Optical Designer

An Optical Designer, also referred to as Optical Engineer, Optical Design Engineer or Optical Systems Engineer, make use of optics to solve problems and to design and build devices that make light do something useful. This requires them to understand and apply the science of optics in substantial detail, in order to know what is physically possible to achieve. But they also must know what is practical in terms of available technology, materials, costs, design methods, etc. Optical Engineers work in all areas of optics, using different techniques to design lasers, build telescopes, create fiber optics communication systems, and many more.

As with other fields of engineering, computers are important to many (perhaps most) optical engineers. They are used with instruments, for simulation, in design, and for many other applications. Engineers often use general computer tools such as spreadsheets and programming languages, and they also make frequent use of specialized software designed specifically for their field.