About the American Board of Optometry

The American Board of Optometry (ABO) was founded in 2009 as a non-profit organization that board certifies optometrists in the United States and Canada. We were established to serve the public and the optometry profession by assessing and certifying the competency of optometrists. Board certification is a voluntary process that sets educational and practice standards and offers a means of demonstrating ongoing clinical competence through maintenance of certification.

Purpose & Mission

Our mission is to advance the quality of eye care by promoting excellence through education, assessment, practice and professionalism, for the benefit of all patients.

The ABO pledges to achieve our mission through a commitment to the following principles.

  • Requirements and objectives should be rooted in evidence-based guidelines, national quality standards and best practices.
  • Activities and assessments should be relevant to clinical practice.
  • Learning methods should provide direction and guidance for improvement in practice and delivery of care.
  • Periodic feedback from Diplomates should be used to evaluate and shape the maintenance of certification process to ensure it is continually improving and meeting the needs of the profession.
  • Board certification and maintenance of certification should not be cost prohibitive or unduly time-consuming.
  • Board certification should remain a voluntary process.
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By going through the voluntary process of becoming board certified, our Diplomates demonstrate competence beyond entry level.

Upcoming Events

Stay in the know about exams, training, and more by visiting our events page.

Spring Exam Window

Feb 1, 2024 @ 8:00 am - Mar 31, 2024 @ 5:00 pm CST
The next administration of the board certification exam will be February 1 - March 31, 2024. Applications may be submitted...
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Webinar: Long Term Outcomes and Recent Advances in Refractive Surgery

Apr 29, 2024 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm CDT
Join us on April 29 as Mark Eltis, OD, presents a course on advances in refractive surgery. While LASIK and...
More About Event > about Webinar: Long Term Outcomes and Recent Advances in Refractive Surgery

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