About half of these jobs were in retail stores that manufacture and sell prescription glasses mostly chains of optical goods stores or independent retailers. Most of the rest were in optical laboratories. These laboratories manufacture eyewear for dispensing by retail stores that sell but do not fabricate prescription glasses, and by ophthalmologists and optometrists. A few work for optometrists or ophthalmologists who dispense glasses directly to patients. Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement Nearly all ophthalmic laboratory technicians learn their skills on the job.
Employers filling trainee jobs prefer applicants who are high school graduates.
Technician trainees start on simple tasks such as marking or blocking lenses for grinding, then progress to lens grinding, lens cutting, edging, beveling, and eyeglass assembly. Depending on the individual's aptitude, it may take 6 to 18 months to become proficient in all phases of the work. Some ophthalmic technicians learn their trade in the Armed Forces. Others attend the few programs in optical technology offered by vocational-technical institutes or trade schools. These programs have classes in optical theory, surfacing and lens finishing, and the reading and applying of prescriptions.