignment and conformance to specifications, using precision instruments.
- 5. Shape lenses appropriately so that they can be inserted into frames.
- 6. Clean finished lenses and eyeglasses, using cloths and solvents.
- 7. Mount, secure, and align finished lenses in frames or optical assemblies, using precision hand tools.
- 8. Examine prescriptions, work orders, or broken or used eyeglasses to determine specifications for lenses, contact lenses, or other optical elements.
- 9. Adjust lenses and frames to correct alignment.
- 10. Select lens blanks, molds, tools, and polishing or grinding wheels, according to production specifications.
Key Skills Required
- Operation and Control
- Operations Monitoring
- Quality Control Analysis
- Time Management
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Active Listening
- Speaking
Knowledge Areas
- Production and Processing
- Mechanical
- Mathematics
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- English Language
- Computers and Electronics
- Education and Training
- Engineering and Technology
- Administrative
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Ophthalmic laboratory technicians?
Ophthalmic laboratory technicians has an AI exposure score of 24%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Ophthalmic laboratory technicians?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Ophthalmic laboratory technicians is projected to grow by 2.3% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 19,600 workers.
What skills are needed for Ophthalmic laboratory technicians?
Key skills for Ophthalmic laboratory technicians include Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Ophthalmic laboratory technicians earn?
The median annual wage for Ophthalmic laboratory technicians is $38,420, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Ophthalmic laboratory technicians?
The typical entry-level education for Ophthalmic laboratory technicians is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Moderate-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Ophthalmic laboratory technicians?
Ophthalmic laboratory technicians roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Ophthalmic laboratory technicians: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (24% here).
- Audiologists · AI exposure 24%
- Brickmasons and blockmasons · AI exposure 24%
- Dental laboratory technicians · AI exposure 24%
- Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic · AI exposure 24%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+2.3% here).
- Agricultural workers, all other · growth +2.3%
- Concierges · growth +2.3%
- First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers · growth +2.3%
- Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers · growth +2.3%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 81 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Ophthalmic laboratory technicians' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Ophthalmic laboratory technicians side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).