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Chrysopa oculata can be distinguished from other species by the following combination of characters: the frons has a darkly coloured ring around the lower or lateral margin of the base of the antenna; the antennal bases are not separated by an x-shaped mark as they are in C. chi; on the antennae, the pedicel is dark and the basal third of the flagellum is pale; there are small spots on the pronotum; the lateral groove of the vertex near the eye margin is completely pale. Head - Scape unmarked. Antennae pale, darken distally. Maxillary and labial palps dark. Clypeus marks not extensive. Frons broad with black-brown band anteriorly and around antennae. Genae black from eye to base of mandibles. Two pair dorsolateral spots on vertex. Red-brown marks near dorsal rim of antennal sockets. Thorax - Faint dots dorsolaterally. Setae mix of dark and light. Forewing crossveins dark at ends. Hindwing crossveins all dark. Setae on legs dark. Abdomen - Setae amber-brown.

Chrysopa oculata is part of the oculata group, which all produce strong-smelling, offensive secretions (Henry 1982). Eggs are typically oval-shaped, and are borne at the top of a long stalk that is stuck to a substrate (Canard et al. 1984). Larvae generally overwinter in cocoons as diapausing third instars (Penny et al. 2000). They have been known to have up to three generations per summer (Henry 1982). Like other chrysopids, they produce courtship songs by bursts of abdominal vibrations; these songs are most likely related to species isolation (Henry 1982).

Penny et al. (2000) developed an identification key to the adult Chrysopa species, which highlights some of the important morphological features in distinguishing green lacewings at the genus and the species level. Larvae of Chrysopa species have relatively uniform external characters, such as a stocky, campodeiform body, a flattened abdomen, and spherical thoracic and abdominal lateral tubercles, so identification relies mainly on the adults. They are used extensively as biological control agents in fruit orchards, hopyards and vineyards in the Pacific Northwest (James 2006).