What qualifications do you need to be a eye doctor?

The requirements for becoming an optician in the United States vary depending on where an individual intends to work. Approximately 23 states require opticians to be licensed or certified before dispensing eyeglasses and contact lenses. While there are a handful of educational institutions that offer optician certificate programs, most regulated states allow individuals to complete an apprenticeship instead. An apprenticeship consists of a specified number of hours that are completed under the direct supervision of a qualified optician, optometrist, or ophthalmologist. Employers operating in states that are unregulated are typically allowed to establish their own employment standards for the opticians they hire.