TL;DR: Optometry in the Philippines is not a four-year BS. It is a six-year Doctor of Optometry programme governed by CHED Memorandum Order No. 15, series of 2018, running 254 units: two years of general education, two years of medical and vision sciences, and two years of clinics and internship rotations. Yes, there is a PRC board exam — Republic Act No. 8050, the Revised Optometry Law of 1995, requires it, sets a 75% general average with no rating below 50%, and lists Filipino citizenship among the eligibility requirements.
The single most common mistake people make about optometry in the Philippines is assuming it is a four-year degree. It is not, and has not been for a long time. The Revised Optometry Law of 1995 already required "at least a six-year course" for licensure eligibility, and the current CHED curriculum order is built around that.
If you are choosing between health programmes, that length is the first thing to weigh. Here is what the six years actually contain and what the licence requires.
What Governs the Programme
The degree runs under CHED Memorandum Order No. 15, series of 2018, "Policies, Standards and Guidelines for the Doctor of Optometry Program," adopted by virtue of Commission en Banc Resolution No. 231-2017 dated 28 March 2017. It carried the courses from the earlier CMO No. 38, series of 2007 "Policies and Standards for Optometry Education" into CHED's outcomes-based framework.
CMO 15 defines the degree name as "Doctor of Optometry" and describes it as:
a six-year program consisting of first two years of general education courses, middle two years of allied health and medical sciences, ocular/visual biology, vision/visual science, optics, theories, principles and practice of optometry, practice management, and last two years of clinical courses, clinics and internship rotations in different fields of optometry specialization.
The programme goals are pinned directly to the scope of practice set out in RA 8050 — the CMO says graduates should be able to practise "the full scope of optometry as indicated in RA 8050, section 3."
The Six Years, and the 254 Units
The CMO sets the total at 254 units across the components and the sample programme of study. Broadly:
| Component | Units | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| General education | 36 | The eight CHED core GE courses, three electives, and Rizal's Life, Works and Writings |
| Other required courses | 14 | Physical Education (8) and NSTP (6) |
| Core science courses | 25 | Biological science (biology, microbiology), chemistry including organic, biochemistry, and physics |
| Professional courses | The remainder | General medical science, ocular medical science and visual biology, vision sciences, and specialty fields and clinical optometry |
Inside the professional block, the named course groups tell you what the degree really is:
- General medical science — human anatomy and physiology, human histology and embryology, general pathology, general pharmacology
- Ocular medical science and visual biology — ocular anatomy and physiology, neuro-biology of the visual system, ocular disease, ocular pharmacology with therapeutics, optometry medicine
- Vision sciences — theoretical and geometric optics, physiological optics, ophthalmic optics, applied optics, primary eye and vision care, clinical refraction, binocular vision and perception, clinical optometry practice, nutrition in eye care
- Specialty fields and clinical optometry — sports vision, paediatric optometry, geriatric optometry, low vision, public health and community optometry, contact lens, clinical neuro-optometry, vision rehabilitation, occupational health optometry and safety, ocular prosthetics, visual analysis and management, and case conferences
The last two years are where the clinics sit. Optometry students spend them rotating through the specialty clinics — low vision, paediatric, contact lens, neuro-optometry — rather than sitting through more lectures.
Is There a Board Exam? Yes
The governing statute is Republic Act No. 8050, "An Act Regulating the Practice of Optometry, Upgrading Optometric Education, Integrating Optometrists, and for Other Purposes," known as the Revised Optometry Law of 1995. It repealed and superseded the older Optometry Law, Republic Act No. 1998.
The exam is required and annual. Section 17 provides that every applicant seeking registration as an optometrist must undergo an examination, and that examinations "shall be given by the Board at least once every year in such places and dates as the PRC may designate."
The Board sets the scope. Section 18 leaves the content to the Board of Optometry, which must take into account recent developments in optometry and the academic standards CHED imposes on schools offering the course. That is why there is no fixed statutory subject list here the way there is for respiratory therapy or occupational therapy — the coverage tracks the CHED curriculum.
Who can sit it. Section 19 requires that the applicant be:
- a Filipino citizen;
- of good moral character; and
- a holder of a Doctor of Optometry degree from a government-accredited school, after passing at least a six-year course offering the minimum basic subjects the law enumerates — among them mathematics, general and organic chemistry, practical and mechanical optics, physics, physiological optics, pharmacology, general anatomy and physiology, ocular anatomy and physiology, general and ocular pathology, biochemistry, microbiology, clinical and theoretic optometry, contact lens practice, orthoptics and vision training, neuro-optometry and visual fields, research methods, optometric ethics and jurisprudence, practice management, public health optometry, and low vision and paediatric optometry.
The citizenship requirement is worth flagging because several other Philippine health professions admit foreign applicants on a reciprocity basis. Optometry's statute, as written, does not. If you are an international student planning to qualify here, confirm the current position directly with the PRC before committing six years.
What passing takes. Section 20 sets a general average of at least 75% in all subjects, with no rating below 50% in any subject.
Repeat failures. Section 22 requires an applicant who fails for the third time to submit proof of a refresher course at a duly accredited institution before taking the next examination.
For general filing mechanics across PRC boards, see our PRC board exam requirements guide, and how to get a PRC ID for what happens after you pass. Schedules and fees are set per cycle on prc.gov.ph.
What Optometrists Are Legally Allowed to Do
RA 8050 Section 4 enumerates the acts that constitute the practice of optometry, and it is a wider scope than the "reads eye charts and sells glasses" stereotype:
- examining the human eye using subjective and objective procedures, including specific topical diagnostic pharmaceutical agents, instruments, visual aids and ocular exercises, to determine the condition and acuity of vision;
- prescribing and dispensing ophthalmic lenses, prisms, contact lenses and accessories, frames and supplies to correct and treat defects of vision;
- conducting ocular exercises and vision training, providing orthoptics and other devices and procedures, and installing prosthetic devices;
- counselling patients on vision and eye care and hygiene;
- establishing offices and clinics where optometric services are offered; and
- collecting professional fees for those acts.
The law also draws the line with medicine explicitly: the prohibition on unauthorised practice does not apply to licensed physicians with postgraduate training in diagnosing and treating eye diseases, and a physician examining the eye as part of a general physical examination is not practising optometry. Public health workers in the government's blindness prevention programme may conduct visual acuity tests and visual screening only.
That is the practical difference between an optometrist and an ophthalmologist: the ophthalmologist is a medical doctor with an eye specialisation who performs surgery and manages ocular disease medically; the optometrist is licensed under RA 8050 for the acts listed above.
Careers the Programme Targets
CMO 15 lists six graduate roles: practitioner or specialist, educator, administrator or leader, entrepreneur or manager, researcher or scientist, and social mobiliser.
Private practice and optical retail are the most visible destinations, which is exactly why the CHED curriculum includes practice management as a named component — many optometrists end up running a business as well as a clinic. Hospital-based and community eye care, occupational health optometry in industrial settings, low vision and vision rehabilitation services, and academic work make up the rest.
Before You Enrol
- Plan for six years, not four. The commitment is closer to a medical degree than to a standard allied health BS, and the licensure law makes the six-year course an eligibility requirement, not a preference.
- Confirm the school's programme is government-accredited and CHED-recognised, since RA 8050 ties eligibility to a degree from an accredited institution. See our guides to CHED-accredited schools and verifying school legitimacy.
- Ask about the clinics. Two of the six years are clinical. Ask which specialty clinics the school actually runs — low vision, paediatric, contact lens, neuro-optometry — and where internship rotations are placed.
- Ask for board results across several cycles. Optometry cohorts are small, and single-year rates are volatile.
No tuition figures appear in this guide, deliberately. Schools set their own rates and revise them most years, and a six-year programme's total cost depends heavily on the specific institution. Get the current per-semester figure and the clinical fees from the school's admissions office.
For a wider view of which programmes end in a licence, see courses with board exams. If you are still at senior high school, the STEM strand guide covers the usual preparation route.
Sources
- CHED Memorandum Order No. 15, series of 2018 — Policies, Standards and Guidelines for the Doctor of Optometry Program — Commission on Higher Education (six-year structure, 254 units, component breakdown, course groups, graduate roles)
- 2018 CHED Memorandum Orders — Commission on Higher Education (CMO number and title verification)
- Republic Act No. 8050 — Revised Optometry Law of 1995 — LawPhil / Arellano Law Foundation (licensure examination requirement, scope determination, eligibility including the six-year course, passing rating, refresher rule, acts constituting the practice of optometry)
