Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician

Types of Degrees Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many ophthalmic laboratory technology/technician graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Basic Certificate	60
Associate Degree	18

What Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, ophthalmic laboratory technology/technician majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technology/Technician Majors

Ophthalmic Laboratory Technology/Technician majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Skills for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technology/Technician Majors

ophthalmic laboratory technology/technician majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

Abilities for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technology/Technician Majors

As a ophthalmic laboratory technology/technician major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

What Can You Do With a Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with ophthalmic laboratory technology/technician:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians	11.7%	$31,830
Ophthalmic Medical Technologists	19.6%	$42,920

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician?

The major attracts more women than men. About 83% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of ophthalmic laboratory technology/technician majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	0
Black or African American	1
Hispanic or Latino	17
White	0
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	0

How Much Do Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Ophthalmic Laboratory Technology/Technician majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $34,490 to $47,450 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician

Some careers associated with ophthalmic laboratory technology/technician require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to ophthalmic laboratory technology/technician have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	2.6%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	34.2%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	27.0%
Some College Courses	11.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	8.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	5.5%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	5.1%
Master’s Degree	2.0%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	4.2%

Online Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 3 schools offered some type of ophthalmic laboratory technology/technician program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	1	0
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	0	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician Worth It?

The median salary for a ophthalmic laboratory technology/technician grad is $34,490 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

Trades Related to Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to ophthalmic laboratory technology/technician.

Major	Number of Grads
Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist	7,599
Laboratory Technician	4,134
Laboratory Sciences & Medical Technology	3,272
Sterile Processing Technology/Technician	1,108
Other Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions	833
Histologic Technician	243
Blood Bank Technology Specialist	226
Renal/Dialysis Technologist/Technician	220
Histologic Technology/Histotechnologist	101
Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist	63
Hematology Technology	36
Cytogenetics/Genetics/Clinical Genetics Technology/Technologist	34

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Staff Sgt. Jerilyn Quintanilla under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.