Arizona State Board of Dispensing Opticians Statutes can be found on the Arizona State Board of Dispensing Opticians website at do.az.gov or by visiting the Statutes section on this site.

The Rules can be found on the Arizona State Board of Dispensing Opticians website at do.az.gov or in the State Board Rules section on this site.

Visit the Arizona State Board of Dispensing Opticians website at do.az.gov for current contact information.

United Opticians Association, Inc. — 217 North Upper Street, Suite 201, Herndon, Virginia 20170. Phone: (703) 437-8780 or (800) 433-8997. Fax: (703) 437-0727. Website: oaa.org

ABO-NCLE — 6506 Loisdale Rd., Suite 209, Lexington, Kentucky 40507. Phone: (703) 719-5800. Website: abo-ncle.org

Per Arizona law (A.R.S. §32-1671.3), a dispensing optician is any person who dispenses lenses, contact lenses, frames, artificial eyes, or optical devices to the intended wearer on written prescription from a licensed physician or optometrist — interpreting, measuring, adapting, fitting or adjusting them for the correction of visual anomalies of the human eye.

A Dispensing Optician makes and/or fits eyeglasses or contacts. An Optometrist is the doctor who performs the examination and writes the prescription. An Ophthalmologist is a medical doctor specializing in diseases of the eye.

For 12 hours of required continuing education, a minimum of 4 hours in eyeglass fitting and
dispensing (ABO), plus a minimum 3 hours of contact lens fitting and dispensing (NCLE), and
one hour of state or national opticianry standards are required. A minimum additional 4 hours
of either ABO or NCLE completes the legal requirement.

ABO (American Board of Opticianry) certifies opticians who dispense and work with spectacles. NCLE (National Contact Lens Examiners) certifies those who fit and work with contact lenses. Both are national non-profit organizations, and successful completion of both exams is required for licensure in Arizona.

Contact ABO-NCLE at abo-ncle.org or call (703) 719-5800 for exam registration and information.

The state practical examination is offered through ABO-NCLE.org. Check their website for current dates and times.

• Optical Training Institute — Opticianry Development Program: opticaltraining.com
• NAO — Ophthalmic Career Progression Program: nao.org