Will “Hospital Laboratory Technician (Hospital Lab Technician)” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

Job Description

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.

Job Details

• The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 51-9083.00
• The Mean Annual Wage in the U.S. is $ 34,220.00
• The Mean Hourly Wage is $ 16.00
• Currently, there are 28,570 people on this job

☝️ Information based on the reference occupation “Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians”.

Also Known As…

• Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
• Surfacing Technician
• Polisher
• Optical Technician
• Optical Lab Technician (Optical Laboratory Technician)
• Line Operator
• Lens Grinder and Polisher
• Lab Technician (Laboratory Technician)
• Grinder
• Finishing Lab Technician
• Edger Technician
• Test Technician
• Surfacer
• Surface Room Shop Optician
• Surface Grinder
• Spotter
• Spectacle Truer
• Prism Measurer
• Prescription Eyeglass Maker
• Precision Optical Goods Worker
• Precision Lens Polisher
• Precision Lens Grinder
• Precision Lens Generator
• Precision Lens Centerer and Edger
• Optical Worker
• Optical Mechanic
• Optical Laboratory Mechanic
• Optical Instrument Assembler
• Optical Goods Drilling Machine Operator
• Optical Goods Drill Operator
• Optical Element Coater
• Optical Coating Technician
• Ophthalmic Technician
• Lens Silverer
• Lens Shaper Grinder
• Lens Polisher
• Lens Mounter
• Lens Mold Setter
• Lens Maker
• Lens Grinder
• Lens Generator
• Lens Finisher
• Lens Fabricating Machine Tender
• Lens Edger
• Lens Dotter
• Lens Cutter
• Lens Coating Technician
• Lens Cementer
• Layout Technician
• Laboratory Operations Coordinator (Lab Operations Coordinator)
• Laboratory Monitor (Lab Monitor)
• Hand Lens Polisher
• Hand Glass Cutter
• Glass Silverer
• Glass Frame Fitter
• Glass Cutter
• Eyeglass Maker
• Eyeglass Lens Cutter
• Eyeglass Cutter
• Eyeglass Assembler
• Edge Grinder
• Driller
• Dotter
• Diamond Grinder
• Cylinder Worker
• Cylinder Grinder
• Contact Lens Technician
• Contact Lens Manufacturer
• Contact Lens Lathe Operator
• Contact Lens Cutter
• Contact Lens Blocker and Cutter
• Contact Lens Blocker
• Beveler
• Bevel Polisher
• Benchroom Shop Optician
• Bench Hand
• Artificial Plastic Eye Maker
• Artificial Glass Eye Maker

Tasks for “Hospital Laboratory Technician (Hospital Lab Technician)”

• Assemble eyeglass frames and attach shields, nose pads, and temple pieces, using pliers, screwdrivers, and drills.
• Inspect, weigh, and measure mounted or unmounted lenses after completion to verify alignment and conformance to specifications, using precision instruments.
• Repair broken parts, using precision hand tools and soldering irons.
• Clean finished lenses and eyeglasses, using cloths and solvents.
• Set up machines to polish, bevel, edge, or grind lenses, flats, blanks, or other precision optical elements.
• Mount and secure lens blanks or optical lenses in holding tools or chucks of cutting, polishing, grinding, or coating machines.
• Select lens blanks, molds, tools, and polishing or grinding wheels, according to production specifications.
• Inspect lens blanks to detect flaws, verify smoothness of surface, and ensure thickness of coating on lenses.
• Shape lenses appropriately so that they can be inserted into frames.
• Adjust lenses and frames to correct alignment.
• Immerse eyeglass frames in solutions to harden, soften, or dye frames.
• Position and adjust cutting tools to specified curvature, dimensions, and depth of cut.
• Lay out lenses and trace lens outlines on glass, using templates.
• Mount, secure, and align finished lenses in frames or optical assemblies, using precision hand tools.
• Control equipment that coats lenses to alter their reflective qualities.
• Set dials and start machines to polish lenses or hold lenses against rotating wheels to polish them manually.
• Examine prescriptions, work orders, or broken or used eyeglasses to determine specifications for lenses, contact lenses, or other optical elements.
• Remove lenses from molds and separate lenses in containers for further processing or storage.

Related Technology & Tools

• Pupilometers
• Sagitta gauges
• Visual field testers
• Phoropters
• pH testers
• Screw extracting pliers
• Lab snips
• Soldering torches
• Cutting pliers
• Screw grippers
• Side cutting pliers
• Angling pliers
• Optical tweezers
• Phillips screwdrivers
• Lens grinding machines
• Lensometers
• Diagnostic retinoscopes
• Trial lens sets
• Soldering irons
• Optical slit lamps
• 3-way screwdrivers
• Neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet Nd:YAG lasers
• Lens thickness calipers
• Nut wrenches
• Edge polishers
• Hex nut wrenches
• Electric soldering kits
• Lens sizing pliers
• Keratometers
• Bent post pliers
• Prescription lens aligners
• Rimless scribe tools
• Chipping pliers
• Flat nose pliers
• Exophthalometers
• Corneal topographers
• Ball cutters
• Riveting hammers
• Snipe nose pliers
• Pachymeters
• Frame adjusting pliers
• Deblocking pliers
• Wheel cutters
• Nylon-brass mallets
• Pad removing tweezers
• Optical chain nose pliers
• Lens polishing machines
• Bench polishers
• Zylonite files
• Handheld tonometers
• Tapered eyewire closure pliers
• Carbon dioxide CO2 lasers
• Frame shaping pliers
• Argon lasers
• Ultrasonic cleaners
• Specular microscopes
• Stereopsis testers
• Spectrophotometers
• Lens groovers
• Soldering clamps
• Drill presses
• Rimless assembly measuring tools
• Potential acuity meters PAM
• Retinal cameras
• Mini power drills
• Lens cutting machines
• Self-closing tweezers
• Pupillary distance rulers
• Optical prisms
• Finger-piece pliers
• Lens coating machines
• Mini screwdrivers
• Flathead screwdrivers
• Lens tinting equipment

• Electronic medical record EMR software
• Eyeglass design software
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Outlook