Texas Optometric Glaucoma Specialists must complete 32 hours of continuing education (CE) every two-year renewal cycle. Your CE cycle matches your license cycle: if you’re in Group 1, it runs January 1 through December 31 of even years; if you’re in Group 2, it runs January 1 through December 31 of odd years.
At least half of your required hours (16) must be completed through Live or live webinar courses. The remaining hours may be completed through other accepted formats.
This article covers the Optometric Glaucoma Specialist (TG) and Optometric Glaucoma Specialist Limited License (TGL) license types, which share the same CE requirements, including the one-time Prescribing Controlled Substances requirement described below.
First Renewal requirements
If this is your first renewal, you must complete 16 hours of CE:
- 12 hours Diagnostic/Therapeutic
- 1 hour Professional Responsibility
- 1 hour Human Trafficking
- 2 hours General
CE completed before your license was issued does not count toward this requirement.
Requirements for Retired Licenses
If your license is on Retired status, your total CE requirement is reduced to 16 hours:
- 8 hours Diagnostic/Therapeutic
- 1 hour Professional Responsibility
- 7 hours General
Retired licensees are not required to complete Human Trafficking training, and the Live-course requirement above does not apply — all hours may be completed Anytime (self-paced).
Mandatory Subject Areas
In addition to your general hours, your 32-hour requirement must include:
| Requirement | Minimum Hours | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic/Therapeutic | 24 | Covers clinical diagnostic and therapeutic topics. |
| Professional Responsibility | 2 | Courses approved by the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry (ARBO) covering professional ethics, the Texas Optometry Act and Board Rules, judicious prescribing of dangerous drugs, pain management, or drug abuse by professionals receive automatic approval; other Professional Responsibility courses route to the Board for approval. Board-approved Professional Responsibility courses are only valid for one year, versus two years for other subject areas. |
| Human Trafficking | 1 | Courses must be approved by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) rather than the Board. |
| General | 5 | General diagnostic/therapeutic or practice-related topics. |
Note on Prescribing Controlled Substances (one-time requirement): If you were licensed as an Optometric Glaucoma Specialist after September 1, 2020, you must complete 2 hours of Prescribing Controlled Substances CE within one year of your initial Glaucoma Specialist license date. This is a one-time requirement and is not tied to your regular CE cycle.
You must self-report this course using the “Prescribing Controlled Substances – One-time Requirement” reporting option in CE Broker. Courses reported by your provider will appear in your course history but will not count toward this requirement — only a course you self-report under this option will satisfy it. Once satisfied, it counts toward your Diagnostic/Therapeutic hours.
If you take a Prescribing Controlled Substances course after you’ve already met the one-time requirement (or if it doesn’t apply to you), it still counts toward your Diagnostic/Therapeutic hours for that renewal cycle.
Note on CPR/BLS certification: [needs confirmation — see the same open question as the Optometrist article: unclear whether CPR certification is a mandatory renewal requirement or only a tracked credential. Confirm with the Board before publishing.]
Simultaneously Applying Hours
Excess hours earned in one subject area roll over to satisfy another subject area’s requirement, as long as the total 32-hour (or 16-hour first-renewal) minimum is still met — except hours reported toward the one-time Prescribing Controlled Substances requirement, which do not roll over into other subject areas beyond the Diagnostic/Therapeutic credit described above.
Banking Excess Hours
Excess hours completed in one CE cycle cannot be carried over (banked) to count toward your next renewal cycle.
Additional CE Policies
- The minimum reportable increment is 0.5 hours, and partial hours are accepted.
- A course cannot be repeated for credit within the same two-year renewal cycle.