Skills
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Overview
Optical technician work is about assembling, repairing and shaping eyewear parts such as lenses, frames and optical glass so finished glasses match prescriptions.
In job descriptions, look for lens cutting, polishing, coating, prescription records, optical instruments, contact lenses, supplier contact and checks on finished lenses.
Explore this occupation
Open in Job ExplorerWhat the work can involve
Optical technician work takes place around lenses, frames, optical glass and prescription details. The role may include cutting, grinding, coating, mounting and repairing eyewear parts, with checks before the finished glasses reach the customer.
Skills and specializations
Useful skills include lens cutting, polishing, manipulating glass, handling contact lenses and keeping prescription records. Some adverts also point to CAD software, optical instruments, supplier contact or verification of lens compliance.
Salary context
Salary context is shaped by precision work with prescriptions, responsibility for finished lenses, customer-facing repair tasks and the range of machinery or hand tools used in the workshop.
Career paths
Experience can lead toward senior optical workshop roles, dispensing support, supplier coordination, instrument maintenance or quality responsibility for prescription eyewear production.
Good to know
Check whether the role is mainly laboratory lens work, repair at a retail optician, contact lens handling or broader optical instrument service. The advert should make prescription checks and customer handover clear.
Editorial note
This guide is editorial career context. It is not official labour-market statistics or role-specific salary data.
Map overview
Click the map to search for optical technician jobs.
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O*NET relationships
See occupations connected to this ESCO occupation in the official O*NET–ESCO mapping. The relationship type comes from the source and is not a ranking or recommendation.
O*NET relationships: 2
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
51-9083.00
Exact relationship
The official mapping treats the O*NET and ESCO occupations as closely equivalent.
Open in O*NETOptometrists
29-1041.00
Close relationship
The occupations are closely related, but the official mapping does not treat them as exact equivalents.
Open in O*NETSource and method
These relationships come from the official European Commission O*NET–ESCO crosswalk.
Relationship direction: O*NET occupation to ESCO occupation.
Several O*NET occupations can point to the same ESCO occupation, and one O*NET occupation can point to several ESCO occupations.
AltoTrail preserves the source relationship type. The order is technical and does not show which occupation is best, most relevant or recommended.
AltoTrail validates and presents the source relationships without adding ranking or recommendation semantics.
Alternative labels
optical instrument technician
artificial glass eye maker
technologist in ophthalmic laboratory
contact lens maker
optical technical
ophthalmic technologist
eyewear repairer
spectacle technician
ophthalmic laboratory technologist
lens mounter
technician in optical production
optometry technician
certified optical technician
artificial plastic eye maker
optical mechanic
optical drill operator
eyewear technician
optical element coater
optical laboratory production technician
technician in optical production laboratory
spectacle maker
ophthalmology technician
eyewear inspector
ophthalmic laboratory technician
eyewear assembler
lens maker
ophthalmic inspector
lens technician
optical worker
eyewear maker
eyewear designer
specialist optical production technician
technician in ophthalmic laboratory
optical lab mechanic
lens polisher
artificial eye maker
eyewear quality inspector
lens inspector
eye glass cutter
ophthalmic technician
optical lab inspector
Occupation group
optician (3254.1)
Source facts
| ESCO URI | http://data.europa.eu/esco/occupation/1084e2d6-b153-4090-8065-c9231f71d4f0 |
|---|---|
| ESCO code | 3254.1.1 |
| ISCO group | 3254 |
| Concept type | Occupation |