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Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician

Types of Degrees Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	9
Master’s Degree	67

What Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician Majors Need to Know

Programs in Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.9 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.7 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.7 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.6 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	3.6 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	—
Medical condition coding software	Medical software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Adobe Presenter	Computer based training software	—
Material safety data sheet MSDS software	Compliance software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician graduates include:

• Podiatric Medicine Professor
• Occupational Therapy Teacher
• Serology Teacher
• Oxygen Therapy Teacher
• Gericare Aide Teacher
• Virology Teacher
• Physical Therapy Professor
• Physical Medicine Teacher
• Manual Arts Therapy Teacher
• Pediatrics Teacher
• Infant Care Teacher
• Health Teacher
• Optometry Professor
• Clinical Laboratory Service Teacher
• Radiology Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	23.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	21.9%
Doctoral degree	15.3%
Post-doctoral training	11.7%
Bachelor’s degree	9.1%
Some college courses	5.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.4%
Postsecondary certificate	5.2%
Less than a high school diploma	1.9%
First professional degree	0.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 68.4% of Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	52	68.4%
Men	24	31.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	18	23.7%
Asian	3	3.9%
Hispanic or Latino	41	53.9%
Black or African American	9	11.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	1.3%
Two or More Races	1	1.3%
Race Unknown	2	2.6%
International Students	1	1.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$42,942
4 years	$39,910
5 years	$44,672

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $44,672 — roughly 4% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician graduates earn a median of $39,910 four years after completion — roughly 5% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions	20,443
Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist	9,347
Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist	3,893
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Technician	3,329
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	2,445
Sterile Processing Technology/Technician	1,964
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions, Other	895
Histologic Technician	260
Blood Bank Technology Specialist	241
Advanced General Dentistry	238
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences, Other	150
Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist	127

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.