How to Check an Atlanta Ophthalmologist's Georgia License and ABO Board Certification

Why check two things

A Georgia medical license and board certification in ophthalmology answer different questions. The license comes from the Georgia Composite Medical Board, which licenses physicians, enforces the Medical Practice Act, handles complaints and verifies credentials. Certification comes from the American Board of Ophthalmology, which has certified ophthalmologists since 1916.

Put simply, the license is the state's record and the ABO record is the specialty's. A practice website or a directory may mention either one, but the original sources are free to search, so it takes only a few minutes to confirm both yourself. Start with the ABO, since it is the record specific to ophthalmology.

Step 1: Search the American Board of Ophthalmology

The ABO's physician search is free. You can search by the physician's name, location, or both, and the results show certification history. The ABO's verify a physician page explains what each status means.

1. Open the ABO searchGo to the ABO physician search.
2. Enter a name, a location or bothStart with the last name. If you get many matches, add a location such as Atlanta or the city where the practice is.
3. Match the right personCompare the name and location with what the practice told you. If you don't find the doctor, try variations of the name.
4. Read the status and historyNote the current status and look through the certification history shown in the results.
5. Prefer the phone?The ABO also confirms certification free of charge by phone, according to the National Eye Institute's listing for the ABO.

What each ABO status means

The ABO uses four statuses. Here is what each means in the ABO's own terms, plus a neutral next step. None of these steps is a judgment about a doctor's care.

Step 2: Confirm the Georgia medical license

Since July 2025, the Georgia Composite Medical Board has used an online system called the Licensure Gateway. Its free license verification search is where you look up a physician. If you have older instructions or an old bookmark, use the gateway link instead.

1. Open the verification searchGo to the board's verification search.
2. Choose your search fieldsYou can search by first, middle or last name, business name, city, license number, license type or license status.
3. Narrow the resultsA common last name can return many records. Add a first name or a city to narrow them.
4. Confirm the matchCheck that the name and city fit the doctor you're considering. If the practice gave you a license number, search by it to remove any doubt.
5. Note what the record showsWrite down the license type and status shown, and the date you checked.

Reading the two results together

• Licensed in Georgia and ABO Certified: both records line up. You can move on to choosing a care setting and sorting out coverage.
• Licensed and Board Eligible: the doctor isn't certified yet and is within the ABO's window of up to 7 years after residency. It's reasonable to ask the practice about it.
• Licensed and Certified – On Probation: because the ABO says probation may mirror a state board action, look closely at the Georgia license record.
• Licensed and Not Certified: the ABO status doesn't say why. Ask the practice, and review the license record.
• No license record found: check the spelling, try other search fields, and ask the practice which name the doctor is licensed under.
• No ABO record found: confirm you're looking up an ophthalmologist. Optometrists won't appear, because the ABO certifies ophthalmologists.

If you have a concern: filing a complaint

The Georgia Composite Medical Board handles complaints about physicians as part of enforcing the Medical Practice Act. Start on the board's website. For questions, the board's licensure department page lists this contact information:

• Address: 2 Peachtree Street NW, 36th Floor, Atlanta, GA 30303
• Phone: (404) 656-3913
• Fax: (404) 656-9723

If your question is about specialty certification rather than licensure, the ABO is the body that sets and reports certification status.

A complaint is not a way to get care. If you need care now, contact a physician or emergency services. Please don't send health details to this site; we're an information guide and can't act on them.

Where to go next

Once the checks are done, the next questions are where to be seen and who pays. See our guide to hospital and academic eye care in Atlanta and our guide to paying for an ophthalmologist, or return to the overview.