Effective January 1, 2025: Texas law provides that a therapeutic optometrist can be certified as an Optometric Glaucoma Specialist through specialized training and certification of skills. All graduates from accredited colleges of optometry after 2008 are qualified for the certification, but not all new therapeutic licensees apply for the certification. In order to ensure that patients are seen and treated in the same manner, the Board adopted changes to Chapter 271 – Examinations which require all qualified new applicants to apply for the certification when applying for a therapeutic optometric license. Those applicants not qualified for the Optometric Glaucoma certification would continue to be licensed as a therapeutic optometrist. By moving to a single and common level of licensure, the Board creates additional transparency to the public (and pharmacists filling optometric prescriptions) about the optometrist’s scope of practice. This update is effective with applications received after January 1, 2025.
- Applicants: Instructions to apply for a license.
- Military Veterans, Military Spouses, and Military Service Members: Information on an expedited process.
After Reading the Instructions
