Paraoptometric Staff Membership
Practicing OPW/AOA member doctors can provide free associate membership to their paraoptometric staff for access to valuable educational resources, professional development opportunities, and exclusive member discounts. To qualify, sponsoring doctors must work directly with the non-OD staff members at the same practice location. Find information below on the benefits of paraoptometric membership, how to enroll staff, and manage their memberships.
Jump to:
- Benefits of Paraoptometric Staff Membership
- How To Enroll and Manage Staff Membership
- Commission on Paraoptometric Certification (CPC) Examinations
Benefits of Paraoptometric Staff Membership
Have you enrolled paraoptometrics as associate members? Activate this part of your OPW/AOA member benefits to grant staff access to paraoptometric programs and services - all at no additional cost!
- Train new hires faster with AOA EyeLearn onboarding courses.
- Improve efficiency with continuous staff education.
- Support credentialing with specialized study tools.
- Boost retention by offering a valuable team benefit.
Paraoptometric staff with an associate membership have access to:
- Resources approved by the AOA and Commission on Paraoptometric Certification (CPC), such as continuing education, professional development, practice training, and certification materials in AOA EyeLearn.
- Exclusive member rates for AOA events.
- Volunteer and networking opportunities on a national level.
- All CPC, OPW, and AOA publications/newsletters.
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How To Enroll and Manage Staff Membership
Keep your staff membership roster up to date so your team can take full advantage of member benefits, enhance their skills, and support the success of your practice. Paraoptometric staff who work for OPW/AOA member doctors may submit a request for membership here.
Step 1:Member doctors should login (OPW username and password) to your ‘My OPW’ account at eyes.org. |
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Step 2:Select the 'Staff Membership' link on the right to review or enter the requisite information for each staff person (non-doctor).
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*Staff membership is only for non-ODs at your practice location. To add a non-member doctor, please direct them to join the AOA.
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Commission on Paraoptometric Certification (CPC) Examinations
Confident staff make competent staff - paraoptometric certification is how optometric practices can validate their staff’s clinical support and practice management skillsets. Use these AOA study resources, created based on CPC exam outlines, to build staff confidence in their exam prep.
- 2026 Paraoptometric Examination Candidate Handbook. Start here in preparing for a CPC exam by reading and understanding the candidate handbook. The CPO, CPOA, CPOT and CPOC outlines are included in the handbook, making it a valuable tool in knowing what to study.
- AOA Paraoptometric Certification Exam Study Resources. Use the AOA’s study resource checklist to help keep staff’s study prep on track. Majority of these resources are available in the AOA EyeLearn Professional Development Hub for AOA members and non-members.
- CPC 2026 Examination Schedule. Consult the exam schedule to know when exams are being administered in 2026.
*The listing of any AOA study resource does not constitute a CPC endorsement of these sources and does not imply a guarantee that candidates successfully pass any CPC examination if they are used in examination preparation.
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