Will “Lens Coating 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 Cementer
• Layout Technician
• Laboratory Operations Coordinator (Lab Operations Coordinator)
• Laboratory Monitor (Lab Monitor)
• Hospital Laboratory Technician (Hospital Lab Technician)
• 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 “Lens Coating Technician”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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