Is Your Optometric Practice In A One-door Or Two-door State?

Practicing optometry in a corporate setting can be beneficial for new optometry graduates and experienced ODs. If you’re planning on going into to corporate optometry, one thing you should look at when considering joining a corporate optometry practice is if your state is a one-door or a two-door state.

We've compiled a rough list of one-door and two-door states here, but we recommend confirming the specific qualifications for your state.

Breaking Down One-door And Two-door States for Corporate Optometry

List of Two-door States for Optometry

In a two-door state, the independent OD must be professionally and physically separated from the retailer’s optical department. According to a report from Jobson, the states listed below have a two-door policy for corporate optometric practices.

The two-door states for optometry include:

1. California
2. Kansas
3. Kentucky
4. Maine
5. Massachusetts
6. Mississippi
7. New Mexico
8. North Carolina
9. North Dakota
10. Oklahoma
11. Oregon
12. Rhone Island
13. South Dakota
14. Tennessee
15. Texas
16. Virginia
17. West Virginia

Lists of The One-door States For Optometry

In a one door state, independent ODs are able to work inside the retailer’s optical department without the need for separate office spaces. Independent ODs in a one-door state can take advantage of shared services like booking appointments, processing payments, and more. According to Jobson, the following states do not have a two-door policy for optometry.

List of The One-door States For Optometry:

1. Alabama
2. Arizona
3. Arkansas
4. Colorado
5. Connecticut
6. Delaware
7. Florida
8. Georgia
9. Hawaii
10. Idaho
11. Illinois
12. Indiana
13. Iowa
14. Louisiana
15. Maryland
16. Michigan
17. Minnesota
18. Missouri
19. Montana
20. Nebraska
21. Nevada
22. New Hampshire
23. New Jersey
24. New York
25. Ohio
26. Pennsylvania
27. South Carolina
28. Utah
29. Vermont
30. Washington
31. Wisconsin
32. Wyoming

What About Alaska?

I know I only listed 49 states here. But after looking through the Jobson list and the Corporate Optometry Facebook group, I couldn’t confirm whether Alaska is a two-door state or a one-door state. If anyone knows the answer, let me know in the comments below!

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Editor's Note: This post was originally published on November 22, 2017. It has been updated for relevance and richness of content on March 25, 2019.