What is an optometrist license, and how do you get one?
Optometrists are licensed in all states by a board of optometry after earning a Doctor of Optometry degree from an accredited school and passing the National Board of Examiners in Optometry sequence — Parts I, II and III, the last including a clinical skills component — plus the state's law examination. Therapeutic prescribing is authorised everywhere, but the extent of procedural and laser privileges varies substantially between states. Optometrists earn a $136,570 median.
- Complete an accredited Doctor of Optometry programme.
- Pass NBEO Parts I, II and III including the clinical skills component.
- Pass the state law examination.
- Apply to the state board of optometry for licensure.
- Add therapeutic and procedural certifications the state requires and renew.
How to get an optometrist license
- 1
Complete an accredited OD programme
Finish a four-year Doctor of Optometry degree at a school accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education, following prerequisite undergraduate study, with extensive supervised clinical training.
- 2
Pass the NBEO sequence
Sit Part I on applied basic science, Part II on patient assessment and management, and Part III on clinical skills. These are staged across the programme rather than taken at the end, so plan them alongside your coursework and clinical rotations.
- 3
Pass the state law examination
Take the jurisprudence examination on the state's optometry practice act, scope provisions, prescribing rules and record-keeping requirements. It must be taken separately for each state you license in.
- 4
Apply to the state board
Submit your application with degree, examination results and a background check. Confirm at this stage which therapeutic and procedural privileges the state grants and whether any require separate certification.
- 5
Add scope certifications and consider residency
Obtain the certifications your state requires for glaucoma management, particular drug classes or authorised procedures. Consider a residency in ocular disease, paediatrics, low vision or contact lenses if you are heading toward specialty, hospital or academic practice, and renew with continuing education.
Optometrist license requirements
Requirements are consistent nationally, with scope provisions the significant state variable. You need:
Doctor of Optometry
An OD degree from a school accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education, typically four years after prerequisite undergraduate study, with extensive clinical training.
NBEO examination sequence
Parts I, II and III from the National Board of Examiners in Optometry, covering basic science, clinical science and patient care, with a clinical skills assessment in the final part.
State law examination
A jurisprudence examination on the state's optometry practice act, scope provisions, prescribing rules and record-keeping requirements, taken for each state you license in.
Scope-specific certification
Several states require additional certification or training before an optometrist may prescribe certain drug classes, treat glaucoma, or perform authorised procedures.
How much an optometrist license costs
Examination and licence fees are modest against the doctoral programme. Budget for:
The OD programme dominates the cost and optometry carries some of the higher student debt loads in healthcare. NBEO publishes fees per part and each board sets its own licence and renewal fees.
The optometrist license exam
The NBEO sequence has three parts, staged across the doctoral programme rather than taken at the end. Part I assesses applied basic science, Part II covers patient assessment and management across ocular disease, refraction, binocular vision and the ocular manifestations of systemic conditions, and Part III assesses clinical skills through patient or standardised encounters. Each is scored against a scaled standard. Every state then requires its own law examination on the practice act, scope provisions, prescribing rules and record keeping — brief but genuinely state-specific, and repeated for each state you license in. Several states additionally require certification before particular therapeutic or procedural privileges may be exercised.
How long it takes to get licensed
About eight years including the undergraduate degree, with the four-year OD and its clinical training the substantive part; residency adds a further year for those who take it.
Optometrist license types: the full ladder
The optometric ladder is defined by scope authority and specialisation rather than by licence levels.
Optometry student
Provides care under faculty supervision within the accredited programme's clinical training; not licensed.
Licensed optometrist
The core licence: comprehensive eye examination, refraction, diagnosis and management of ocular conditions within the state's scope.
Therapeutic certification
Where the state requires it separately, the authorisation to prescribe therapeutic drug classes for ocular conditions.
Glaucoma and advanced management authority
Additional authority in states that treat glaucoma management as a distinct scope element requiring specific certification or training.
Laser and minor procedure privileges
Permitted in a minority of states with defined training and certification, covering procedures such as certain laser treatments and lid lesion removal.
Residency-trained specialist
Optional postgraduate residency in areas such as ocular disease, paediatrics, low vision, contact lenses or vision therapy, common for hospital and academic practice.
Board certification
Voluntary certification through the profession's certifying body, distinct from state licensure and not required to practise.
Optometrist vs Ophthalmologist: optometrist license
Optometrist license reciprocity between states
Optometry does not have a formal reciprocity system, but licensure by endorsement is common: a licensed optometrist in good standing can generally obtain licensure in another state on the basis of the NBEO sequence and practice history, without re-taking the national examinations. Two things are always required locally — the state law examination, and any scope-specific certification that state demands. Because scope differs so much, an optometrist moving states may find privileges they exercised routinely are unavailable, or that additional certification is needed to continue them. Confirm scope as well as licensure with the destination board.
Optometristsalary & job outlook
Optometrists earn a median of about $136,570 per year ($65.66/hour), with practice ownership and medically oriented practice generally above employed retail-setting roles. Employment is projected to grow 8%, with roughly 2,400 openings a year — a small profession with correspondingly limited annual entry. See the full optometrist salary guide for pay by state, city and experience level.
Optometrist license requirements by state
Every state licenses optometrists, so the variable that matters professionally is scope: which drug classes and procedures the state authorises.
All states license optometrists and all authorise therapeutic prescribing, but the scope provisions differ significantly — which drug classes may be prescribed, whether glaucoma may be managed independently, and whether certain laser and minor surgical procedures are permitted. This is the most actively legislated area in the profession, so confirm the current scope with the board rather than relying on general summaries.
Browse all state guides
Optometrist license FAQs
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (Optometrists) · National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) · Accreditation Council on Optometric Education · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (29-1041). Requirements and fees are set per state and change, confirm with your state board before applying.
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