Standard Application – Requirements
Standard Application – Apply Online
Special Application on Merit – Requirements
Special Application on Merit – Apply Online
Application Review Schedule and Fees
Questions? Comments? More Info?
Standard Application – Core Requirements Overview
Applicants must satisfy three Core Requirements to be eligible for certification. Compliance may be demonstrated through standard criteria or approved alternative criteria, as specified.
Core Requirements are presented in the typical order of attainment, reflecting the natural progression of advanced medical optometry training and practice. All requirements are mandatory, and applicants must meet either the standard or approved alternative criteria.
Standard Application – Core Requirement 1: Completion of a Postgraduate Residency in Medical Optometry
Applicants must demonstrate completion of postgraduate clinical training in medical optometry by meeting one of the following criteria.
Standard Criterion
Completion of a full-time postgraduate clinical residency program with major emphasis in medical optometry that is:
- Accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) or deemed equivalent by the Board.
- At least one (1) year in duration.
- Located within a Joint Commission-accredited medical facility or hospital/clinical facility accepted by ABCMO.
- Affiliated with a school or college of optometry, medicine, or osteopathy (residency need not be physically based at the academic institution).
Required Documentation
- Certificate of residency completion issued by the residency training facility; and/or
- Certificate of completion issued by the affiliated academic institution.
Alternative Criterion: Active Military Service
Active military service immediately following graduation from Optometry School may be accepted if it included substantial clinical responsibilities in medical optometry.
Required Documentation
- Relevant Military service records; and/or
- Duty assignment documentation.
Alternative Criterion: Qualifying Clinical Practice Experience
At least five (5) years of current and continuous medical optometry practice within a Joint Commission-accredited medical facility may be accepted upon review by the Board.
Note: The practice of Primary Eye Care will not be sufficient to meet this criterion; full scope practice of Medical Optometry is required.
Note: This alternative criterion is only available to ODs who graduated from Optometry school prior to 2026.
Required Documentation
- Employer verification; and/or
- Facility-issued documentation demonstrating dates, setting, and scope of practice.
Standard Application – Core Requirement 2: Medical Optometry Practice
Applicants must demonstrate current and substantial practice of medical optometry by meeting one of the following criteria.
Standard Criterion
Documented practice of medical optometry for the two (2) years immediately preceding application, defined as at least three (3) days per week and/or twenty-four (24) hours per week.
Required Documentation
- CV with current employment information (see Administrative Requirements below) and
- Current Clinical Privileges Document (for Joint Commission facility based employees) or
- Consecutive log of 100 recent patient encounters, including diagnosis and treatment
information.
Alternative Criterion: Recent Residency Completion
Applicants within two (2) years of completion of an approved postgraduate residency may satisfy this requirement through successful completion of the residency.
Required Documentation
- Residency completion documentation as described under Core Requirement 1.
Standard Application – Core Requirement 3: Passage of the Advanced Competence in Medical Optometry (ACMO) Exam
Applicants must demonstrate Advanced Competence in Medical Optometry by passage of the ACMO exam administered by the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO).
Standard Criterion
Passage of the ACMO exam within the past five (5) years.
Required Documentation
- Copy of examination results; and
- Official score report transmitted directly to ABCMO by the National Board of
Examiners in Optometry (NBEO).
Alternative Criterion
ACMO exam results older than five (5) years may be accepted if the applicant:
- Meets all other certification requirements; and
- Provides documentation of four (4) years current and continuous medical optometry practice.
Required Documentation
- Copy of examination results; and
- Official score report transmitted directly to ABCMO by the National Board of
Examiners in Optometry (NBEO); and - Practice documentation consistent with Core Requirement 2.
Standard Application – Administrative Requirements
In addition to the Core Requirements, applicants must satisfy the following Administrative Requirements, which govern eligibility verification, application processing, and credential review. These requirements are procedural in nature and do not substitute for or modify the Core Certification Requirements.
1. Licensure
Valid current state license to practice optometry, reflecting the highest level of therapeutic authority available in the applicant’s state of practice.
For applicants practicing in federal health care facilities, a license of record assigned by the employing facility is acceptable.
2. Professional Degree
Valid copy of the Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree from an accredited North American school or college of optometry.
3. National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) Self-Query
Official NPDB self-query results issued within three (3) months of application.
4. Letters of Recommendation
At least one (1) letter attesting to clinical competence and ethical standing, from:
- Immediate clinical supervisor at residency site; and/or
- Residency program director; or
- For applicants more than four (4) years post-residency, current clinical supervisor.
Letters must include current contact information for verification by the Board.
5. Applicant Summary Statement
A signed statement summarizing:
- Professional credentials;
- Medical optometry practice experience; and
- Complete and current contact information.
6. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
A comprehensive CV detailing the applicant’s professional preparation, training, appointments, and clinical experience.
7. Waivers, Interviews, Status Changes
- Applicant agrees to grant a waiver authorizing ABCMO to make any inquiries needed to
verify the documents and statements furnished by the applicant and to share information
internally for review purposes. - Applicant agrees to an interview or visitation of practice site if requested.
- Applicant agrees to pay the appropriate non-refundable application processing fee and
notify the Board immediately about any changes to their application status.
Standard Application – Additional Notes
Applicants are solely responsible for ensuring the completeness of their application, submission of the required documents and payment of non-refundable application fees. Applications must contain full contact information.
ABCMO will not release, or share, an individual’s application information with any external body or individuals other than those comprising the Board’s Certification Committee, indicate to the public those who have sought and failed to receive certification, or disclose the number of times an applicant has submitted an application.
All applicants are required to enroll in the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program upon certification. Fees for this program are waived during the first 2 years after initial certification.
Questions? Please reach out to the Board at info@abcmo.org before submitting an application.
Apply Online – Standard Application
Special Application on Merit – Requirements
If an applicant does not meet the eligibility requirements for certification under the Standard Application, ABCMO offers a Special Application on Merit. This pathway is intended for experienced optometrists who can clearly demonstrate advanced competence in the specialty of medical optometry that is equivalent to, or exceeds, the standards expected of applicants who qualify through the standard process.
The Special Application on Merit is more rigorous than the Standard Application and is not intended as an alternative pathway for applicants who are missing one of the core requirements. Applicants must be nominated by an ABCMO-certified specialist and must provide substantial, well-documented evidence of advanced competence. The applicant must document some or all of the following:
- National recognition for advanced competence in medical optometry. Examples are a history of presenting lectures and/or laboratory workshops at the American Academy of Optometry or other well regarded educational meetings.
- Significant publications (articles, texts, chapters) on medical optometry in peer reviewed journals, textbooks or popular journals.
- Supervision and training of residents in medical optometry or ophthalmology while holding a faculty appointment at an optometry or medical facility holding written highest level TPA clinical privileges.
- Passage of national exams such as NBEO’s Advanced Competence in Medical Optometry (ACMO) Exam or TMOD.
- Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.
- Diplomate of the Ocular Disease Special Interest Group of the American Academy of Optometry.
- Fellow of the Optometric Retina Society.
- Fellow of the Optometric Glaucoma Society.
- Certification in ophthalmology by the American Board of Ophthalmology.
- History of research in the medical treatment of ocular-visual disorders and/or teaching courses in such treatment.
Note: If you are considering applying via Special Application on Merit, please reach out to the Board at info@abcmo.org before submitting an application. Include information regarding the core requirements of Residency, Medical Optometry Practice and the ACMO Exam.
Special Application on Merit – Additional Notes
The degree to which an applicant meets one or more of the ten criteria listed above is at the discretion of the certification committee, based upon the strength and breath of the applicant’s overall credentials. Applicants authorize the board of directors to undertake all appropriate forms of inquiry to verify their proffered credentials and site of practice as well as provide information about the type of practice in which they treat patients and/or demographic data pertaining to diagnosis and treatment of the patients they treat or the subject matter of their teaching.
The ABCMO-certified nominator of the applicant shall submit a letter stating the reasons by which s/he believes a Special Application on Merit should be offered their nominee.
All applicants are required to enroll in the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program upon certification. Fees for this program are waived during the first 2 years after initial certification. Those without an O.D. are not required to enroll in ABCMO MOC i.e., Ophthalmologists who have their own MOC requirements, but a waiver has to be requested and then granted by the Board.
Apply Online – Special Application
Application Review Schedule
The Board reviews applications monthly.
For consideration in any given month, your completed application must be submitted before the first of that month. If you do not hear from us by the end of the review month please contact info@abcmo.org
Example: If you submit an application January 31st it will be reviewed in February. If you do not hear from us by February 28th please follow up – we ask that you follow up to make sure your decision letter is not “lost” in a SPAM folder, etc.
To reduce the chances of this happening, please add info@abcmo.org to your contact list.
Application Fees
Standard Application
January 1, 2026 – December 31, 2026 – $700
January 1, 2027 – December 31, 2027 – $800
Special Application on Merit
January 1, 2026 – December 31, 2026 – $800
January 1, 2027 – December 31, 2027 – $900
Application fees are non-refundable.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the requirements for Specialty Certification in Medical Optometry, please ask before submitting your application. This is particularly important with regards to the Residency, ACMO Exam and Practice requirements or if you decide to submit a Special Application on Merit.
Dr. Kenneth Myers
President, ABCMO
info@abcmo.org