License: Optometrist

Department of Health Professions Board of Optometry

6606 West Broad Street

4th Floor

Richmond, VA 23230-1717

(804) 662-9908

Licensure by examination. A. The applicant, in order to be eligible for licensure by examination to practice optometry in the Commonwealth shall meet the requirements for TPA certification in 18VAC105-20-16 and shall: 1. Be a graduate of a school of optometry accredited by the Council on Optometric Education; have an official transcript verifying graduation sent to the board; 2. Request submission of an official report from the NBEO of a score received on each required part of the NBEO examination or other board-approved examination; and3. Submit a completed application and the prescribed fee. B. Applicants who passed the National Board Examination prior to May 1985 shall apply for licensure by endorsement as provided for in 18VAC105-20-15. C. Required examinations. 1. For the purpose of _x0015_54.1-3211 of the Code of Virginia, the board adopts all parts of the NBEO examination as its written examination for licensure. After July 1, 1997, the board shall require passage as determined by the board of Parts I, II, and III of the NBEO examination. 2. As part of the application for licensure, an applicant must sign a statement attesting that he has read, understands, and will comply with the statutes and regulations governing the practice of optometry in Virginia. D. If an applicant has been licensed in another jurisdiction, the following requirements shall also apply: 1. The applicant shall attest that he is not a respondent in a pending or unresolved malpractice claim; and 2. Each jurisdiction in which the applicant is currently licensed shall verify that: a. The license is full and unrestricted, and all continuing education requirements have been completed, if applicable; b. The applicant is not a respondent in any pending or unresolved board action; and c. The applicant has not committed any act that would constitute a violation of _x0015_54.1-3204 or 54.1-3215 of the Code of Virginia. E. An applicant who did not complete all parts of the board-approved examination within five years prior to the date of receipt of their application for licensure by this board may be required to retake all or any part of the board-approved examination or take board-approved continuing education unless they demonstrate that they have maintained clinical, ethical, and legal practice for 36 of the past 60 months immediately prior to submission of an application for licensure.