A fully credentialed optician in the United States is college educated in Optical Science and is known as an Ophthalmic Optician® (O.O.) and they are credentialed by the Society to Advance Opticianry (SAO).[3] To achieve this nationally registered title an optician must achieve a combination of a college education, American Board of Opticianry and National Contact Lens Examiners advanced certifications, or maintain their state license in both eyewear dispensing and contact lens fitting when applicable. In the United Kingdom, an ophthalmic optician was the term used for those who practiced optometry pre 1980's and was replaced by “optometrist” in the past few decades. The professional regulation remains with the General Optical Council under the Opticians Act 1989.