AOC CE Guidelines

CORE TOPICS include the following:

• Ocular anatomy and neuroanatomy (and principles of visual fields)
• Sensory and Motor physiology
• Pharmacology
• Optics including: Refractometry and diagnostic/therapeutic use of prisms
• Assessment of visual acuity/visual function and fixation
• Detection and treatment of amblyopia
• Nystagmus
• Eye movement disorders: Evaluation & measurement [including saccadic velocities]
• Diagnostic evaluation, testing, measurement and treatment of:
  Congenital/acquired, paretic/non-paretic
  Special forms to include: Brown Syndrome, Duane Syndrome, Moebius Syndrome, Congenital Fibrosis, Floor fractures & Strabismus associated with systemic disease
  Orthoptic management/treatment
  Principles of strabismus surgery

The Council recognizes the benefit of additional education in all aspects of ophthalmology. Topics outside of the CORE areas which are most strongly recommended are related to the following topics:

NON-CORE topics include ophthalmology sponsored/approved courses in:

• Child Development
• Coding related to ophthalmology upon approval from CE Committee
• Low vision, assessment and aids
• Electrophysiology principles and techniques; VER, ERG, EOG
• Contact lenses
• Tonometry
• Ophthalmic photography
• Operating room techniques

MEETINGS / COURSES

At least 10 of the 45 hours must be from attendance at meetings but may be non-core (until 2015-then all meeting hours must be core).

• 1:1 credit for attendance at AACO, AOC, AAPO&S, ophthalmology section of AAP, NANOS, or JCAHPO symposia, meetings and/or courses, [may be core or non-core topics].
• 1:1 credit will be given to attendance at foreign meetings if they are approved or sponsored by orthoptic or ophthalmology organizations (ie: IOC, CLADE, PAAO, ISA, ESA, WCPOS).

Maximum of 10 per renewal and not to be used to fulfill attendance at meeting:

● 2:1 Core CE for orthoptist informal group symposia:

Approval requires post facto submission of meeting agenda and topics covered as well as a list of attendees (i.e. titles of articles discussed or diagnoses of patients discussed]

PUBLICATIONS / PRESENTATIONS / POSTERS

● 5 credits to author or presenter of AOC approved instructional video

• 1:1 credit for instruction course presentation (2 hr course = 2 credits)
• 10 credits for publication of a paper in a refereed journal
• 5 credits for a talk at an AOC approved meeting (core or non-core topic)

● 5 credits per author for a poster at an AOC recognized meeting

NOTE: In combination the same material may earn 12 credits: if a presentation or poster follows the publication it may earn 2 not 5 credits. If the publication follows the presentation or poster the same work will receive 7 not 10 credits.

SELF STUDY

• 15 core credits per volume for AAO Basic Science Course Sections V and VI
• 15 non-core credit for other sections of AAO Basic Science Course
• 5 core credits for successful completion of AACO self assessment quiz
• 5 core credits per AOJ quiz successfully completed
• Refinements monograph and other JCAHPO approved quizzes

AOC approved Basic Science DVDs [formerly video tapes]: to be allowed for credit only once every other renewal cycle (every 6 years)

• 1:1 core credit for viewing AOC approved video tapes.

Quizzes available for self study 7 hours of CE could be earned.

Not to exceed 5 credits per year

• 1:4 credit (1 credit per 4 hours of contact) for “hands-on workshops”, viewing poster sessions, and other lectures and meetings which didn’t apply for AOC approval. (reading texts/journals, listening to audio cassettes or viewing videos, etc.)

The Syllabus of Orthoptic Instruction is on sale from AOC. It includes and serves as a checklist of all material that is required in AOC Orthoptic Programs and is the basic information included on the certification exams

Individual questions should be directed to:

AMERICAN ORTHOPTIC COUNCIL

3914 Nakoma Road, Madison, WI 53711
Telephone: 608 233-5383 or [email protected] or or [email protected]