Optometrist

The requirements for licensure as a Certified Optometrist are as follows. Applicants must:

• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Have graduated from a school or college of optometry approved by the board. Pursuant to Rule 64B13-4.004, F.A.C., all board-approved schools or colleges must be accredited by the Accreditation Council for Optometric Education. In addition, all applicants must provide documentation of successful passage of National Boards of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) Part I in order to demonstrate graduation from a board-approved school or college.
• Have completed at least 110 hours of transcript quality course work and clinical training in general and ocular pharmacology at an institution that has facilities for both didactic and clinical instruction and which is accredited by a regional or professional accrediting organization that is recognized and approved by the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation or the United States Department of Education.
• Have completed at least one year of supervised experience in differential diagnosis of eye disease or disorders as part of the optometric training or in a clinical setting as part of the optometric experience.
• Have successfully passed all parts of the Florida Licensure Examination. The examinations must consist of the National Boards of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) examination Part II (PAM – which includes the TMOD) and Part III, as well as the Florida Practical Examination (which is taken simultaneously with Part III and includes the NBEO Part III skills of Biomicroscopy, Binocular Indirect Ophthalmoscopy and Dilated Biomicroscopy, and Non-Contact Fundus Lens Evaluation with a passing score as established by NBEO), and Part IV (Florida Laws and Rules Examination) with a score of 84% or higher.
• Applicants who are or have been licensed in another state must submit license verification from each state they currently hold or have ever held a license.

Please note, pursuant to Florida law, incomplete applications (applications in which documentation of compliance with all licensure requirements, other than passage of all parts of the Florida Licensure Examination, has not been provided) expire one year from the date of receipt by the Department of Health.

If a “Yes” response is provided to any of the questions in the health history section, provide the following documents directly to the board office:

A letter from a Licensed Health Care Practitioner, who is qualified by skill and training to address the condition identified, which explains the impact the condition may have on the ability to practice the profession with reasonable skill and safety. The letter must specify that the applicant is safe to practice the profession without restrictions or specifically indicate the restrictions that are necessary. Documentation provided must be dated within one year of the application date.

A written self-explanation, identifying the medical condition(s) or occurrence(s); and current status.

Applicants with prior criminal convictions are required to submit the following:

Final Dispositions/Arrest Records – Final disposition records for offenses can be obtained at the clerk of the court in the arresting jurisdiction. If the records are not available, you must have a letter on court letterhead sent from the clerk of the court attesting to their unavailability.

Completion of Probation/Parole/Sanctions – Probation and financial sanction records for offenses can be obtained at the clerk of the court in the arresting jurisdiction. Parole records for offenses can be obtained from the Department of Corrections or at the clerk of the court in the arresting jurisdiction. If the records are not available, you must have a letter on court letterhead sent from the clerk of the court attesting to their unavailability.

Self-Explanation – Applicants who have listed offenses on the application must submit a letter in their own words describing the circumstances of the offense. Include in your letter the date of the original offense, the charge, and the jurisdiction where it occurred.

Applicants with prior disciplinary actions are required to submit the following:

Board Actions – Certified copies of document(s) relative to any disciplinary action taken against any license. The documents must come from the agency that took the disciplinary action and must be certified by that agency.

Self-Explanation – A detailed description of the circumstances surrounding your disciplinary action and a thorough description of the rehabilitative changes in your lifestyle since the time of the disciplinary action which would enable you to avoid future occurrences. It would be helpful to include factors in your life, which you feel may have contributed to your disciplinary action, what you have learned about yourself since that time, and the changes you have made that support your rehabilitation.

Effective July 1, 2012, Section 456.0635, Florida Statutes (F.S.), provides that health care boards or the department shall refuse to issue a license, certificate or registration and shall refuse to admit a candidate for examination if the applicant:

1. Has been convicted of, or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, a felony under Chapter 409, F.S., (relating to social and economic assistance), Chapter 817, F.S., (relating to fraudulent practices), Chapter 893, F.S., (relating to drug abuse prevention and control) or a similar felony offense(s) in another state or jurisdiction unless the candidate or applicant has successfully completed a drug court program for that felony and provides proof that the plea has been withdrawn or the charges have been dismissed. Any such conviction or plea shall exclude the applicant or candidate from licensure, examination, certification, or registration, unless the sentence and any subsequent period of probation for such conviction or plea ended:
   1. For the felonies of the first or second degree, more than 15 years from the date of the plea, sentence and completion of any subsequent probation;
   2. For the felonies of the third degree, more than 10 years from the date of the plea, sentence and completion of any subsequent probation;
   3. For the felonies of the third degree under section 893.13(6)(a), F.S., more than five years from the date of the plea, sentence and completion of any subsequent probation;
2. Has been convicted of, or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, a felony under 21 U.S.C. ss. 801-970 (relating to controlled substances) or 42 U.S.C. ss. 1395-1396 (relating to public health, welfare, Medicare and Medicaid issues), unless the sentence and any subsequent period of probation for such conviction or pleas ended more than 15 years prior to the date of the application;
3. Has been terminated for cause from the Florida Medicaid program pursuant to section 409.913, F.S., unless the candidate or applicant has been in good standing with the Florida Medicaid program for the most recent five years;
4. Has been terminated for cause, pursuant to the appeals procedures established by the state or Federal Government, from any other state Medicaid program, unless the candidate or applicant has been in good standing with a state Medicaid program for the most recent five years and the termination occurred at least 20 years before the date of the application;
5. Is currently listed on the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s List of Excluded Individuals and Entities.

Current licenses expires at midnight, Eastern Time, on February 28, 2027.

To ensure you receive your renewal notification from the department, your current mailing address must be on file. Failure to renew an active or inactive license by the expiration date will result in the license being placed in delinquent status. Failure by a delinquent licensee to renew before the expiration of the current licensure cycle renders the license null and void without any further action by the board or the department.

A licensee who remains on inactive status for more than two consecutive biennial licensure cycles and who wishes to reactivate the license may be required to demonstrate the competency to resume active practice by sitting for a special purpose examination or by completing other reactivation requirements.

Licensees requesting to reactivate their license from inactive or retired status are required to pay additional fees and comply with specific continuing education requirements. Please contact the board office at MQA.Optometry@flhealth.gov to request your reactivation requirements.

If you are reactivating your license, please refer to the Laws & Rules governing your practice for additional requirements.

The department will renew your license upon receipt of:

• Completed renewal application
• Required fees

If you are a member of the Armed Forces of the United States on active duty who was in good standing with the board at the time of becoming active and was entitled to practice or engage in the practice of medicine in Florida, you may be eligible to be exempted from renewal requirements for the duration of active duty, and for a period of six months after discharge, but not practicing the profession in the private sector for profit.

If you are the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States, you may be eligible to be exempted from licensure renewal requirements, but only in cases of absence from the state because your spouses’ duties with the Armed Forces.

If you volunteer your services in public schools for a minimum of 80 hours a year or if retired, at least 400 hours a year, you may be eligible for a waiver of your biennial renewal fee and some of the continuing education hours (no more than 25%) required for license renewal; however, the continuing education requirements for HIV and AIDS and medical errors cannot be waived.