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South Carolina Board of Examiners in Optometry

  1. Renew My License
  2. Manage My License
  3. Application Status
  4. Licensee Lookup
  5. Board Orders
  6. Licensure Requirements
  7. Continuing Education
  8. Applications and Forms
  9. Document Submission
  10. Military Spouse Licensure

Renew My License

Optometry renewals are currently available and accessible through January 31, 2025: Renew My License

Board Approval for Continuing Education DEA Hours:

At the May 15, 2024, meeting, the Board approved licensees with authorization, via state and federal law, to prescribe controlled substances, to use two hours of the 8-hour DEA continuing education course toward the South Carolina controlled substances CE requirement.

CE Broker:

CE Broker is the official CE tracking system of the Board. All Licensees must activate their free account through CE Broker by December 31, 2024. If you have not yet activated your account, here is the link to register https://cebroker.com/sc/account/basic/. Once you have activated your account, CE courses can be reported for the current renewal cycle. An audit within CE Broker will be conducted following the close of the 2024 renewals. Licensees found non-compliant with CE reporting requirements will be contacted by the staff.

If you have questions concerning setting up your account or problems with your account, please contact CE Broker customer support directly Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST at (877) 434-6323 or support@cebroker.com.

Continuing Education Requirements:

Optometrists, licensed prior to 2023, must complete forty (40) hours of CE for the current CE cycle.

Except as provided below for certain licensees initially licensed in 2023 or 2024, each licensee seeking renewal must complete forty (40) hours of continuing education (CE) for the current CE cycle. The current CE cycle is January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2024.

  • CE courses must be on subjects relative to optometry, exclusive of office management or administration, at Board-approved and recognized educational seminars and courses or accredited institutions of learning.
  • Four (4) of the forty (40) hours may be for courses directly related to mandated health care programs including, but not limited to, HIPAA, Medicare and Medicaid, and Ethics or Jurisprudence.
  • Sixteen (16) of the forty (40) hours must be pharmacology or pathology related. All laser surgery education is considered general hours, not pharmacology.
  • CPR certification courses are approved for four (4) hours; CPR re-certification courses are approved for two (2) hours.
  • No more than fifteen (15) of the forty (40) CE hours required for a biennial licensure period can be from online courses unless otherwise approved by the Board. No more than ten (10) of the fifteen (15) online hours may be courses that are pre-recorded.

An unlimited number of CE hours can be from courses sponsored by optometric or medical organizations or optometry schools or medical schools as approved by the Board.

If an optometrist is authorized pursuant to state and federal law to prescribe controlled substances, two (2) of the requisite hours of continuing education must be related to approved procedures of prescribing and monitoring controlled substances listed in Schedules II, III, and IV of the schedules provided for in Sections 44-53-210, 44-53-230, and 44-53-250.

Licensees Initially Licensed in 2023 or 2024:

  • New graduates who received their initial license in 2023 are required to complete a minimum of twenty (20) hours of approved optometry continuing education for this CE cycle (January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2024).
  • Licensees, other than new graduates, who received their initial license in 2023 are required to complete forty (40) hours of CE for the current CE cycle.
  • New graduates who received their initial license in 2024 are exempt from completing continuing education hours for the current CE cycle.
  • Licensees, other than new graduates, who received their initial license in 2024 are required to complete a minimum of twenty (20) hours of approved optometry continuing education for this CE cycle.
  • Of the twenty (20) hours: two (2) may be for courses directly related to mandated health care programs; Eight (8) must be pharmacology or pathology related; and no more than five (5) may be from online courses unless otherwise approved by the Board.

If an optometrist is authorized pursuant to state and federal law to prescribe controlled substances, two (2) of the requisite hours of continuing education must be related to approved procedures of prescribing and monitoring controlled substances listed in Schedules II, III, and IV of the schedules provided for in Sections 44-53-210, 44-53-230, and 44-53-250.

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