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Boston Career Explorer

Production

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.

Also called: Edger Technician, Finishing Lab Technician, Lab Technician (Laboratory Technician), Lens Grinder and Polisher, Line Operator, Optical Lab Technician (Optical Laboratory Technician)

Median pay in Greater Boston
$48,140
$23.15/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
Not published
Massachusetts 2024–2034
Not published
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Moderate-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$36,570$36,570$48,140$48,140$64,770

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • 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.
  • Clean finished lenses and eyeglasses, using cloths and solvents.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure22 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 30
  • Language-model AIOE 20
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 15

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools may help with inspecting lenses for flaws and checking measurements. Setting up machines, mounting lenses, and shaping them to fit frames still depend on a person's hands and judgment.

Likely to change

  • Inspecting lenses for flaws
  • Checking measurements against specifications

Still relies on people

  • Setting up grinding and polishing machines
  • Mounting and shaping lenses to fit frames

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

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