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Optical Designer

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March 29, 2024 Updated April 10, 2025 14 minute read

Exploring a Career as an Optical Designer

Optical design is a specialized field of engineering focused on creating systems that manipulate light. It involves understanding how light behaves and applying principles from physics and mathematics to design lenses, mirrors, prisms, and other optical components. These components form the heart of countless technologies, from everyday cameras and eyeglasses to sophisticated scientific instruments and communication networks.

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Salaries for Optical Designer

City

25th Percentile

50th Percentile

75th Percentile

Median

New York

$118,000

$154,000

$213,000

$154,000

San Francisco

$92,000

$110,000

$131,000

$110,000

Seattle

$111,000

$132,000

$158,000

$132,000

See all salaries

City

25th Percentile

50th Percentile

75th Percentile

Median

New York

$118,000

$154,000

$213,000

$154,000

San Francisco

$92,000

$110,000

$131,000

$110,000

Seattle

$111,000

$132,000

$158,000

$132,000

Austin

$86,000

$102,000

$126,000

$102,000

Toronto

$81,000

$107,000

$142,000

$107,000

London

£61,000

£75,000

£95,000

£75,000

Paris

€38,000

€45,000

€57,000

€45,000

Berlin

€77,000

€96,000

€134,000

€96,000

Tel Aviv

₪253,000

₪335,000

₪365,000

₪335,000

Singapore

S$9,000

S$12,000

S$15,000

S$12,000

Beijing

¥352,000

¥529,000

¥766,000

¥529,000

Shanghai

¥55,000

¥68,000

¥84,000

¥68,000

Shenzhen

¥142,800

¥203,400

¥285,600

¥203,400

Bengalaru

₹349,000

₹554,000

₹932,000

₹554,000

Delhi

₹245,000

₹350,000

₹450,000

₹350,000

Bars indicate relevance. All salaries presented are estimates. Completion of this course does not guarantee or imply job placement or career outcomes.

Path to Optical Designer

Take the first step.

We've curated six courses to help you on your path to Optical Designer. Use these to develop your skills, build background knowledge, and put what you learn to practice.

Sorted from most relevant to least relevant:

Introduction to Optical Eye Modeling with Zemax

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Zemax/OpticStudio Fundamentals (non-sequential mode)

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Optics from Beginner to Expert - The Physics of Light

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Physics of Geometrical and Physical Optics

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Optical Efficiency and Resolution

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First Order Optical System Design

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Reading list

We haven't picked any books for this reading list yet.

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