Term

Your certification period is three years. To renew your certification, documentation of 18 hours of approved continuing education (CE) must be submitted every three years to the CAO. For detailed information see the renewal dates. CE credits must be received by the CAO by December 31^st of the renewal year. The renewal fee is $50.00 (plus tax).

Late Submission

Renewals received after December 31 of the renewal year and before June 1 following the renewal year will be assessed a $25.00 late fee (plus tax). If CE credits and/or CPR documentation are submitted after December 31 and before June 1, the new renewal period still begins as of January 1. (For example, if you were due to renew by December 31, 2014, and you didn’t send in all of your CE’s until April 2015, your new renewal period still begins on January 1, 2015 and ends on December 31, 2017.) If the required CE credits and CPR documentation are not received by June 1 following the renewal deadline, certification will be automatically suspended. If all necessary CEs and CPR were earned during a certification period, but were not submitted and renewal fees were not paid, please contact Terry Theiss (terry@opto.ca) at CAO to discuss your specific situation.

If your certification is suspended, you may reinstate it any time within five years of your renewal date by re-writing the final exam, achieving a passing score, and submitting a fee of $175.00 (plus tax). If more than five years have elapsed since your renewal date, reinstatement requires re-writing the assignments for all modules, re-writing the final exam, achieving passing scores, and submitting a fee of $375.00 (plus tax).

Acceptable Sponsors of Continuing Education

Courses presented by the following:

• Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO);
• Provincial Optometric Associations;
• Provincial Paraoptometric Associations;
• Schools and Colleges of Optometry;
• American Optometric Association (AOA);
• American Academy of Optometry;
• Optometric Extension Program Foundation (OEP);
• College of Optometrists in Vision Development;
• State Optometric Associations;
• Accredited/Recognized Paraoptometric Institutions;
• Providers pre-approved by the CAO.

Courses accredited by the following:

• Any optometric regulatory authority (e.g.: a provincial college of optometry);
• American Optometric Association’s Paraoptometric Section (AOAPS);
• American Board of Opticianry (ABO);
• Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (COPE);
• Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO);
• National Contact Lens Examiners (NCLE).

Approval may also be granted to the following on a case by case basis. Contact the CAO for details:

• Accredited educational institutions;
• Local paraoptometric associations;
• Industry-related businesses/institutions;
• Qualified individuals who lecture, present workshops or author published articles.

Subject Matter

Topics may fall under the following headings:

• Ocular anatomy & physiology;
• Patient & practice management;
• Refractive status of the eye;
• Ocular pathology & treatment;
• Ophthalmic optics;
• Eyewear dispensing skills;
• Clinical procedures (including preliminary & ancillary testing and the optometric examination);
• Contact lens fitting & dispensing skills;
• Emergency procedures (including first aid and CPR);
• Ophthalmic pharmacology;
• Special procedures (e.g., refractive surgery, low vision, vision therapy).

You must submit proof of completion of a CPR course with every renewal. The course must include a practical, hands-on component. In other words, online CPR courses are not sufficient. To receive credit, you must send CAO a copy of your CPR wallet card or certificate and a completed copy of the CPR Submission form. Contact the Canadian Red Cross, St. John Ambulance, or the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada in your area.

At the discretion of the CAO, topics, which lie outside these guidelines, may or may not be accepted. The subject must be presented in a “generic” format. A product-oriented, sales pitch-type presentation is rarely suitable for full credit.

Attendance at Optofairs, exhibit halls, and the like is not acceptable for continuing education credit. CE credit is also not granted for breaks, lunch periods, etc.

Additional Guidelines

CE credits must be earned during the three-year certification period. CE’s earned prior to successful completion of the Optometric Assistant Course are not eligible. In the event that more than 18 hours of approved CE are completed in any three-year period, those hours in excess of 18 hours to a maximum of 6 hours, may be carried over into the next certification period.

You will receive credit only once for the same course taken twice in a certification period.

If you wish to receive credit for a course that is not automatically approved as described above, you must contact the CAO for approval. Generally you will need to submit proof of attendance, the length of the course, the name and credentials of the instructor, and copies of outlines, handouts, etc. It is in your best interest to seek approval well in advance of your expiry date.

Generally a renewal notice and fee invoice will be sent in November immediately prior to your renewal date. If you do not receive a notice, your renewal date does not change.  It is the responsibility of each Canadian Certified Optometric Assistant to notify the Lise Loyer at lise@opto.ca or Terry Theiss at terry@opto.ca of any change of name, address or phone number.

It is the responsibility of the Canadian Certified Optometric Assistant to submit proof of CE.  (It is not the responsibility of the local or provincial association to do so.)  You may send in your CE credits as they are earned, annually, or at the end of your three year renewal period accompanied by your renewal fee and renewal notice.  Send the form used by the organization sponsoring the CE.

— Always keep a photocopy of all CE’s submitted. —

Renewal Dates for Canadian Certified Optometric Assistants

Please remember that renewing your certification is optional.  Some of you merely wanted the education and training that the Course itself provided.  Others of you want to maintain your status as a Canadian Certified Optometric Assistant (CCOA).  If you choose not to re-certify, you always retain the value of having taken the course, however you will have to change your title to CAO Trained Optometric Assistant and remove the professional initials CCOA, for you will no longer be certified.

The deadline for renewal of your certificate is as follows:

It is the responsibility of each Course graduate to notify the CAO of any change of name, mailing address, email address, or phone number. If you have not received a renewal reminder by November 15 of your renewal year, please notify the CAO office immediately.

If you have additional questions about renewing your certification, please contact Terry Theiss at terry@opto.ca.