Will AI replace ophthalmic laboratory technicians?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 40m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by robots. The other 7h 20m (92%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 2.2% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 2 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 40m of a typical shift. 11 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 4 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Inspect lens blanks to detect flaws, verify smoothness of surface, and ensure thickness of coating on lenses. (20m a shift; e.g. CSI Modulo ONE (Schneider cosmetic inspection system), in use)
• Control equipment that coats lenses to alter their reflective qualities. (20m a shift; e.g. Automation & Robotics automated cosmetic inspection machine (hybrid-AI), in use)

7h 20m of a typical shift, or 92%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Inspect, weigh, and measure mounted or unmounted lenses after completion to verify alignment and conformance to specifications, using precision instruments. (53m a shift)
• Shape lenses appropriately so that they can be inserted into frames. (53m a shift)
• Mount and secure lens blanks or optical lenses in holding tools or chucks of cutting, polishing, grinding, or coating machines. (47m a shift)
• Mount, secure, and align finished lenses in frames or optical assemblies, using precision hand tools. (47m a shift)
• Set up machines to polish, bevel, edge, or grind lenses, flats, blanks, or other precision optical elements. (33m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 94% use their hands on tools, objects or controls more than half the time
• 61% spend more than half the day on their feet
• 55% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important

On Indeed, job postings in the Production & Manufacturing sector are at 124% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 12.6% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 2,200 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $39,460 a year ($18.97 an hour), 23% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $33,530 and $57,380 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 2.2% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 19,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 2,200 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 19,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.01% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 565th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 19,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a high school diploma: about 56% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 2 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: high school diploma, some training. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Operation and Control, Quality Control Analysis, Operations Monitoring, Time Management
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 20m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word

Yes. Occupational experts recently added these to the official task list, a sign of how the work itself is shifting. New tasks aren't rated for AI or robots yet:

• Tint lenses according to customer specifications.

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Molders, Shapers, and Casters (6m touched, $46k median pay)
• Electromechanical Equipment Assemblers (0m touched, $46k median pay)
• Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood (0m touched, $43k median pay)
• Engine and Other Machine Assemblers (0m touched, $54k median pay)
• Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers (0m touched, $46k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 2 with robots in real deployments, 16 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.