Optometrists with an Active license must complete at least 24 hours of continuing education (CE) every two years before a license can be renewed.
If an optometrist’s initial Colorado license is issued less than one (1) year from the license renewal date, no continuing education will be required for that first renewal. If an initial Colorado license is issued more than one (1) year from the license renewal date, 12 hours of continuing education must be completed before the renewal of that license.
**For CE to count toward renewal requirements, all CE must be clinically-based.**
Requirements
- At least 16 of the 24 required CE hours must be completed through a synchronous conference or lecture. Conferences and lectures must be sponsored by at least one of the following:
- Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (COPE)
- American Optometric Association (AOA) and AOA-recognized state associations
- American Academy of Optometry (AAO)
- College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD)
- Optometric Extension Program (OEP)
- Clinical facilities specializing in eye care that is staffed by the professor(s) or adjunct professor(s) of optometry or ophthalmology at accredited optometry or medical schools.
- Beginning in the 2023 -2025 license period, the 16 synchronous CE hours may be completed through synchronous in person events OR synchronous virtual events, as defined by the Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (COPE).
- COPE defines synchronous in person as face-to-face, hands-on workshops, and interactive posters with authors presenting in real time.
- COPE defines synchronous virtual as interactive webinars in real time, videoconferences, and interactive posters with authors presenting in real time.
- A maximum of eight (8) CE hours may be completed through asynchronous, internet-based CE, as defined by COPE, and/or CE offered by professional/association journals.
- COPE defines asynchronous as recorded webinar without instructor interaction, journal article, and webcast/podcast.
- Asynchronous CE must be sponsored/approved by COPE or accredited schools/colleges of optometry, and include a post-test evaluation.
- Clinical Observations/Clinical Examinations
- A maximum of four (4) hours may be applied per license period.
- One (1) hour of CE credit may be obtained for every two (2) hours of observation at a clinical facility that specializes in eye care and is also staffed by professors or adjunct professors of optometry or ophthalmology at accredited optometry or medical schools.
- CE hours obtained through clinical observations and clinical examinations count toward the 16-hour synchronous CE requirement.
- ICD-10CM/PCS Code Training
- The Board recognizes ICD-10 Training to be clinically based.
- A maximum of four (4) hours may be applied per license period.
- CE hours obtained through ICD-10CM/PCS Code training count toward the 16-hour synchronous CE requirement.
- Subject to the final approval of the Board, a designated Board member may rule in regard to the approval of other meetings, programs, and/or courses.
The following are examples of continuing education courses the Board will not accept. These include but are not limited to:
- leadership training
- practice/personnel management
- client relations
- communication training
- integrated resource management principles
- presentations dealing with financial-based subjects including, but not limited to bookkeeping procedures
- financial planning
- retirement planning
- insurance programs
- presentations that are primarily promotional in nature regardless of subject material
Substance Use Prevention Training
Every Optometrist, regardless of the date of licensure, is required to complete at least one (1) hour of training per license period in order to demonstrate competency pertaining to:
- best practices for opioid prescribing
- potential harm of inappropriately limiting prescriptions to chronic pain patients
- best practices for prescribing benzodiazepines
- recognition of substance use disorders
- referral of patients with substance use disorders for treatment
- use of the electronic prescription drug monitoring program
Substance Use Prevention Training includes but is not limited to: relevant continuing education courses; peer review proceedings that involve opioid prescribing; relevant volunteer service; or teaching a relevant class/course.
All substance use prevention training that also meets the continuing education requirements specified above may be applied to a licensee’s continuing education renewal requirements.
Optometrists who meet one of the following conditions may be exempt from Substance Use Prevention Training:
- Maintain a national board certification that requires equivalent substance use prevention training; or
- Attests to the Board that they do not prescribe opioids
For additional information, please refer to the Board Policy on continuing education.
Documentation and Audits of Compliance
Documentation for CE activities should include:
- Name and contact information of CE program sponsor,
- Participant's name,
- Title of the program,
- Date the program was completed,
- Location of the program (if applicable),
- Type of instruction/delivery method (synchronous in person, synchronous virtual, asynchronous)
- Number of CE hours completed, and
- Verification by the CE program sponsor (signature, seal, or other similar indicia)
**Audits of compliance will be conducted after each license period.**
If requested by a licensee, the Board will use the information entered into ARBO's "OE Tracker" (the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry's "Optometry Education Tracker") software to perform their audit.
There is no obligation for any licensee to use OE Tracker, nor does it change any of the CE requirements.
CE hours may only be applied to one (1) license period. If the Board determines that a licensee has not obtained appropriate CE or a licensee failed to submit the requested proof of CE satisfactorily to the Board, the Board may consider disciplinary action for failure to comply with statute and rule. The Board may choose to grant a 90-day period to correct the shortage of CE.