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< Certification Levels

Certified Paraoptometric Technician (CPOT)

**Note: Effective January 1, 2009, the fee to reschedule a paraoptometric examination has increased to $140.

NOTE: APPLICATION DUE DATE CHANGE FOR PRACTICAL IN WASHINGTON DC. DUE TO REQUIRED SECURITY CLEARANCE AT EXAM LOCATION, NO LATE APPLICATIONS FOR THE PRACTICAL EXAMINATION WILL BE ACCEPTED.

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:

Recognizing formally those individuals who meet all requirements of the Commission on Paraoptometric Certification of the American Optometric Association;
Encouraging continued growth of the paraoptometric;
Establishing and measuring the level of knowledge required for certification of paraoptometrics; and
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. Must have earned the CPOA title, hold a current CPOA designation 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 (#1) eligibility criteria.

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

NOTE: Candidates who are not graduates of an ACOE approved optometric technician program must pass both the CPOT written and practical examinations to be considered a Certified Paraoptometric Technician.

Application Procedure

Examination Fee $225.00

*Student Fee $100.00

Rescheduling Fee $140.00 (see guidelines)

*Test candidates will be considered paraoptometric students only if they are enrolled full time in an approved formal paraoptometric education program approved by the ACOE. Checks are to be made payable to AOA-CPC in US Funds. No refunds will be made.

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 (refer to the CPOT Handbook for Candidates for full outline). 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 250 questions on the examination are objective and multiple choice. Passing score is determined by the CPC.

Pre-Testing Procedures (20%)
1. Case History
2. Visual Acuity
3. Vision Screening and Preliminary Testing Techniques
4. Color Vision
5. Stereo Acuity
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
Ophthalmic Optics And Dispensing (20%)
1. Optical Principles of Light
2. Prescriptions
3. Lenses
4. Frame Selection
5. Adjustment
Refractive Status Of The Eye And Binocularity (12%)
1. Refractive Errors
2. Refractive Conditions
3. Eye Movements
4. Binocular Vision
Anatomy and Physiology (15%)
1. A. General Anatomy and Physiology
2. Eye
Practice Management (5%)
1. Office Management
2. Professional Issues
3. Government Rules and Regulations

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