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The Commission on Paraoptometric Certification thanks CIBA Vision for their generous support.





Committed. Proud. Certified. Look for the CPC promotional poster!


<  Certification Levels

Certified Paraoptometric Technician (CPOT)



Commission on Paraoptometric Certification announces fee increase for 2008 exams.

General Information

The Certified Paraoptometric Technician Examination is prepared and administered by the American Optometric Association, Commission on Paraoptometric Certification (CPC), with the assistance of the Professional Testing Corporation. The purpose of this examination is to confirm a level of knowledge necessary to perform the functions of a paraoptometric technician. Those who have successfully completed the examination will be certified with the Commission on Paraoptometric Certification as a Certified Paraoptometric Technician (CPOT).

Objectives of Certification

The CPC promotes excellence in optometric technician practice by:

  1. Recognizing formally those individuals who meet all requirements of the Commission on Paraoptometric Certification of the American Optometric Association;
  2. Encouraging continued growth of the paraoptometric;
  3. Establishing and measuring the level of knowledge required for certification of paraoptometrics; and
  4. Promoting a standard of requisite knowledge required for certification; thereby assisting the employer, public, and members of the health professions in the assessment of paraoptometrics.

Eligibility

To sit for the Certified Paraoptometric Technician Examination, one of the following requirements must be met:

  1. Applicants must earn the CPOA title and verify a minimum of six months additional employment in the eye care field as a Certified Paraoptometric Assistant (CPOA), or
  2. Graduates or students currently enrolled and in good standing* in their last semester of study of an ACOE (Accreditation Council on Optometric Education) approved optometric technician program are eligible to sit for the examination directly without meeting the above eligibility criteria. Test candidates will be considered paraoptometric students only if they are enrolled full time in a formal paraoptometric education program

* Students are required to submit verification of successful completion of the program before their test results are released to them. The examination fee will not be refunded to students who do not complete their program.

Application Procedure

  1. Obtain an application for the Certified Paraoptometric Examination online, request an application by phone (800-365-2219 ext. 4210), email or by mail to AOA CPC, 243 N. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63141-7881.
  2. The AOA CPC must receive the original application and appropriate fees for the examination by the listed deadline.
  3. If taking the Certified Paraoptometric Technician Practical examination, a CPOT Liability Release Form must be turned in along with your application
  4. All correspondence regarding the application should be directed to the AOA CPC.

Fees for Examination

Certified Paraoptometric Technician (CPOT)
CPOT Written Examination Fee $225.00
Student Written Examination Fee* $100.00
Special Test Center 

$125.00

Practical Examination Fee $225.00

*Test candidates will be considered paraoptometric students only if they are enrolled full time in a formal paraoptometric education program

Outline - Written

This outline provides contact information for the Certified Paraoptometric Technician written Examination. The following outline includes a brief explanation of the areas to be tested. You should be familiar with all the terms, their meaning and use, and the instrumentation needed for data gathering or testing procedures. This technician examination confirms a level of knowledge to perform the functions of an optometric technician. All the questions on the examination are objective and multiple choice.

The following is a chart outlining the study guide. The pie chart represents the proportion of the test each section represents. Click on the section in the chart or the label to go to a section's details.

  1. Pre-Testing Procedures (20%)
    1. Case History
    2. Visual Acuity
    3. Vision Screening and Preliminary Testing Techniques
    4. Color Vision
    5. Stereo Acuity
  2. Clinical Procedures (28%)
    1. Keratometry
    2. Tonometry
    3. Visual Fields
    4. Sphygmomanometry
    5. Contact Lenses
    6. Vision Therapy
    7. Triage/First Aid
    8. Low Vision
    9. Special Ocular Procedures
  3. Ophthalmic Optics And Dispensing (20%)
    1. Optical Principles of Light
    2. Prescriptions
    3. Lenses
    4. Frame Selection
    5. Adjustment
  4. Refractive Status Of The Eye And Binocularity (12%)
    1. Refractive Errors
    2. Refractive Conditions
    3. Eye Movements
    4. Binocular Vision
  5. Anatomy and Physiology (15%)
    1. A. General Anatomy and Physiology
    2. Eye
  6. Practice Management (5%)
    1. Office Management
    2. Professional Issues
    3. Government Rules and Regulations

NOTE: The Self Study Course for Paraoptometric Certification is a suggested source of reference material. For ordering information, click here.

Certified Paraoptometric Technician Practical Examination

CPOT Practical Examination Fee $225.00

The Practical Examination includes three separate stations for the examination process. They are:

1. Case history/pre-testing
2. Contact lens/dilation/blood pressure procedures
3. Neutralization/ophthalmic dispensing