MA Optometrist CE Requirements

The following requirements are set by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Optometry:

• MA ODs must complete eighteen (18) hours of continuing education (CE) annually to renew their license.
  • Glaucoma Certified ODs must ensure 3 of the 18 hours pertain to glaucoma continuing education.   
  • Massachusetts General Law. c. 94C, s. 18(e) requires that all medical personnel prescribing any medication must complete during each license renewal period at least one (1) hour of training on opioid abuse annually. View Requirement
  • No more than six (6) CE hours can be credited for distance-based courses such as a webinar or journal article.
  • These hours must be either COPE-approved, State Board-approved or given by a continuing education entity. Currently, the only State Board-approved entities are:  New England College of Optometry, Massachusetts College of Health Pharmacy and Health Sciences School of Optometry, Tufts University School of Medicine, and Harvard Medical School.
  • All eighteen (18) hours of CE credit must be completed by December 31st of each year. Please use this link if you have additional questions or concerns.

The MSO CE courses are all COPE-approved unless otherwise indicated.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure Board of Registration in Optometry 
1000 Washington Street, Suite 710
Boston, Massachusetts 02118

Interpretation CE Requirements for Massachusetts Optometrists
Pursuant to 246 CMR 2.01(3)(a)(2), "[n]o more than six Continuing Education Hours per renewal period will be credited for distance based learning Continuing Education Courses."
It is the interpretation of the Board that for purposes of 246 CMR, "distance based" means a separation between an instructor and student, this separation being physical AND temporal (aka time). Accordingly, a "distance based learning Continuing Education Course" is an online or correspondence course in which students receive instruction in an asynchronous manner, such as by reading content, observing pre-recorded presentations, or otherwise interacting with on demand multimedia. Conversely, a course that utilizes a live interaction between an instructor and students, even if the instructor and students are not physically in the same location, is NOT "distance based" for purposes of 246 CMR. Such courses are thus not subject to the limitations of 246 CMR 2.01(3)(a)(2). The Board notes that this requirement does not prohibit an otherwise "live" continuing education class from utilizing videos or other multimedia presentations as part of the course so long as the majority of the class is a real-time collaboration between instructor and students.

Mandatory Education Requirement for TPA and TPA+GC prescribers

Massachusetts optometrists who have MCSR registration to prescribe schedules III-VI medications for the treatment of ocular diseases and deformities must complete during each license renewal period at least one (1) hour of course work or training relative to:

• Effective pain management;
• The risks of abuse and addiction associated with opioid medication;
• Identification of patients at risk for substance abuse disorders;
• Counseling patients about the side effects, addictive nature and proper storage and disposal of prescription medications;
• Appropriate prescription quantities for prescription medications that have an increased risk of abuse; and
• Opioid antagonists, overdose prevention treatments and instances in which a patient may be advised on both the use of and ways to access opioid antagonists and overdose prevention treatments.

These topics may be covered by a single, comprehensive course on pain management that meets the educational objectives of M.G.L. c. 94C, s.18(e). Courses include but are not limited to the following:

• COPE or Board approved courses in pain management and opioid training.

Successful completion of pain management training may be credited toward the 18 continuing education hours required for renewal of an optometrist license.

PLEASE NOTE: Completion of education in prescriber training does not authorize optometrists to prescribe schedule II medications. TPA+GC optometrists are prohibited from prescribing “an opioid substance or drug product” M.G.L. c. 112, s. 66C (a).

For more information, please contact board staff at optometry@mass.gov.