A professional who sets up and operates grinding and polishing machines to make lenses, optical flats, and other precision optical elements for optical instruments and ophthalmic goods, such as telescopes, aerial cameras, military optical systems, and eyeglasses. Responsibilities include:

• Operates machine to rough-grind blanks of optical glass to approximate size and shape or manually positions and turns blanks against grinding wheel or lap i.
• Blocks optical element in plaster or other compound.
• Mounts blocked element in machine and operates machine to oscillate and rotate element against abrasive to fine-grind element to final size and shape.
• Periodically stops machine to inspect and measure elements for accuracy and degree of completion.
• Polishes surfaces, using lens-polishing machine.
• May cement lens elements together to obtain corrected lens assemblies.
• May mount optical elements in holders or adapters for use in instruments.
• May be designated according to type of lens ground as eyeglass-lens grinder; instrument-lens grinder; multifocal-button grinder.