In the field of optical design and simulation, significant advancements have been made in lens design, lens design theory, illumination simulation, non-imaging optics design, freeform optics, simulation software, fabrication, and testing. The optical components/devices sector has seen developments in technologies such as lasers, LEDs, OLEDs, image sensors, DOE/HOE, thin films, coatings, optical waveguides, optical fibers, integrated optoelectronic devices, active optical components, optical MEMS, photonic crystals, and device fabrication processes.

Optical systems encompass cameras, microscopes, displays, projectors, optical data storage, optical lithography, illumination optics, 3D image acquisition, 3D displays, virtual/augmented reality, LiDAR, automotive optics, biomedical optics, optofluidics, optical measurement, optical sensing, and spectroscopy.

In the realm of new technologies, significant strides have been made in AI optics (machine learning, etc.), computational imaging and sensing, single-pixel imaging, digital holography, CGH, nonlinear optics, ultrafast optics, metamaterials, plasmonics, near-field optics, quantum optics, nanostructures, optical cloaking, and other future technologies in optical design and fabrication.