On this page
The two core courses for optometrists
Optometry's ethical questions are shaped by where optometrists work. In a retail or corporate setting, sales targets for frames, lenses and add-ons can sit uneasily beside clinical judgment. In medical optometry, the hard questions are about scope, prescribing and when to refer. In a private practice, you set the policies yourself, which means your own pricing, recall and billing decisions are what a board would examine. Telehealth and online vision testing add new questions about what counts as an examination and who is responsible when something is missed. Our two core courses separate the question of what is right from the question of what standard a board will apply.
Ethics for optometrists: values, reasoning and dilemmas
The ethics course helps you decide well in situations like these:
- Recommending products and upgrades when you or your employer benefit from the sale.
- Patients who want a prescription released, an online refraction honored or a contact lens fitting skipped.
- Telling a patient about a finding that worries you when they came in only for new glasses.
- A patient who should not be driving, and what your state allows or requires you to do about it.
- Co-management relationships with ophthalmologists and who receives which fee.
- Fair access for patients with limited coverage, disabilities or language needs.
Each module closes with a case where you weigh the duties in conflict, check the code and your state law, decide, and set out how you would record it.
Professional standards for optometrists: conduct, scope and accountability
The professionalism course is about meeting the standard and showing that you did. It covers what a complete eye examination record should contain; practicing within your state's scope for therapeutic drugs and procedures; prescribing standards, including controlled substances where your state permits them and federal DEA requirements; timely referral and shared care; prescription release obligations; supervising technicians and opticians; independence of clinical judgment in employed and leased practice; and how discipline is reported, including to the National Practitioner Data Bank.
| Ethics course | Professionalism course | |
|---|---|---|
| Core question | What should I do for this patient? | What does the board expect, and does my record show it? |
| Example | A manager asks you to push premium lenses | A patient with suspicious optic discs is not referred or followed up |
| Takeaway | A decision you can explain | Practice and documentation that meet the standard |
The AOA code, your practice act and how the courses map to them
Your state optometry practice act and board rules define what you may do and what counts as unprofessional conduct, and the board enforces them. The American Optometric Association's Code of Ethics applies to AOA members and expresses expectations that boards and colleagues widely recognize. Scope is where states differ most: the drugs you may prescribe, whether you may perform certain laser or injection procedures, and the conditions you may treat all depend on your state.
| Area | Main course | Supporting course |
|---|---|---|
| Putting the patient's welfare first, including over commercial interests | Ethics for optometrists | Financial integrity and billing compliance |
| Practicing within the scope your state allows | Professional standards for optometrists | Working within your scope of practice |
| Prescribing therapeutic drugs and controlled substances | Professional standards for optometrists | Prescribing standards; controlled substances |
| Referral and co-management | Both core courses | Teamwork and interprofessional collaboration |
| Confidentiality of patient information | Ethics for optometrists | HIPAA privacy and confidentiality |
| Honest advertising and public statements | Professional standards for optometrists | Social media and online professionalism |
| Keeping knowledge and skills current | Professional standards for optometrists | Maintaining clinical competence |
We summarize the code in our own words. Where your practice act is more specific, for example on prescription release, the content of an exam record or the procedures you may perform, follow the act and confirm with your board.
Employment arrangements deserve particular attention. Many states have rules protecting an optometrist's independent clinical judgment when they work for, or lease space from, a retailer or another business. The professionalism course explains why those rules exist, what kinds of interference they target (for example, limits on exam time or on referral decisions) and how to raise concerns if you think your judgment is being overridden. Your state's exact rule is the one that counts, so check it before you sign or renew an agreement.
Optometry CE, renewal and where our courses fit
Optometry boards set CE requirements state by state, often with fixed topics. Two confirmed examples (October 2026):
- Florida Board of Optometry (rule 64B13-5.001): 30 clock hours per biennium, including 2 hours of Florida jurisprudence and a 2-hour course on prevention of medical errors. Certified optometrists registered with the DEA must take a 2-hour board-approved course on prescribing controlled substances each biennium, and certified optometrists need at least 6 hours of live, transcript-quality education in ocular and systemic pharmacology and disease management. No more than 2 hours of practice management count.
- Oregon Board of Optometry: 1 hour of law and ethics every two years, using board-approved courses. The board notes that courses in COPE's ethics and jurisprudence category are not automatically approved.
The Oregon point is a useful warning for every state: an ethics course that carries one kind of accreditation may still not meet a specific board requirement. Our courses are independent and not COPE-accredited, so they will not count as reportable optometric CE in most states. They do help you prepare for a law and ethics course, think through a difficult case, train a new associate, or keep a record of self-directed learning.
Federal law also applies to many optometrists. The MATE Act requires DEA-registered practitioners to attest to at least 8 hours of one-time training on substance use disorders at their first registration or renewal on or after June 27, 2023.
For ethics hours in other licensed professions, see the ethics hours for license renewal guide.
Supporting courses: consent and communication
Consent in optometry covers more than procedures. Dilation, contact lens wear, off-label drops, myopia control in children and referral decisions all need clear explanations of benefits, risks and alternatives. The communication course helps when you deliver unexpected findings or when a patient disputes a charge or a prescription.
Supporting courses: records and privacy
A clear exam record is your best defense if a missed diagnosis is alleged. The documentation course covers what to record, how to show that you advised follow-up or referral, and how to correct an entry properly. The privacy course covers HIPAA in shared optical and retail spaces, and the social media course covers reviews, patient photos and online advertising.
Supporting courses: boundaries and conflicts of interest
Boundary issues for optometrists usually involve conflicts of interest rather than physical contact: incentives tied to product sales, gifts from suppliers, treating friends and family, and dual roles in small communities. The boundaries course covers these, along with conduct during close-proximity examinations and online contact with patients.
Supporting courses: honesty, billing and disclosure
Integrity concerns in optometry often involve billing medical eye care versus routine vision services, coding exam levels accurately, insurance and vision plan rules, and truthful answers on renewal and credentialing forms. These courses cover honest billing, declarations, raising concerns about an employer and disclosing errors to patients.
Supporting courses: prescribing and patient safety
Patient safety in optometry includes medication choices and interactions, controlled substances where your state allows them, infection control for tonometers, contact lenses and shared equipment, and systems that make sure referrals and follow-ups actually happen. These courses address each risk.
Supporting courses: complaints and remediation
If a complaint has reached you, talk to your attorney or professional liability insurer first, then learn. These courses explain the process and help you build evidence of insight and change. For courses grouped by concern, see remediation courses for optometrists; for discipline across licensed professions, see state licensing board disciplinary action.
Who these courses suit
- Optometrists in retail and corporate settings where commercial targets and clinical judgment meet.
- Medical optometrists managing glaucoma, ocular disease and therapeutic prescribing.
- Practice owners setting pricing, billing and marketing policies.
- Optometrists in co-management arrangements with ophthalmology practices.
- New graduates moving from residency or school clinics into independent practice.
- Optometrists licensed in more than one state with different scope rules.
How the online courses work
Each course carries at least 2 hours of study in short sections with knowledge checks. Access is instant and your progress saves across devices. The 20-question, case-based final assessment needs 80% (16 of 20) to pass, and you can review and retake it. You then complete a structured reflective account and download a certificate showing the course title, study time and date.
Write your reflection about what you learned and will change, without patient identifiers. US law does not generally protect personal reflective notes.
Fitness To Practice is independent. They do not award CE credit unless your board accepts them, do not meet a board order unless the board approves them, and do not guarantee any outcome.
Questions
Can I use it for the Oregon law and ethics hour?
No. The Oregon Board of Optometry requires its 1 hour of law and ethics every two years to come from board-approved courses, and it says even courses in COPE's ethics and jurisprudence category are not automatically approved. Use our course to deepen your thinking, and take the required hour from the board's approved list.
Does the course help with Florida's jurisprudence or controlled substances requirement?
Not as credit. Florida requires 2 hours of Florida jurisprudence, and DEA-registered certified optometrists need a 2-hour board-approved course on prescribing controlled substances each biennium. The professionalism and controlled substances courses are useful background before you take approved courses.
How does the ethics course handle sales pressure in retail optometry?
It treats commercial pressure as a central case. You work through the difference between recommending what a patient needs and selling what earns the most, how to explain options without pressure, how to respond to targets set by an employer, and how to document recommendations so the clinical reasoning is clear.
Does the professionalism course explain prescription release?
It explains that patients generally have a right to their eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions under federal rules and that some states add their own requirements, and it covers how to release and record them properly. Check the current federal and state rules that apply to your practice, since details can change.
Are scope differences between states covered?
Yes, as a skill rather than a list. Scope for therapeutic drugs, procedures and conditions varies widely, so the course shows you how to check your own practice act and board rules, how to document training for expanded procedures, and what to do when you hold licenses in states with different scope.
What about referral and co-management with ophthalmologists?
Both core courses cover it. The ethics course looks at patient choice, fee arrangements and conflicts of interest. The professionalism course covers timely referral, clear communication, follow-up to make sure the referral happened and documentation of shared care responsibilities, so it is clear who is managing the patient at each stage.
What should I do if a patient may not be safe to drive?
The ethics course walks through how to talk to the patient, what to record and how to find your state's rules, which differ on whether reporting is permitted, required or neither. It does not give a national answer, because there is none. Check your state law and ask your liability insurer's risk management service if unsure.
Do the courses cover missed diagnoses like glaucoma or retinal detachment?
The professionalism and documentation courses cover the record-keeping and follow-up systems that protect patients and you: recording findings, advice and referrals, recall systems and what to do when a patient does not return. They do not teach clinical diagnosis itself, which belongs to clinical CE.
Should I take these courses if a board has opened a complaint against me?
Get advice first from your attorney or liability insurer, who can advise whether voluntary learning will help and how to present it. Then complete the relevant course privately and share the certificate and reflection through your adviser if they agree. No course guarantees any outcome.
Are optometric technicians and opticians able to enroll?
Yes, anyone can enroll, though the two core courses are written for licensed optometrists. Many practices use the privacy, communication and infection control courses for their whole team. Opticians are licensed separately in some states, so they should check their own board's rules.
Does MATE Act training come with these courses?
No. The MATE Act requires DEA-registered practitioners to attest to at least 8 hours of one-time training on substance use disorders. Our controlled substances course covers safe prescribing, but it is not designed or accredited as MATE Act training. Check the DEA's accepted training sources.
How long does each optometry course take?
Each carries at least 2 hours, plus time for the 20-question assessment and reflective account. You can study in short sessions between patients or in one evening, and your progress is saved automatically on any device you use. Many optometrists take the ethics course first.
Does the ethics course cover online vision tests and remote refraction?
Yes, as an emerging dilemma. It looks at what patients may understand or misunderstand about remote testing, when a full in-person examination is still needed, and how to explain the difference honestly. The professionalism course adds the licensure question of where the patient is located and which state's rules apply.
Official sources
Checked October 2026. Rules and processes change, so confirm the current position with the official source. This page is general information, not legal advice.
- Fla. Admin. Code R. 64B13-5.001, Hours Requirement (Board of Optometry)
- Florida Statutes 463.007, Renewal of license; continuing education
- Oregon Board of Optometry: Laws, Rules and Ethics CE
- Or. Admin. Code 852-070-0054, Outside Agency Approved Continuing Optometric Education Courses
- HHS: HIPAA Privacy Rule
- NPDB Guidebook: State Licensure Actions
How these courses are built
Official sources only
Every legal and regulatory point comes from primary sources: state practice acts and board rules, federal law and national professional codes of ethics. Anything we cannot confirm is left out.
Original, edition by edition
Lessons, scenarios and assessment questions are written by us for each edition separately, then checked for accuracy, teaching quality and fair assessment before publication.
Reviewed when rules change
When a code, standard or law changes, the affected courses are reviewed and updated. Reported errors in legal or regulatory facts are corrected first.