CAO Online CE Courses

This module is designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and effectively work with scleral contact lenses. Scleral lenses have become an important tool in addressing a range of eye conditions, including irregular corneas, severe dry eye syndrome, and post-surgical complications. As an optometric assistant, your role in supporting the optometrist in fitting scleral lenses is vital to delivering exceptional patient care.

This module is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from CooperVision.

We’re going to look at how the Next Best Strategy leverages Emotional Intelligence Skills to enhance sales performance. 

Emotional Intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to recognize, understand, manage, and effectively use emotions in oneself and others. It comprises several core competencies that are crucial for successful interpersonal interactions and decision-making. In the context of sales, emotional intelligence plays a pivotal role in connecting with clients, understanding their needs, and overcoming objections. 

The Next Best Strategy provides a structured way to strategically apply and leverage emotional intelligence skills to enhance sales performance. This approach not only integrates EI skills into the sales process but also offers a systematic method for addressing client concerns and objections effectively.

In today's fast-paced world, the ability to learn efficiently and adapt swiftly is essential. Join us for "The Emotionally Intelligent Learner," a transformative webinar that explores the intersection of emotional intelligence and personalized learning styles. Gain practical insights to unlock your full learning potential and set yourself and your team up for success.

This course is designed to help you understand why patients may decline an optical sale, even when it would clearly benefit them. Become more aware of your role in the decision making process and learn how to make long-lasting changes to increase your capture rate and decrease your “NOs”.

Updated 2024. This module explores the risks of myopia and why myopia management is essential in today’s clinical practice.

This module is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from CooperVision.

Updated 2023. This module explores the role of the Optometric Assistant (OA) in a managerial position. In addition to looking at what makes a good manager, we will look at common job responsibilities such as hiring, scheduling, and staff training.

What we eat, affects our eyes. Healthy eyes and good vision are dependent upon proper nutrition. Researchers are learning that a good diet, rich in vitamins and nutrients, can help prevent or slow the progression of ocular conditions such as cataracts, dry eyes, and macular degeneration.

This module provides an in-depth look at how diabetes can have a profound effect on vision and eye health. It also looks at the importance of routine eye exams and follow-up appointments as essential to maintaining not only good vision, but as part of an overall diabetes management strategy.

This module looks at the development of children's vision and the importance of comprehensive eye exams for proper learning and development.

Diagnostic Pharmaceutical Agents (DPA’s) are topical ophthalmic drugs used in optometric practice to aid in the diagnosis of ocular conditions and disease. This module reviews the role of an Optometric Assistant pertaining to the use of DPA’s in clinical practice highlighting the importance of case history, instillation, documentation and consent. The four most common classes of DPAs are reviewed including anesthetics, mydriatics, cycloplegics and dyes.

This module introduces the Optometric Assistant to the concept of ultraviolet (UV) light, the three types of UV rays and UV index. Individual risk factors, ocular disease associated with UV exposure and preventative measures are reviewed.

This module will enhance the Optometric Assistants understanding of refractive eye surgery by exploring patient selection criteria, pre-operative assessment, surgical procedures as well as post-operative care. The goal of this module is to review the most commonly performed refractive surgical procedures.

The purpose of this module is to provide an overview of low vision, low vision care and to enhance the optometric assistant’s knowledge of common low vision devices and their uses.

The goal of this module is to enhance the Optometric Assistant's knowledge and understanding of the most commonly performed ocular surgeries. This module is descriptive in nature and systematically explores anterior to posterior segment surgical procedures.

Dry eye disease is one of the most commonly encountered conditions in optometric practice. This module reviews the classification of dry eye disease, patient symptoms and risk factors. The Optometric Assistant is introduced to qualitative and quantitative clinical diagnostic screening and assessment protocols, as well as the latest prevention, treatment and management strategies.