Optometrist
Pennsylvania Licensure Requirements
Doctor of Optometry
2 Examination
No Experience Requirement
3 Hours of Continuing Education
25.00 Initial Fee
135.00 Renewal Fee
Any person who has received a Doctor of Optometry degree from an accredited institution and has acquired a license to practice the profession of optometry. Optometry is the practice of examining the eyes, by means of suitable instruments or appliances, for defects in vision and eye disorders in order to prescribe corrective lenses or other appropriate treatment.
Degree Requirement:
Doctor of Optometry
An applicant must graduate from an accredited optometric educational institution. Only Optometrists licensed at the glaucoma level must carry professional liability insurance in the minimum amount of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 per annual aggregate. All other Optometrists must have insurance in the minimum amount of $200,000 per occurrence and $600,000 per annual aggregate.
Examination Requirement:
2 Examinations
Applicant must receive a passing grade on the National Board of Examiners in Optometry exam and the Treatment and Management of Ocular Disease exam.
Experience:
No Experience Requirement
No experience requirement for licensure.
Continuing Education:
3 Hours (for initial licensure)
Applicants must complete 3 hours of Board-approved continuing education in child abuse recognition and reporting for initial licensure.
30 Hours (when renewing license)
An applicant for biennial license renewal or reactivation of license is required to complete, during the 2 years preceding renewal or reactivation, a minimum of 30 hours of continuing education. If licensed for Therapeutics, 6 hours were therapeutic courses, and if licensed for Therapeutics and Glaucoma, 4 hours are in glaucoma and an additional 2 are in Therapeutics. Of those 30 hours, 2 hours must be Board-approved continuing education in child abuse recognition and reporting.
Initial Licensing Fee:
$25.00
Licensure Renewal Fee:
$135.00
Biennial renewal of license.
Licensure By Reciprocity & Licensure By Act 41:
To apply for licensure by reciprocity, the applicant must have practiced optometry for at least 4 years continuously in the state of licensure.
Act 41 allows for portability of out-of-state professional licensees coming to work in Pennsylvania. Act 41 does this by granting all boards and commissions within the Commonwealth the authority to immediately endorse licensees from other states, territories or jurisdictions (with substantially equivalent licensing requirements) who are active, in good standing and without discipline against their license or criminal conviction.