Optician & Eye Care

Optician and Eye Care Courses

Descriptions of optician and eye care courses can be found in our online course catalog:

View Optician and Eye Care Course Descriptions

Upcoming Classes

See when specific classes will be offered by searching our class list in Schedule Builder. First, select the semester you’re looking for and then enter the name of the class in the search bar. 

Search for Upcoming Classes 

If you’re a current student, upcoming classes are easy to find in Schedule Builder in MyIvy.

Class Formats

General Education courses (OPTI 279 Optician and Eye Care Capstone Course and IVYT 112 Student Success - Health Science and Nursing) are available through online instruction.

Due to the nature of the optician and eye care profession and the practical labs and coursework in the curriculum, most courses are taught in a traditional, in-person format. The program offers students hands-on training through practicums at local optometry facilities.

We have designed the Program to be as flexible as possible. Many lectures have flexibility, meaning students can come to campus, attend on Zoom, or watch a recording and submit an additional participation assignment. Most successful students attend live; utilizing the recording option is (1) a privilege that may be revoked if performance suffers, and (2) requires extra dedication and time on the student’s part. All Labs have required attendance at their scheduled times and no exceptions will be made.

Apply to Ivy Tech First

Students interested in the Optician & Eye Care program must first submit the Ivy Tech general application and complete requirements for admission to the college. During this application, you should apply for Healthcare Support program with a concentration in Optician & Eye Care. Admission to the college does not ensure acceptance to a health science program, but students can be working on prerequisite courses for Optician & Eye Care after admission to the college and before applying to the program itself.

Attend an Information Session

While you are taking your prerequisites and prior to formally applying to the Optician & Eye Care program, all interested students are required to attend an information session. These sessions are held on Zoom. View upcoming sessions below and click to register.

• Thursday, May 4 at 6 p.m. Register Now

Apply to the Optician & Eye Care Program

Following completion of prerequisite courses and an information session, you may apply for the Optician & Eye Care program through the online application for health science programs.

Please note that the Optician & Eye Care program is a selective admission program, which means there are a limited number of spots each year.

The Optician and Eye Care program begins each fall. The application window is between March 15 and May 15 to begin the program that year.

Filling Out the Optician & Eye Care Online Application

Apply Now   View Application User Guide

Before you begin:

• If you are not a current Ivy Tech Community College student, please Apply Now. You will need a C# (Ivy Tech student ID number) and Ivy Tech single sign-on login credentials in order to apply.
• Gather all required or optional documentation that you will need to upload into the system. View more about requirements here. You will have the ability to save your application in progress until you are able to secure documentation.
• If you are transferring from another institution, please make sure that your transcripts are evaluated at least 4 weeks prior to the application deadline.
  
  Frequently Asked Questions

How to Complete the Optician & Eye Care Application:

1. Go to https://apps.ivytech.edu/apply/NursingAndHealthScience
2. Log in using your Ivy Tech credentials.
3. Check to make sure your personal information is accurate.
4. Select the programs and campuses you would like to be considered as an applicant. You can select up to three different programs and three different campuses. (Some students choose to apply to multiple programs within the School of Health Sciences.)
5. You must meet all of the prerequisites for a program in order to submit your application. If you receive a message indicating that you do not meet the prerequisites, then please remove that program selection in order to proceed with the application.
6. Upload any necessary documents.
7. Make sure grades in the system are accurate. If not, please contact your home campus registrar or advisor.
8. You will be able to submit your application if you are currently enrolled in a course identified as a prerequisite for the program.
9. Once complete, submit your application.
10. You will receive an email confirmation in your Ivy Tech email account that your application has been submitted and is pending review.
11. Once you have submitted your application, you have the option to reopen it to make changes.
    
    Note: DO NOT USE THE “BACK” function on your computer. Use the navigation pane at the side of the page to navigate.

Apply Now

Frequently Asked Questions

To learn more about the Health Sciences and Nursing application process, watch the below video, read the FAQ, or contact your campus of interest. 

If you have additional questions, please feel free to reach out to the program director, Leanne Short at 812-330-6057 or cshort50@ivytech.edu.

Offers of Admission

Students can select up to three credential types and three campuses each on the application. Offers of acceptance are for a specific credential and a specific campus. The offers are determined through eight rounds of auto-selection and six rounds of manual selection.

If you are accepted, you will receive an email from the online application system to your Ivy Tech email account offering you a seat in the program you selected. Offers are emailed beginning within one week of the application close date and continue until program capacity is met or one week before the start of semester classes. Each round of offers begins at 6:00 am and applicants have until 11:59 pm the following day to either accept or reject an offer.

Depending on their rank and offers, a student could potentially receive multiple offers. Once you accept one offer, you are immediately withdrawn from all other offers and you will be contacted by the chair or dean of the program with information about the program orientation date, time, and location.

If a student fails to respond, then the offer expires. If a student rejects an offer three (3) times, the application is removed from the auto-selection application pool but will then be available for manual selection rounds that occur later in the process.

You do have the ability to withdraw your application at any point during the admission cycle. However, once you withdraw your application, you will not be able to apply again until the next application cycle.

What If I Don’t Get Admitted?

The Optician & Eye Care program does not maintain a waitlist. Non-admitted applicants can reapply in the next semester’s application cycle. You may also want to meet with your advisor. Advisors can assist students in exploring other programs of interest in Ivy Tech’s School of Health Sciences if they have applied several times and have not been accepted into the program. Ivy Tech offers many programs similar to Optician & Eye Care that lead to high-demand jobs that may be new to you but fit your passion to help others.

What is Selective Admission? 

The Optician & Eye Care program is a selective admissions program. Due to the nature of this program and the high number of applications received, we are only able to accept a small number of students each year. 

Weighted Point System

A weighted point system is used to evaluate applicants for admission. Student applications are assigned points based on their grades in prerequisite courses. Point totals for applicants receiving admission offers will vary between campuses. Point totals are not shared.

General Education Weighted Point System

When multiple course attempts are reported on applicant transcripts (including transcripts from other colleges and universities), the highest earned grade of the first three attempts will be used for the selection decision score through the application period. Points for courses transferred from other institutions will be awarded from the grade recorded on the transcript from the other institution provided transfer credit appears on the Ivy Tech transcript.

Preparing Students to Pass

Upon completion of the Long-Term Certificate or 33 credit hours of the 60 required for the Associate of Applied Science, students are eligible to take the following exams:

• National Opticianry Competency Examination
• Contact Lens Registry Examination

These exams demonstrate to the public, your co-workers, and the industry that you are qualified and competent. It identifies you to the public as a dispenser who will handle their eye wear needs with competence. Certification is also recognized by employers as a standard of competence, and it can offer tangible rewards such as increased earning power and job opportunities. ABO and NCLE is a national standard, not a state license; therefore it is recognized in every state and many foreign countries. In non-licensing states such as Indiana, Certification is especially important; it is your only credential - your professional distinction.

Ivy Tech Student Success

Ivy Tech AAS in Optician and Eye Care graduates have a pass rate of more than 90% on their the first try taking these exams.*

*Results of Ivy Tech students who have taken the exam from 2017-2022